Continuing the wave of recent e-reader upgrades, Barnes & Noble's Nook Media division is releasing a new Nook GlowLight, its read-in-the-dark e-ink e-reader, with new lighting technology, increased storage, a higher res screen and “enhanced” discovery and recommendation features. The upgraded device will sell for $119 beginning today.
The upgraded Nook GlowLight is lighter (15% lighter than the its competitor, the Kindle Paperwhite, according to B&N) and offers easier to adjust lighting technology, a higher resolution screen with new fonts, a redesigned home screen and increased storage; B&N said the device will now hold 2,000 books. Nook has also added a redesigned shopping experience with a “Now on Nook” feature with a curated list of titles in addition to recommendations offered via its Nook Channels recommendation feature. Nook is also quick to note that the devices sells for $119 and does not have ads like its Kindle counterpart.
B&N members can purchase the Nook GlowLight for 10% off the list price through the end of the year.
Nook Media is releasing the new upgraded Nook GlowLight against a backdrop of industry speculation about whether B&N should be in the device manufacturing business at all. Despite disappointing sales of the Nook HD and HD+ tablets, Nook management has declared that “If we want to be in the content business we need to be in the device business.” While there was some speculation that the company might offer an upgraded tablet device, Nook Media seems to have chosen to deliver a more modest upgrade to one of its popular e-ink devices.
But while e-ink devices remain popular with a segment of digital readers, sales of tablet devices continue to grow and most industry analysts expect consumers to gravitate to tablets for most of their entertainment consumption, from reading books to music and film viewing.
