New Nook eReader Unveiled By Barnes and Noble

Barnes and Noble Inc. unveiled its new Nook e-reader with a color touch screen for $249, in time for the holidays. The Nookcolor can be used for reading digital books, magazines, newspapers and children’s books. It ups the competition for e-readers by including functions common to more expensive tablet computers such as Apple’s iPad with features such as games, music, Web browsing and its own application store. It runs on Google Inc.’s Android operating system.

Barnes & Noble, which announced the product Tuesday, said it will begin taking orders at its stores on Wednesday and begin shipping in mid-November.