Like all mobile eBook apps, nook for Android will sync bookmarks and last read pages with other instances of the app or your nook eBook reader.  Unlike the iOS version of Barnes & Noble, nook for Android is an actual nice-looking app.  It has eight choices for fonts, which is even more than is on the nook reader.  The standard to turn the page is a one finger flick, though that can be changed to a single press on either side of the screen.  Like the nook device, nook for Android comes complete with LendMe, so users can share eBooks with friends, giving their friends a copy of the book for up to 14 days (the eBook is then removed from the original owner’s library for that time). {Barnes & Noble}

With Barnes & Noble, that now means all the biggest eBook sellers are on Android.  Given the fact that many publishers are switching to an agency model, making eBooks cost the same across all platforms, it really comes down to which app you prefer.  Granted, those who own eBook reader devices would want to use the same app as the device they have, others are free to choose whichever app they like.  Aside from Amazon, Kobo/Borders and now Barnes & Noble’s nook there’s also Adiko which can access any free eBooks, or read ePub files bought from other virtual stores.

Competition for eReading consumers†affection sizzled on Monday as Barnes and Noble dropped the price of its well received Nook e-book reader 23 percent to $199 and introduced the Nook WiFi at an even bigger bargain $149, though the latter device can only be used in a WiFi environment. Amazon, whose $259 price tag for their Kindle eReader (which comes with 3G technology by default) previously matched the Nookâ€s cost exactly, responded by dropping the price of the Kindle to $189, and they aren’t stopping their competitive advances there. Amazon.com plans to introduce a thinner Kindle with an upgraded screen this August. Sonyâ€s cheapest eReader is still $169. {Fortune}

Get yourself a price gun: the war for th eReader market is on

At this rate, eReaders will be cheaper than the actual books in their stores in no time.

In addition, Apple updated the iPhone and iPod Touch today to include available iBook software. The iPadâ€s price tag for the entry-level model remains near $500, though the additional tablet computer functionality give it an advantage over single purpose eReaders. It would be difficult to justify a $500 eReader purchase, but when that device doubles as a place to play games, browse the web and check on email, it’s a lot easier to rationalize.
“Their sales have obviously been impacted by the iPad,” Charlie Wolf, a senior analyst at Needham & Co. in New York, said. “These price cuts are almost an act of desperation.” {Bloomberg Businessweek}

Meanwhile, Kobo, the e-book retailer that offers eReading software for an array of devices, released free software on Monday that is available through the Android marketplace and allows eReaders to be used on Smartphones with the Android operating system. The e-book retailer already produces software for other Smartphones, iPad, iPhone, Blackberry, Palm WebOS and the newly released Kobo reading device.

Users who buy Kobo e-books with one device can read their purchase on any of the devices for which Kobo offers software.

“We’ve adapted the features our customers love and expect from Kobo to ensure that we provide the best reading experience for Android-enabled smartphones,” Kobo CEO Michael Serbinis said. {Publishers Weekly}

Borders is also holding steady with eReaders that began selling for $119.99-$149.99 in May. {Bloomberg Businessweek}

Need to catch your breath? We sure do! We canâ€t wait to see which devices prove most popular among consumers and how low the prices will need to go to woo customers who are interested in an e-reading device but not its expense.

One of these books can't be shared like the others

As it stands now, eBooks are made available through mostly proprietary book stores like Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and the iBookstore.  Other companies like Kobo, Sony Library and Fictionwise offer eBooks that work on their selected devices or apps, but can also work on other devices.  Those stores use the ePub format, which was supposed to be the universal format.  ePub is actually used by Barnes & Noble and Apple as well, though some extra Digital Rights Management (DRM) is added on top of the existing ePub DRM in those stores.

Micheal Serbinis of Kobo, when interviewed by Reuters, mentioned that he expects readers will one day be able to lend books to each other.  This is already available on the Nook from Barnes & Noble, though on no other platform.  A world where Kindle users can share books with nook owners would be nice to see, which a universally adopted format could help with.

Susan Peterson Kennedy of Penguin Publishing claimed that “contrary to popular belief, the book is much more flexible [than eBooks].”  Without a universal format that can be true.  EBooks, however, can be used almost anywhere, which is almost more flexible.  Books like “Only Revolutions” by Mark Z. Danielewski {Wikipedia} have proven that the book can do more interesting things, but for most stories and simple text file that can be read on a computer, eReader, tablet and cell phone would just as easily suffice.

Longer than The Lord of the Rings, more dramatic than The Odyssey, and more ridiculous than a two-day marathon of America’s Next Top Model, the saga of “The Nook” continues.

While Nook initially got great press from the Tech world – word is that the device is superior to Sony’s eReader and even Amazon’s Kindle – Barnes & Noble has seriously messed up their competitive edge by not producing enough Nooks to meet the demand.

With the deficiency (which B&N maintains is due to shipping problems…but no one’s believing that one), there’s a chance you may not get your Nook by Christmas – even if you pre-ordered and were given a pre-holiday shipping date.

To soften the blow, B&N is offering $100 gift certificates and fancy “Your Nook Will Be Here Soon” Cards for those whose Nooks won’t be under the tree for Christmas Day.

It’s a nice gesture – but will that be enough for B&N to recover from this disaster and take on the increasingly popular Kindle? Only time will tell.

Read the Full Story {Wired}

Blue-Ray DVDs? Wii consoles? Going Rogue?  Nope. Amazon released a press release today stating that the Kindle, the incumbent eReader facing competition from Barnes & Noble’s Nook, is currently its top dog.

Thanks to a recent international launch and a price cut, the Kindle is, according to Amazon Vice President Ian Freed, “flying off the shelves.” But how fast it’s flying is still cause for speculation, since Amazon has yet to release any hard sales numbers to the public.

Plus, as Gizmodo writer John Herrman points out,  it’s easy to make a bestselling item when you have a monopoly on the device.

Of course, being #1 on Amazon is still no small feat – we’re just anxious to find out how the Kindle will fare once (and if) B&N gets their act together to promote/distribute their much spiffier Nook. 

Read More {Gizmodo}

Read More {Mashable}

Read More {CrunchGear}

Read More {ZDNet}

Read More {Switched}