theregoesdave

It hasn’t been made official yet, but there’s a rumor that Barnes & Noble’s e-reader will run on the Android mobile OS. That means unprecedented capability and hackability over Amazon’s Kindle.

Not only does Android allow Barnes & Noble to rapidly deploy a Kindle competitor, it also means that users will find a way to get any and every application from the Android Market onto their reader. This openness could give B&N just the edge it needs to take market share from Amazon.

One of the largest problems in competing with Amazon is that it is so far ahead of other players in the space and is willing to undercut the cost of e-books in order to hold onto the top spot. If B&N chose Android, it might just be able to make a dent in Amazon’s customer base.

We can also expect to see other small hardware companies following suit in bringing all sorts of other Android devices to market. Only time will tell if these open alternatives will be able to compete with Amazon.

Via Gizmodo

• Amazon pwns e-books with Kindle for iPhone
• Google Books now on the Mobile Web
• Amazon’s iPhone Application lets you shop from anywhere
• Scrollmotion brings Iceberg E-Book reader to the iPhone
• Chipotle Mobile Ordering coming (back) to iPhone