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Many big companies have already entered into the e-Reader department, most notably Amazon and Sony.  Apparently Barnes & Noble have been working on e-Reader designs for quite some time now, and images and product information are finally beginning to surface.  Barnes & Noble has already announced a product event slated for next Tuesday, October 20.  All reports indicate that B&N will announce the anticipated e-Reader. 

At first, it was thought the device would contain special e-ink color technology, but all text and images will still be in black and white, similar to the Amazon Kindle.  However, the reader will contain multi-touch technology, similar to that of the iPhone.  Now, you have to imagine that B&N would not be just creating an e-Reader without having other ways of creating revenue.  They will be offering the books they publish for deeper discounts, probably to sway on-the-fence e-Reader customers towards the B&N device.  Why not throw Google Books into the mix?  The e-Reader should also have unlimited access to books in the Google Books database, which aren’t current, but better than nothing. 

Based on the images provided, the device looks to have a fairly big screen, with the virtual QWERTY keyboard only taking up about 20%-30% of the actual device.  Interestingly enough, it has a physical light on the top which can be turned on or off by a switch.  I suppose additional light plus the backlight would definitely ensure readers will not have to strain their eyes to see the text. 

The obvious advantage B&N would have over the Amazon Kindle is the fact that they have many physical brick-and-mortar stores over the United States.  In fact, where I live, everyone knows of B&N, as they have a high distinction.  They can use this to their advantage to encourage people to purchase books from within their stores for cheaper, as well as through 3G/WiFi.  Maybe they could even institute monthly fees that allows a for a certain amount of books to be “checked out” from their physical stores.  Of course, we will only learn more information when their event rolls around next week. 

Read [Gizmodo]