Wal-Mart has said today that it will begin selling the B&N Nook at 2500 Super Centers and online starting on the 24th, greatly expanding the presence of the e-reader.
“The world’s largest bookseller and the world’s largest retailer are bringing e-reading to the masses,” added William Lynch, Barnes & Noble’s CEO.
B&N offers a $149 Wi-Fi-only version of the Nook and a $200 3G/Wi-Fi model. Wal-Mart will sell both.
The Nook is in direct competition with the Amazon Kindle and to a lesser extent, the Apple iPad. Wal-Mart just began selling all six models of the iPad in their stores.
“The Wal-Mart customer is a slightly different demographic than at Barnes & Noble,” continues Lynch, via the WSJ. “This gives us access to a customer who we think grows the base of Nook customers.”
B&N offers the Nook through their own stores and Best Buy.
Result for: extent
In a statement last Thursday, acting FCC Commissioner Michael Copps seemed happy about how the first wave of the US DTV transition went. He said “Thanks to the movement of the deadline, we did not have anything like the extent of disruption we would have experienced had every station in the country gone completely digital. on Tuesday.”
He called on everyone involved to make the remaining stations’ transition even smoother, noting that “Most stations and most consumers still have the transition ahead of them.” His remarks, were intended primarily for “cable and other companies, the many consumer organizations, and an absolutely inspired group of civil servants who all stepped up to the plate.”
He failed to mention that the majority of consumer complaints related to areas where the FCC seems to have dropped the ball. The agency’s call centers fielded more than 70,000 calls on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday of last week. Most of them were about either the FCC-run voucher program or reception problems.
Result for: extent
It’s no secret that many people, including US President Elect Barrack Obama, have questioned how prepared the US is for the DTV transition coming next month. FCC Chairman Kevin Martin has been the target of much criticism over his relatively hands-off approach to the consumer side of the equation. Those voices have now been joined by one of Martin’s fellow FCC commissioners.
On January 14 Commissioner Robert McDowell sent a letter to Kevin Martin regarding the agency’s preparations for the transition. The most disconcerting aspect of the letter was McDowell’s allegation Martin has played his cards so close to the vest that even the other commisioners aren’t involved or even sure of what’s being done.
“In short, it appears that the Commision’s efforts to date are inadequate. As neither I, nor either of our colleagues, have been consulted in advance or otherwise asked to assist with the tasks at hand, I cannot be certain regarding the extent of the Commission’s shortcomings” wrote McDowell.
He went on to suggest that the FCC’s call center is unprepared for the call volume they’re likely to experience. He expressed concern that “callers that opt for a live operator are sometimes spontaneously disconnected rather than re-routed.” and said “the Commission must be better organized, more energetic and must coordinate its efforts in a more open and collaborative manner.”
He even went so far as to echo Barrack Obama’s suggestion that the transition may need to be postponed.
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