Barnes & Noble is apparently trying to sell an ebook reader that will launch next week. Fair enough. The Kindle needs a strong competitor. However, these mock-ups from Giz show something that looks so wild as to be a bit too good to be true.
What you’re seeing is an 800×600 pixel paper screen with a small “multi-touch” LCD that would allow you to browse books in full color and tap out search terms and notes. It will have support for B&N titles sold in the store and online as well as the ability to download Google books.
I’ve never actually seen a hybrid device like this in all my travels so if they can pull it off next Tuesday it will be quite impressive.
Interestingly, B&N just released their IRex reader at the end of September and it’s odd they’d release another device so soon. However, if this device is anything like Giz’s pictures, it’s the ereader wars are about to heat up.