I am excited about the release of Barnes and Noble’s new eReader device because I believe it represents the next stage in eReader development. Unlike the Kindle, The Nook includes a color navigation touch screen. Its current use is only for navigation, but I believe the potential is there to view video and other forms of rich media from one wireless device.

Last year I attended O’Reilly’s TOC conference and one of the predictions I heard was future technology innovation would give readers of digital editions access to view videos and other media from links within the text. Last year, that seemed far in the future. Now, with the imminent release of the Nook, it appears that publishers should be ramping up their content acquisition plans to include video and other forms of rich media. I have also demoed some of the Vook titles being offered on the iPhone. This is the same concept, but I believe the Nook combines the best of the Kindle and the Vook into one device. Microsoft has the Courier in the wings and there are those rumors about the upcoming Apple tablet. Things are moving fast and publishers need to be prepared!