Barnes & Noble rolls out an All-New Nook

The All-New Nook for $139 from Barnes and Noble (Barnes and Noble)

  NEW YORK -- Barnes & Noble is launching a lighter, slimmer, cheaper version of its e-reader, called the All-New Nook, for $139 - the same price as the cheapest Kindle from rival Amazon.

Available June 10, the device features a 6-inch touch screen and can hold up to 1,000 digital books.

Barnes & Noble Inc. said Tuesday that the latest Nook lets readers look up words, highlight passages, search and adjust font size by typing on an on-screen keyboard. It says the device weighs 7.5 ounces and is 35 percent lighter than the first Nook. The iPad 2 is nearly three times heavier at 1.3 pounds.

The lower pricing is a sign Barnes & Noble is ready to compete on price.

Borders and its Kobo partner are taking preorders for a $130 device.

(Copyright ©2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
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Liberty Media offers to pay $1B for Barnes & Noble

  NEW YORK -- Book seller Barnes & Noble Inc. says online retail, media and communications conglomerate Liberty Media Corp. offered to buy the company for $17 per share in cash. That amounts to about $1.02 billion, based on its outstanding common shares as of March.

The offer price is nearly 21 percent higher than Barnes & Noble's Thursday closing stock price of $14.11.

Barnes & Noble shares jumped almost 3 percent in extended trading.

The companies haven't yet signed an agreement, and the deal is still subject to closing conditions. One condition of the deal is that founding chairman Leonard Riggio keeps a stake in the company and remains in a management position, Barnes & Noble says.

Barnes & Noble says a committee of its board will evaluate the offer.

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