Nook

Barnes & Noble is playing with fire — Kindle Fire. On the heels of Amazon's Kindle Fire HD announcement, the brick-and-mortar book retailer introduced the new Nook HD and Nook HD+ this week, boasting the "world's highest-resolution display on a seven-inch media tablet" and the "lightest, lowest-priced full HD tablet" on the market. Barnes & Noble's new offerings — the Nook HD 8GB ($199), Nook HD 16 GB ($229), Nook HD+ 16 GB ($269), and Nook HD+ 32 GB ($299) — are available for pre-order today.

Both the Nook HD/HD+ and Kindle Fire HD include Bluetooth and Wi-Fi support, run on a custom Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich operating system, and are tapped into massive selections of books, magazines, and video. So what sets the latest contestant in the tablet competition apart? Here are eight distinctions between the two competing high-definition tablet ereaders.

There's nothing more liberating than heading out with your best gal pals for a Summer road trip. Getting away from the daily grind and soaking in the sun along the interstate makes it easy to unwind. The method of transportation may not be very high-tech, but that doesn't mean your accessories can't be. Check out these 11 essential gadgets you should pack along for your road trip this season.

One of the main drawbacks of E Ink ereaders is that there is no way to read your books without an additional light attachment. Reading at night, on a train, or in any other low-light situation will pretty much have you sunk unless you drop $20 for an accessory. Barnes & Noble has set out to solve this problem with the Nook Simple Touch with Glowlight. It's the same Nook Simple Touch you know and love, but now there's a row of soft glowing LED lights at the top of the screen, allowing you to read anytime, anywhere, and like Barnes & Noble says, it's "amazing in bed." Bedroom antics aside, it's an attractive addition to the already fetching device, and comes with a competitive price tag of $139.

Of course, adding light to the mix will inevitably drain your battery a lot faster than without. Good news is, you'll still get a month's worth of reading time with Glowlight turned on. Want one for yourself? You can preorder one today, and the Simple Touch with Glowlight will start shipping in early May. Perfect timing for Mother's Day, no?

Get a better look at the device, both in daylight and in the dark, in the gallery!

The Nook Simple Touch Reader was released in May, and third-party manufacturers are finally catching up to the demand with some great-looking cases. Latest to hit the scene is M-Edge's lineup of Nook Touch cases that are durable, affordable, and good lookin' too. Get a closer look at each in the slideshow!

For the techie dad who follows gadget announcements, has every sci-fi DVD box collection on the market, and secretly loves solving the household IT problems, we've compiled Father's Day gift guides for every budget. Today's list focuses on the gifts around the $100-$150 range. Round up the siblings, and go in on these gifts to show dad you care.

The Nook Simple Touch is only a few days old, but Barnes & Noble has its virtual store shelves stocked with cases of all kinds. I wandered through them all, and picked out my top five faves. Want to hear more about them? Then check out this slideshow.

Attention eBookworms! Barnes & Noble has announced a new Nook model: The Simple Touch Reader. It's a no fuss or color reader with some key advancements — it is lighter and thinner than the previous model and has a battery that can read for up to two months on a single charge if you leave WiFi off, according to a press release.

The 6-inch eReader is now available for preorder for $139, and will begin shipping on or about June 10. Here's a sneak peek of the device — released just in time for Summer travel.

If you've picked your side in the great Sony Reader vs. Nook vs. Kindle debate and are lucky enough to have a new shiny e-reader device, take note of these simple starter tips. And then, power that thing up and read on!