3 million Nook Color readers shipped

It's no iPad, but Barnes & Noble's Nook Color e-reader, less flashy than many of the tablets unveiled recently, is becoming more tablet-like and seems to be selling respectably well.

Sales of the $249 device, which has a 7-inch screen, "topped 1 million units" in North America in the last quarter of 2010, and reached 600,000 to 700,000 units a month in January and February, sources have told DigiTimes, a Taiwanese tech business publication:

Barnes & Noble has taken delivery of close to three million Nook Color e-book readers from its production partner, according to an estimate by sources from the Nook Color supply chain.

With a clear differentiation to Apple's iPads in display size, targeted market and pricing, the Nook Color, priced at US $249, has actually taken up over 50 percent of the iPad-like market in the North America market, indicated the sources.

The Nook Color was released late last year. Apple's iPad, which starts at $499 and went on the market last April, sold more than 15 million in its first nine months, including 7.3 million iPads to holiday buyers in the last quarter of 2010.

While Amazon's Kindle is the pre-eminent e-reader, it remains a black-and-white one (as is Border's Kobo and Sony's line of Readers), and color is a distinct advantage for the Barnes & Noble.

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Barnes & Noble recently said that the Nook Color "will get even better this spring when a major update to the device's firmware will offer customers access to explore exciting new applications, e-mail and many other requested features," making it more tablet-like for users.

For Subscribers

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAmerican passenger drafted goodbye texts to her family as Flydubai plane plummeted

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCornell rape allegation pushes embattled New York prosecutor into national spotlight

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAbdul El-Sayed tries to woo MAHA voters as Democrats seek inroads with RFK’s supporters

FOR SUBSCRIBERSKratom-like substances are popping up in a typically benign supplement

FOR SUBSCRIBERSGOP super PAC increases its spending for Sen. Jon Husted in tough Ohio race

FOR SUBSCRIBERSRecords reveal tumultuous marriage between slain New York Times executive and wife

FOR SUBSCRIBERSFrom clean energy warrior to ‘wall of shame,’ James Talarico reverses on a fossil fuel money pledge

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCongressional staff planned official trip with luxury stops in Italy and France weeks before election

FOR SUBSCRIBERSA harrowing ordeal aboard an Israel-bound plane

FOR SUBSCRIBERSOpenAI CEO Sam Altman to skip congressional hearing on rogue AI agents

FOR SUBSCRIBERSKey DOJ lawyers departed Trump ‘grand conspiracy’ probe amid pressure to produce, source says

FOR SUBSCRIBERSTrump’s new AI chatbot often links to a site launched under Clinton 26 years ago

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAt MAHA summit, industry CEOs the movement once vilified take the stage

FOR SUBSCRIBERSThis Paralympian has two goals: Win medals and give away $500,000 to her teammates

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCornell rape allegation spotlights stringent New York state laws that have long drawn criticism

So, while buyers wait for new iPad 2 to be available, it appears the Nook Color is finding a nook among consumers.

More about e-readers and tablets:

• Amazon may be working on an Android Kindle
• iPad 2 complaints include spotty Wi-Fi, display snafus
• Reasons we so crave the iPad 2
• Tweets show increasing clout of Nook, Nook Color

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