Let's all give the Nook Color a big pat on its back. Barnes & Nobles' e-reader, the underdog that could, has now supplanted Amazon's Kindle as the most popular e-reader. E Ink-only devices might be in trouble.
For the company that popularized the e-reader, Amazon's top execs are sure to be frowning at the news that its Kindle is no longer the most popular e-reader on the planet. That honor belongs to the Nook Color and its 7-inch color touchscreen and Android organs.
Whereas many people believed the Nook Color's LCD screen would provide an inferior reading experience compared to E Ink's glare-free and sun-friendly display, it appears that an LCD might not be so terrible after all.
Smaller than an iPad 2 and most Android tablets on the market, and comparable in size to the BlackBerry Playbook, the Nook Color has two things the Kindle doesn't: a color touchscreen and an Internet browser. And if we know what people love these days (we think we do), it's touchscreen gadgets and the Internet.
With rumors that Amazon is prepping its very own Android-powered e-reader/tablet hybrids, the tables could flip back very soon. Is E Ink dead, though? Hardly. Recall that Barnes & Noble just recently launched the new Nook with a E Ink touchscreen. One thing is for sure, Amazon better wake up, smell the coffee, and start innovating on its e-readers again instead of serving ads to everybody's standby screens or else the Nook Color is going to keep its lead.
Ah...we just love sweet, sweaty competition. Your move Amazon.
IDC, via HotHardware
