The Nook Color is going to get its very own app store in 2011, and Barnes and Noble has just taken the next step in making that possible by releasing the Nook Color SDK.

This allows software developers to create new apps specifically for the Nook Color or make their existing Android apps compatible with the Nook Color’s 7″ screen and hardware specifications.

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If you own a Nook WiFi, Nook 3G, or the new Nook Color, you can take it to any Barnes and Noble retail location to access the free exclusive content listed below.

Just connect to B&N’s free WiFi and tap the “shop” icon to bring up the in-store promotions. Each week the “More in Store” is updated and each new feature is available on a rolling basis. Once you download the exclusive content to a Nook, it gets saved to your B&N library and can be accessed whenever you want.

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Barnes and Noble announced an expansion to their ebook library today, launching the first dedicated Spanish language ebookstore in the United States.

Here’s the full press release for more details:

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Here are three videos of the new Nook Color by Barnes and Noble.

These first two videos shows how B&N is focusing a lot on color content in the form of periodicals, cookbooks, and children’s books. It shows the AliveTouch feature in action, which allows kids to interact with books and have them read aloud.

The magazine demonstration looks interesting. There’s a window that pops up below the main article for scanning through pages and looking ahead. There’s a table of contents pop-up complete with images, headings, and descriptions. Then the newspaper video shows how there’s an article view for streamlined reading without any images or distractions.

Filed under: News, Nook | Tags: BN, nook color | 10 Comments »

It’s official. The Nook Color from Barnes and Noble was announced this afternoon and looks like it’s going to be pretty cool.

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Move over Apple iPad, the Barnes and Noble Nook—and possibly the Nook 2—is set to arrive in 2,500 Walmart stores and on Walmart.com starting next week on October 24th.

Not only that but some Walmart stores will have Nook-branded eReading areas where shoppers can see and touch a demonstration device (probably more like a shelf tucked away than an “area” if their current selection of Sony Readers is any indication).

This makes three major retail chainstores that sell the Nook, the others being Best Buy and B&N, of course. Getting ereaders into brick and mortar stores is the current fad. Amazon just recently added Kindles to Staples stores, Target, and Best Buy. Sony, of course, has the largest retail presence, with their ereaders being sold from most electronics stores.

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October 20th is the one year anniversary of the official unveiling of the Barnes and Noble Nook.

At the time it was a big announcement. The Nook was the first ebook reader to offer ebook lending and to feature a color LCD display in addition to the E Ink display.

Barnes and Noble priced the Nook at $259, the same price as the Kindle 2 at the time. It was more popular than B&N had anticipated; it sold out in under a month and it wasn’t until February before B&N retail stores starting getting them in stock.

Then on June 21st Barnes and Noble introduced the Wi-Fi-only Nook for $149 and reduced the price of the Nook 3G to $199.

So when is the Nook 2 going to be announced?

The Wi-Fi Nook is the same as the original, except the 3G wireless of course, so it’s not really a proper Nook 2.

If Barnes and Noble has a Nook 2 in the works—a faster, lighter, updated version—they’ve certainly been quiet about it; there aren’t even any substantial rumors floating around the net.

If B&N were to launch a Nook 2 and have it ready in time for the holiday season—something they botched last year by underestimating the demand of the product—they would have to announce a release date within the next couple of weeks to have it ready to ship by the beginning of December.

The way I see it, if B&N doesn’t reveal a new Nook by the 10th of November, it probably won’t be happening for a few months down the road.

Update: Barnes and Noble has sent out media invites for an event on Tuesday, October 26th in New York to make an announcement. It’s likely that a new Nook will be unveiled at this event!

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Today Barnes and Noble finally launched their own digital publishing platform called PubIt to keep up with the other major e-retailers like Amazon and Apple. The bad news, however, is that their rates are lower than both of those.

Amazon and Apple pay 70% of the list price to independent publishers and authors for using their self-publishing platforms, whereas PubIt pays 65%.

Here are the pertinent details from the press release:

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This is the last week for Barnes and Noble’s free classics promotion, so get them now before it’s too late!

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Barnes and Noble issued a press release today announcing the September line-up for the “More in Store” exclusive content for the Nook.

Each week Nook owners can take their Nooks to any Barnes and Noble retail store, connect to B&N’s free WiFi, and download the free exclusive material. This only works on a Nook; not any other B&N supported device.

The Barnes & Noble More in Store for NOOK September line-up includes:

September 5

Roasted Sweet Potato and Parsnip Soup with Sausage by Mark Bittman
New York Times food columnist Mark Bittman is famous for helping readers cook delicious, accessible dishes that are great crowd-pleasers. Now, he’s created a special fall soup, exclusively for NOOK owners.

Forever – An Exclusive Excerpt by Maggie Stiefvater
Maggie Stiefvater’s bestselling books Shiver and Linger garnered widespread praise for their lyrical writing and intense storylines. Stiefvater is giving NOOK owners an exclusive sneak peek at the third book in the trilogy – Forever – which will be out next summer.

September 12

The Cliffhanger by Lee Child
#1 New York Times bestselling author Lee Child writes electrifying thrillers that keep his fans, “Reacher Creatures,” turning the pages. For the first time, he’s releasing two books in one year. Can you figure out what happens after the cliffhanger?

What it Took by Cecily von Ziegesar
Gossip Girl creator Cecily von Ziegesar has turned her hand to writing about college in her new release, Cum Laude. In this funny, evocative and exclusive essay for NOOK owners, she talks about her own experiences in college and how they brought her to where she is today.

September 19

Tim Gunn’s A Word to the Wise
Fans of the hit TV show Project Runway are no stranger to the hilarious Tim Gunn. But this style guru has a softer side. In this exclusive essay for NOOK owners, Gunn talks about the lessons he’s learned in life.

If I Knew Then What I Know Now by Bobbi Brown
Cosmetics master Bobbi Brown has been making women beautiful for years. Now, she’s writing exclusively for NOOK owners about her teenage years and how things would have been different if she had the wisdom then that she has today.

September 26

Finding the Funny by Marlo Thomas
People who grew up with Marlo Thomas and Free To Be… You and Me can never get enough of her fresh, funny and energetic personality. In an exclusive essay for NOOK owners, Thomas talks about growing up around some very funny people and how they inspired her upcoming memoir.

An Afternoon and a Half with Patricia Neal by Sam Wasson
Actress Patricia Neal was magnificent as the star of movies like The Fountainhead, The Day the Earth Stood Still, and Breakfast at Tiffany’s. Exclusively for Barnes & Noble, Sam Wasson writes about two unforgettable meetings with this Hollywood legend.

Getting to the Magic by Mary Pope Osborne
Mary Pope Osborne’s wonderful ‘Magic Tree House’ series is a favorite among young readers for its combination of adventure, friendship and magic. In this exclusive piece for NOOK owners, Osborne talks about the evolution of her series and the kids who helped her get there.

Free Classics From Barnes and Noble

These ebooks are only free for a few more days, since I forgot to post them last Friday (sorry about that). This week’s theme is Around the World in 5,792 Pages.

Kim by Rudyard Kipling

Prince and the Pauper by Mark Twain

The Jungle Books by Rudyard Kipling

Arabian Nights by Anonymous

Fairy Tales by Hans Christian Andersen

Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court by Mark Twain

Enchanted Castle and Five Children and It by Edith Nesbit

Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer

King Solomon’s Mines by H. Rider Haggard

Gulliver’s Travels by Jonathan Swift

Two Years Before the Mast by Richard Henry Dana

Sailing Alone Around the World by Joshua Slocum

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