Barnes & Noble, the national bookseller, announced Monday that it was dropping the price of its six-month-old Nook e-reader to $199 from $259 and introducing a new version of the device, which connects to the Internet only over Wi-Fi networks, for $149.
Responding rapidly, Amazon.com then cut the price of its popular Kindle e-reader below the Nook, to $189 from $259.
The companies are competing with Apple's iPad. The move signals another shift toward an all-digital world replete with increasingly affordable platforms that will enable us to easily access news and information.
For library professionals, this also means funds may have to be spent on purchasing these to loan to patrons or to use on site. These Internet-ready devices, which have surface dimensions the size of your average book, could clear not only book shelving space but clunky computer space, too.
