Waterstones use kindle to ignite eReader battle

There’s going to be a new tough new competitor in the e-reading war as of next year. The e-reading thing IS a war isn’t it? Only with fewer deaths, obviously. Anyway, we’re getting sidetracked already. The hot news is that Amazon’s wildly popular Kindle reader will be challenged by a new device, to be launched by Waterstones in early 2012. Although the Kindle is by far and away the global market leader, in the US it has faced some competition from the Nook, a reader that was developed by book chain Barnes & Noble. They allow customers to visit their stores with their Nooks and get an hour of free reading every day. No doubt enjoyed with some coffee and a cupcake. Delightful. If Waterstones provide a similar ‘try before you buy’ service, it could be a shot in the arm for the company, luring hardcore readers in to their stores armed with their e-reading gadgets for a session of loafing about and cyberbrowsing. The book chain’s boss, James Daunt, said: We in Waterstone's need to offer you a digital reader which is at least as good, and preferably substantially better, than that of our internet rival, and you will have a much better buying experience purchasing your books through us.” Read the whole story on Holy Moly! http://www.holymoly.com/gadgets/news/waterstones-ready-battle-amazon-new-e-reader59266#ixzz1Z5Cly8KL The best celebrity gossip site in the world.