Looks like the rumor from The Digital Reader’s sources came true; certain members of media got invitations to a Barnes and Noble announcement at their flagship store in New York City next week, Nov. 7.
The last time Barnes and Noble had an announcement at their flagship NYC store, they announced a refresh to their e-ink device, the Nook Touch. So it stands to reason that the device that will be announced on the 7th will be a follow-up to the popular NOOK Color. It’s quite surprising that no concrete details about the device’s specs have leaked, given the propensity for leaks about ANY consumer electronic device to happen these days.
Since the NOOK Color’s successor will have to compete against the $199 Amazon Kindle Fire, it probably will keep new features in check to keep the pricing low. So they probably won’t add typical Android tablet features like a front or rear-facing camera, or GPS, or even 3G. The original price for the NOOK Color was around $299, then it dropped to $249, making it one of the cheapest Android tablets at the time.
I would hazard a guess that the next-gen NOOK Color will remain a 7-inch tablet. It’s a very comfortable size for reading, similar to the size of a paperback book. Though it’s possible it could bump up an inch to 8 inches, perhaps taking on a form factor like the Vizio Android tablet? It’d have a little bit more screen real estate, but not so much to make it too bulky to carry.
B&N already updated the NOOK Color to support color and interactive digital magazines, so perhaps they’ll announce more publisher partnerships for more content in that area. Maybe they’ll also add in more social reading features similar to the Kobo Vox e-reader, the self-proclaimed, “world’s first social eReader”?
It’s also worth mentioning that the previous NOOK Color rumor stated that B&N stores would undergo some remodeling to build out a posh, boutique-y section of their stores to showcase the whole line of Nook devices and accessories. So that will probably be on display during the announcement on the 7th, as well.
Via All Things D
