Desktops and Notebooks: Barnes and Noble`s Nook Color Features Android, Facebook Integration

Barnes & Noble began shopping its new Nook Color e-reader Nov. 16, ahead of schedule. The $249 device offers a 7-inch display, 8GB of storage space expandable through a microSD slot, WiFi capability, Web surfing and the ability to share selected passages from e-books via Facebook and Twitter. The bookseller hopes the Nook Color will earn it market share against Amazon.com's third-generation Kindle, which features a grayscale screen. Although many analysts termed e-readers a niche market for much of 2009, the devices became one of the "must have" items by that year's holiday shopping season. Despite the competitive pressures from the Apple iPad and other tablet PCs (which feature e-reader applications), those analysts now generally expect the e-reader market to expand. Analytics company In-Stat earlier has estimated e-reader shipments will rise from 12 million units in 2010 to 35 million in 2014. For the moment, though, Barnes & Noble is likely more concentrated on winning new customers during the holidays.