Barnes & Noble Nook eBook Reader Officially Launched [Specifications and Features Available; Barnes & Noble Available for Pre-order for $259]

You can’t say we didn’t tell you so because we told you so! The Barnes & Noble eBook reader has been officially revealed today, exactly as expected. Too bad for Barnes & Noble that their event overlapped Apple’s Macs refresh! Or should we assume that Apple decided to make sure the Mac refresh will steal our attention from the upcoming Windows 7 event in particular but also from Barnes & Noble press event?

After all, the upcoming Apple tablet is definitely a competitor for this Nook eBook reader. That’s the weird name Barnes & Noble has chosen for this outstanding product. In case you want a Kindle then you’d better reconsider and go for a Nook. And let’s not forget that there’s a QUE proReader coming from Plastic Logic too.

So what will the Nook have to offer? It measures only 7.7 x 4.9. x 0.5 inches and it weighs 11.2 ounces. The reader comes with two screens, as expected, a 6-inch grayscale e-ink display from Vizplex and a 3.5-inch color touhscreen under the main screen. Other features include Wi-Fi 802.11b/g connectivity, AT&T 3G support, 2GB of storage space enough for 1500 eBooks, microSD card support for up to 16GB of memory, a powerful battery that needs 3.5 hours to charge after which it will be good for 10 straight days, a 3.5mm stereo headphone jack, micro USB connectivity, MP3 player and support for lots of files.

What does the Nook do besides letting you read your favorite titles? Well it also lets you make notes, highlight certain passages from your favorite books, listen to music and setup personal screen savers. In case that doesn’t matter that much than features like free Wi-Fi connectivity in Barnes & Noble stores, free eBooks, sample eBooks support and, most importantly, lend eBooks support are going to certainly impress you.

The Barnes & Noble Nook eBook reader is now available for pre-order and at $259 and it’s definitely worth considering. Forget about the Kindle for a change and remember how Amazon wrongfully wiped data from everyone’s Kindle just a while ago. Maybe it is time to give Barnes & Noble a try don’t you think? You have plenty of time to sample the Nook before the tablets come in. But that’s a story to tell early next year when Apple and Microsoft will fully reveal their “secret” projects.