QUE proReader hitting Barnes & Noble retail stores in 2010
In a rather odd unfolding of events, it seems as if Barnes & Noble is finally clearing up the mystery behind that Plastic Logic e-reader slated to hit its retail locations by Spring of 2010. After making said announcement, the book seller then went out and introduced an e-book reader of its very own in the Nook, and only now are we learning that the Plastic Logic-built QUE proReader will also be splashing down at the outfit sometime next year. In a brief release posted today, we’re told that the recently teased big-screen reader (8.5- x 11-inches) will be sold throughout B&N’s retail footprint and on its website; makes sense given that B&N is powering the proReader’s online e-book store, but the fact that it’ll be placed prominently near the outfit’s own (somewhat competing) device is certainly interesting. We’re expecting to see more come CES 2010, and seriously, with the rate at which these readers are hitting brick-and-mortar locations, Amazon might want to consider implementing some kind of physical trial in order to not go overlooked in its corner of the web.
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QUE proReader hitting Barnes & Noble retail stores in 2010 originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 27 Oct 2009 09:09:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Posted: October 27th, 2009
at 10:09am by Darren Murph
Topics: BAndN, Barnes & Noble, BarnesAndNoble, BarnesNoble, Ces2010, E-bookReader, Ebook, EbookReader, OnSale, PlasticLogic, QueProreader, b and n, barnes and noble, ces, ces 2010, e-book, e-book reader, e-reader, epub, on sale, plastic logic, proReader, que, que proreader
MSI Confirms Plans for Nvidia Tegra-Based eReader in 2010 [EReaders]
That rumor about an MSI eReader looks good-to-go: their chairman acknowledges a reader with Tegra graphics is coming, but they’re ironing out some problems at the moment. Meanwhile, Asus also has some some cool-sounding readers in the works. [DigiTimes]
Nook Will Be Sold (Almost) Only Online
In a curious case of inverting expectations, Amazon and Barnes & Noble are switching roles. Last week Amazon announced that it would begin same-day shipping in some large cities, in an effort to further marginalize brick and mortar stores. Now Barnes & Noble is squandering a major advantage over Amazon — its retail outlets — by only offering the new Nook e-reader online.
If you walk into all but the biggest of B&N’s emporia, you will be able to play with a demo unit but not actually buy one to take home. According to Staci D. Kramer of Paid Content, “the booksellers will order a device for in-store customers from the BN.com website to be shipped to their home.”
Given that the only reason to actually buy from a store is to get the goods right now, this seems rather foolish, especially as one of the Nook’s big features is that you can read e-books for free whilst in a B&N store.
We’re assuming that this isn’t policy but pragmatism: It’s likely that the Nook will only be available in limited numbers at launch, and spreading them thinly across retail outlets is probably worse than just shipping them. What’s funny, though, is that this shows up the inefficiency of the bricks and mortar model compared to Amazon’s rather slick online-only operation. There’s an irony in there somewhere.
With all the talk about 
