Barnes & Noble Unveils NOOK For iPad

In its quest to compete with Amazon's Kindle app for the iPad, the folks at Barnes & Noble have done something interesting: They changed the title of their iPad app. Now, Barnes & Noble readers will enjoy books using NOOK for iPad. The company released its own reader, the nook, earlier this year. The reader competes directly with the Kindle, both online and in stores.

When its first iPad app was released (long after the Kindle app, I may add), Barnes & Noble called it simply the "BN e-reader". With its new moniker, the NOOK for iPad is more reflective of what the company actual sells. The app now includes the ability to rate books and sort them according to your favorites. In addition, a "first-run" user guide is readily available for new users of the app. Since most iPad owners don't own a Kindle or nook (the device, not the app), this news doesn't mean too much. However, it's nice to see Barnes & Noble utilizing the nook name which I find pretty interesting and unique. In the end, it does give iPad users another way to purchase and read books, which is good for competition and perhaps our pocketbooks as well. The NOOK app is available now in the App Store for both iPad and iPhone.