Barnes & Noble has long been a major player in the book industry.  In mid-2009, the retailer launched an expanded e-book store that features hundreds of thousands of electronic books on sale for various devices, such as Apple's iPhone and Blackberry.  Now nearing the holiday season, Barnes & Noble has made another huge announcement regarding its project for e-book industry domination.  Barnes & Noble has announced that it will be releasing a "Barnes & Noble's E-book reader" that has features to rival many of the other e-book reader devices currently on the market.  Read on to learn more about B&N's e-book reader and why you might want to ask Santa for one this Christmas.

What makes Barnes & Noble's e-book reader different from other readers?

As many of you are well aware, there are a number of e-book readers and electronic devices that can display e-books.  Perhaps the most popular e-book reader currently in the market is Amazon's Kindle.  Barnes & Noble has decided to take e-book reading to the next level with their device by making it a color e-book reader, unlike the "E-Ink" monochrome display of the Kindle.  What this means is that you no longer have to look at boring, black-and-white pictures.  With Barnes & Noble's e-book reader, you will get a 6-inch, full color screen, making your reading experience more complete.  Barnes & Noble's reader will also include an on-screen keyboard and WiFi technology for searching and making purchases on the company's online store.

Whereas Amazon and the Kindle boast an online store with under 500,000 books, Barnes & Noble's store currently has over 700,000 books to choose from.  Furthermore, the Barnes & Noble e-book reader will be partnered up with Google, allowing access to over half-a-million public domain books.  It seems like Amazon and the other e-book reader developers have to keep a close eye on Barnes & Noble, because their new e-book reader and online store are set to take the industry by storm.

More details on Barnes & Noble's e-book reader

Barnes & Noble's e-book reader is going to be based on Google's Android operating system, which allows for great functionality and customizability.  Although it is unsure which features will be fully supported in the e-book reader, a Barnes & Noble spokesperson has mentioned that their e-book reader will have a wide variety of features that will set it apart from the competition.  Rumor has it that the Barnes & Noble color e-book reader will be released sometime before the holiday season gets into full throttle, although this rumor hasn't been confirmed yet.  Aside from making their own e-book reader, Barnes & Noble has also partnered with another e-book reader manufacturer named Plastic Logic. Plastic Logic's e-reader is due for an early 2010 release, and it will also sport a color display with access to Barnes & Noble's online store.