Barnes & Noble Special Announcement

Live from the B&N event!

  • We're just taking our seats. Comfy white chairs and a giant projection screen behind the stage. It's more or less the exact same setup as the previous event where the Nook Color was unveiled. There's an inordinate number — I dare say, army — of employees flanking us, all clad in a black Nook t-shirt.

  • Nook t-shirts!

  • Ten minutes to go, if we stay on schedule. Our musical selection in the meantime? Karaun's "Chocolate Distance (Hypnotized)." Picture funky bass with some soft guitar and an piccolo solo.
  • The luxury of reserved seating is more time to fill up at the breakfast buffet before the event takes off.
  • Or maybe everyone went to the Windows Phone 7 Mango event?
  • This smooth world music is pervading my brain. All I can think of are European car commercials.
  • "Silence all cell phones." Always a good sign.
  • We were just told the presentation will begin in two minutes. The lights have dimmed, the music has taken some form of intangible life of its own.
  • We begin with a video. Lots of people reading Nook colors. "By book or by Nook." Cute.
  • B&N CEO William Lynch takes the stage. Now we know what the army of Nookites are for: loud applause!
  • Nook Momentum: in 22 months, B&N has capture over 25 percent of the ebook market.
  • "Based on industry data, it is our belief that Nook Color is the best-selling overall ereader." Second only to iPad.
  • Nook ecosystem. The reading apps available for PC, Mac, iOS, and Android. "Over 8 million digital libraries have been created" using the app.
  • Over 2 million digital books. Over 50,000 publishers signed on. The library "continues to grow by the thousands daily."
  • "Pubit!" gets a nod, too, as do Nook Apps. "This is Angry Birds here," Lynch tells us, pointing to the screen, in case there's anyone left in the world unaware.
  • eCommerce, Cloud service, and customer service. "We call our customer service the Barnes & Noble promises" and it's what differentiates them over other ereader makers.
  • "Allow me to move to the product side." Please, thank you!
  • Over the last 18 months, "we were the first to launch digital lending." Nook friends, integrated with Facebook and Twitter. First to allow reading in-store over the Nook.
  • Nook kids, Nook newstand. Leader in digital newsstand with 1.5 million sales in six months. Over 160 of the top periodicals.
  • "The best reading device on the market became the best tablet value on the market." He's calling it the #1 reading tablet.
  • A segment still looking for a "simple, pure reading experience." We're gearing up for a more stripped-down Nook device.
  • For those "turned off by buttons, keyboards, and complexity." For teens on the go, moms on the beach. Introducing the all-new Nook.
  • Lynch pulls it out of his pocket. It's much smaller, more square. E-ink. "The Simple Touch Reader," just as the rumors suggested.
  • The promo video. All black-and-white, Moby (or something similar) blasting in the background. "The all-new Nook." Looks like the dual-screen progenitor is officially out.
  • Under 7.5 ounces, 5 x 6.5 inches.
  • A battery life of up to two months on a single charge. "Longest battery life of any ereader."
  • 80 percent less flashing.
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