Plastic Logic QUE To Share Shelf-Space With B&N Nook

Put nook and QUE together and you've got the ideal setup for a filthy pun, but you've also got Barnes and Noble's upcoming ebook device lineup.  Plastic Logic and the publisher have announced that the QUE will go on sale both in B&N retail stores and online, when it hits the market in 2010, right next to the Barnes and Noble nook announced earlier this month.

The two devices will co-exist, B&N says, because QUE has a business focus while nook is intended as a domestic ebook reader.  Of the two, the QUE is more traditional in its design, with a single large e-ink panel, while the nook has a smaller e-ink display but pairs it with a color touchscreen interface based on Android.

Both are wirelessly-enabled, however, using AT&T's data network in the US, and both can access B&N's ebook store, so it'll be interesting to see which the public plump for.  The nook is available for preorder at $259, while Plastic Logic are promising to reveal QUE pricing at CES in January 2010.

Press Release:

QUE™ proReader by Plastic Logic to be Sold in Barnes & Noble Stores

MOUNTAIN VIEW, CA and NEW YORK, NY – OCTOBER 27, 2009 – Plastic Logic and Barnes & Noble, Inc. (NYSE: BKS), the world's largest bookseller, today announced that QUE™ (pronounced "Q"), the first proReader designed for business professionals, will be sold through Barnes & Noble's nationwide network of stores and online at Barnes & Noble.com (http://www.bn.com).

The distribution agreement marks an expansion of the relationship between the two companies. Earlier this year, Plastic Logic and Barnes & Noble announced a strategic partnership through which Barnes & Noble will power the online store for QUE, which is coming in 2010 (information can be found at http://www.QUEreader.com). QUE will also be featured near the recently announced nook™, the Barnes & Noble eBook reader, on free-standing displays with signage offering Barnes & Noble customers choice based on their reading needs.

Scheduled to premiere January 7, 2010 at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas (Central Hall of Las Vegas Convention Center, Booth 11840), QUE is the first eReader designed to support the lifestyle of modern business professionals. More than an eReader, QUE means business. "We are very excited to name Barnes & Noble as our first retail distribution partner and to have QUE featured prominently in its stores," said Richard Archuleta, CEO of Plastic Logic. "QUE was designed from the ground up as a tool for busy business professionals, expanding the eReader market as its first and only proReader."

QUE provides access to a file cabinet's worth of documents, ranging from business and professional newspapers, periodicals and books – with over 1 million eBooks available through the QUE store, powered by Barnes & Noble. It supports the document formats business users need (including PDF, Word, PowerPoint, Excel documents and more). Extra thin, lightweight and wirelessenabled, QUE is the size of an 8.5 x 11 inch pad of paper, about a 1/3 inch thick, and weighs less than many periodicals. QUE stands out in a crowd because it's a business reader, but it's also unique for its shatterproof plastic display, which is based on Plastic Logic's pioneering plastic electronics technology. QUE also distinguishes itself with the largest touchscreen in the industry, an intuitive touchscreen user interface, and powerful tools for interacting with and managing a range of content.

"We're excited to expand our relationship with Plastic Logic to include not only an eBookstore, but also a physical presence in our bookstores nationwide and on BN.com," said William J. Lynch, president of BN.com. "QUE is an incredibly innovative product and a great device for business professionals. Carrying nook and QUE allows us to provide consumers a one-stop destination in Barnes & Noble stores to demo and buy two of the best eBook readers on the market. It also supports our digital strategy to offer customers choice, expand the market overall, and deliver on our promise to provide any book, any time, anywhere." Full product specifications, availability and pricing of QUE will be announced on January 7, 2010 at CES.