Barnes & Noble Nook Simple Touch gets light-up E Ink soon
updated 03:50 pm EDT, Wed April 11, 2012
Nook Simple Touch to be first with light-up screen
Barnes & Noble looks likely to preempt Amazon's front-lit Kindle with an e-reader of its own. A leaked instance of in-store signage at The Digital Reader shows the Nook Simple Touch getting "GlowLight," a nickname for a system that evenly illuminates the display despite coming from the edges. Although not mentioned in the ad, the effect is easier on the eyes than an LCD backlight.
A launch could come very soon. The marketing copy leak's source mentioned only Thursday as a launch and could refer to as early as tomorrow, or if not, next week. Other details like the price haven't been mentioned, although Barnes & Noble might be keen to preserve the $99 asking price.
The appearance shows that, despite Amazon having quietly bought Oy Modilis to illuminate the Kindle, the technology was in concurrent development at Barnes & Noble and will ultimately be ready for the Nook sooner. Amazon may end up waiting until the late summer or fall.
