Barnes & Noble just announced its latest ereader: The Nook Simple Touch with GlowLight. It doesn’t look any different from the previous model until you turn it on. That’s when the magic happens. Powered by a front-lit screen dubbed GlowLight, the new Nook emits a pleasant glow that’s sort of different from traditional backlighting. It’s easier on the eyes but the light cuts the battery life in half — which honestly is not that big of a deal.
The original Nook Simple Touch could go for 2 months on a single charge. The new model lasts that long as well, however, turn the light on and it drops to one month.
Inside the familiar body is the same TI CPU, 2GB of storage and 7-inch E Ink display. B&N developed the GlowLight internally. It’s toggled by the Nook’s little N button on the bottom of the ereader.
The Nook Simple Touch With GlowLight is priced at $139 and B&N is accepting orders starting today. The company expects the product to ship and hit stores in May.
Amazon fans, your glowing Kindle should be released later this year. We already spied it in the wild, but Amazon tends to release new Kindles in the fall. This isn’t the first time B&N has beat Amazon to the punch. The Nook Color launched a year before the Kindle Fire and B&N beat Amazon to the touch game with the Nook Simple Touch by almost five months.