It may seem like overkill at this point, but Barnes & Noble is releasing their own e-book reader today: the Nook, according to the Wall Street Journal.

Although an official event and annoucement is scheduled for later today, most of the important information has already been leaked. Like Spring Design’s Alex, it will run on Google Android OS. While it’s roughly the same price as Amazon’s Kindle, it’s not really cheap, with a reported price tag of $259. But with some extra assets like a color touchscreen and e-book lending abilities, I find it a bit more of a deal. Amazon should start planning a major holiday bargain if they want to continue their control of the e-book reader market this winter.

The Wall Street Journal say they’ve seen a full page ad for the Barnes and Noble Nook eReader and it’s loaded -

1. Allows lending – Lend eBooks to friends. This is the first confirmation. WSJ write -
   

   Details of the reader appear in a full-page advertisement viewed by The Wall Street Journal in the New York Times Book Review section dated Sunday, Oct. 25. The advertisement says the Nook will enable its owners to “Lend eBooks to friends.”

2. Color touchscreen. By this they mean the screen below the eInk screen.
3. $259 price to match the Kindle price. That is a BIG detail to ferret out.
4. The name is Nook – Athena was so much better  .
5. Wireless downloads.
6. There is a separate website called nook.com – although it’s not up yet. WSJ write -
   

   The New York Times Book Review ad urges readers to “experience nook at your local Barnes & Noble or at nook.com.”

Details are supposedly from an October 25th New York Times advertisement.

Here is what Nook means (from Kindle dictionary) -

a corner or recess, especially one offering seclusion or security: the nook beside the fire.

the nook beside the fire – You cannot make this stuff up. Amazon kindles a fire and B&N offers you security by the fire.