Nook WiFi Coming Wednesday for $149?

Posted on June 21st, 2010 by Nathan

Engadget is reporting that an anonymous tipster has set them a screenshot from the Barnes and Noble internal systems that shows a product called the Nook WiFi with a date of Wednesday, June 23rd.

The image shows a price of $149, a product number, and a “class code” labeled future use. That’s about it, no image of the device or anything cool.

Rumors of a WiFi only Nook, or Nook Lite, have been circulating around the internet for a few months now. And the timing makes sense because B&N have really been pushing hard ever since they first released the Nook, with firmware updates, numerous in-store promotions for Nook owners, much lower ebook prices than when they first launched, and are now currently giving away a $50 gift card with all Nook purchases.

Looking back on it, Barnes and Noble has done an excellent job of building the Nook’s reputation and user-base despite the horrible reviews the Nook received at launch for having numerous firmware issues and other shortcomings.

So how will a $149 Nook impact the ebook reader market? The Sony PRS-300 and Kobo eReader both cost about the same, but neither really has any advanced features like WiFi. And if the Nook WiFi shares any of the features of the original Nook—web browser, games, touchscreen—it would have a decided advantage over those two, especially with the backing of B&N’s bookstore behind it.