Nook for Web Lets You Sample and Read Books From Your Browser
Whenever I go into a bookstore, I always check out the new-releases section, and if a title catches my eye, I like to skim the first couple of pages to see if I want to buy it. Now, Barnes & Noble is giving you the ability to do just that from the comfort of your own computer.
Nook for Web launches today, allowing you to browse and read free samples of books from almost any Web browser, including Firefox, Chrome, Internet Explorer and Safari.
You don’t need to download any software, sign in or have a Barnes & Noble Nook account to use the service. You will, however, need the latter if want to buy a title; once purchased, you can read it on the Nook or from your computer’s browser.
Barnes & Noble is not the first to offer such a service, as Amazon and Google have had similar Web-based services for some time now.
To entice new customers, Nook for Web is offering free downloads of six bestsellers, including “Map of Bones” by James Rollins, “Sex and the City” by Candace Bushnell and “The Vow” by Kim Carpenter, through July 26.
Barnes & Noble says support for Internet-enabled tablets and smartphones is coming this fall.