Barnes & Noble today announced the new Nook GlowLight, a successor to the Simple Touch GlowLight that the bookseller claims brings the simple slate up to speed with its main competition, Amazon's Kindle Paperwhite.
Like the Paperwhite compared with the Kindle Fire line, the new GlowLight offers a simpler experience than other Nook tablets, such as the Nook HD+ released earlier this year. The GlowLight is focused entirely on reading.
But the new e-reader offers myriad improvements over past Nooks and, as Barnes & Noble would tell it, over the Kindle Paperwhite as well.
Overall, the improvements to the Nook GlowLight are designed to let users read for long periods of time without experiencing hand or eye fatigue, the company said.
Screen and UI
The new Nook GlowLight features an anti-glare E Ink display with "next-generation lighting" tech that makes it easier to read in any environment, according to Barnes & Noble.
The screen has 62% more pixels and fonts have been optimized for the new, crisper display.
In addition, turning the page is reportedly "smoother," without the full-screen flash or refresh that plagued past e-readers.
A redesigned UI has zero ads and minimal distractions, and makes it easier for users to discover new books or jump into the ones they're already reading.
Marathon readers
The GlowLight is also Barnes & Noble's lightest e-reader at 6.2 ounces, making it 15% lighter than the Kindle Paperwhite, as the company was keen to point out. The Paperwhite weighs 7.5 ounces.
It has a "soft-touch finish" and "industrial design" that make is easier to hold in one hand "for marathon reading sessions," so users can now read with a scotch in one hand, while they operate heavy machinery, or while running an actual marathon.
And the reader's new white paint coat is designed to more accurately emulate the print reading experience.
The refreshed GlowLight also features twice as much storage as the previous GlowLight's 2GB and holds around 2,000 books.
Barnes & Noble's new GlowLight e-reader is available today in stores and online with free shipping for $119 (about £74, AU$125). Barnes & Noble members (existing or new) get 10% off.
