snuggle up with the e-reader

Unlike the personal computer, electronic readers such as Amazon's Kindle and the Sony Reader manage to give their users a comfortable and pleasant reading experience, comparable to reading books.

The printing industry is fighting for its life. Many are flocking to digital media for information, news and entertainment, leaving paper behind. Until a few years ago, booksellers were to some extent exempt from the threat of extinction - digital books did exist, but there were few book fans who preferred to sit in front of a computer monitor and scroll through a PDF file than curl up in bed with a good book.

However, even this small comfort began to fade when the e-readers began to break out: electronic book readers, which are portable computers designed for reading books only. Unlike the personal computer, electronic readers such as Amazon's Kindle and the Sony Reader manage to give their users a comfortable and pleasant reading experience, comparable to reading books.

This is due to their size and weight, which are similar to those of books, and not least due to their use of electronic ink (e-ink) technology, which reproduces the appearance of printed letters on a page of paper. E-readers are capable of holding hundreds of digital books, and those who are blessed with the necessary financial means to purchase one of these almost no longer need to enter a bookstore except for the feeling of nostalgia.

Now, the chain of bookstores Barnes and Noble is fighting back against the manufacturers of electronic book readers - on their own turf. In recent weeks, it released an electronic book reader called nook, which many are already declaring as a must-have gadget.

The touch screen is divided into two: an upper screen with a black-and-white electronic ink interface, where the pages of the digital books will be displayed, and below it a colored touch screen for browsing between books, surfing the Internet, downloading new books and other actions. Like its competitors, the Nook can connect to the Internet, and to encourage people to come into its stores, Barnes and Noble will allow users to browse any digital book for free when they visit one of its branches. Unlike its competitors, the nook allows users to "lend" digital books to friends (in a variety of formats).

First testers expressed satisfaction with the interface and design of the Nook and believe that it will be a serious competitor in the e-reader market. This is excellent news for lovers of the written word, but bad news for lovers of paper and printing. And an interesting question: as a company whose main source of income still derives from the sale of books, will Barnes and Noble bear the brunt of its discrimination in the marketing of the knockoff?