Barnes & Noble releases Nook update

This just goes to show how Apple and Amazon have their act together so much more than everyone else in the industry.

From the article and pictures, this thing looks really neat. I'm especially impressed by the size of it. I want to know more, so I go to http://bn.com and I'm greeted with the equivalent of chirping crickets. Nowhere on their main page is this new Nook mentioned. The Nook Color is displayed front and center though.

So I click on the Nook link from the side menu. You get the Nook Color and the old Nook side by side. Not even a link to a press release suggesting a new version even exists. I scoured their site and couldn't find word one about the new Nook.

If this were Amazon, the new Nook would be plastered front and center on their main page with a personal letter from Jeff Bezos about how excited he is. They'd prominently display the price, availability dates and be taking pre-orders right this second. Apple does the same thing with new product: front and center and (usually) available now.

But I have no idea when the new Nook will be available, or the full details on weight and measurements. And I'm probably not going to keep checking back to see when they eventually update the site. BN basically just lost an impulse sale.