US book retailer Barnes & Noble Inc debuted an e-reader on April 12 with a screen that can glow in the dark, a move aimed at improving its position against Amazon.com.
The 6-inch (15-cm) touch-screen device, which will hit stores in early May for $139, lands in a market where Apple Inc and Amazon are battling with Barnes & Noble for customers who want to read books and magazines on small portable devices. Weighing just under 7 ounces (200 grams), it is Barnes & Noble's lightest Nook yet and is aimed at people who want to read in the dark without a light.
To read in the dark with other e-readers that use electronic ink, consumers had to buy an external light that attached to the device. While Apple's iPads have backlit screens, Barnes & Noble said its technology creates a better night-time reading experience than an LCD screen because it throws off less light and will not disturb a reader's partner who is trying to sleep.
While Barnes & Noble is first to market with a glowing e-reader, Amazon may be hot on its heels. The Internet retailer is working on releasing its own e-reader with a glowing screen, according to a report on Ap ril 6 from the blog TechCrunch. Amazon did not respond for comment on the report.
"If Amazon isn't already working on one, they will immediately start working on one now after today's announcement," Forrester analyst James McQuivey said.
"We are investing a lot but we feel good that those investments will pay off," Barnes & Noble Chief Executive William Lynch said in an interview on Thursday.
He added that the chain, the No 2 seller of e-books behind Amazon, is increasing its market share faster than any other company. In February, he estimated the company captures 27 percent to 30 percent of the US digital books market.
Barnes & Noble introduced its first version of the Nook in 2009, two years after Amazon's Kindle.