Engadget has a story up about the possibility of Barnes & Noble launching it’s own ebook reader.  Here’s a snip:

Everyone else is doing it, so why not Barnes & Noble too? That’s the talk following last week’s CTIA at least, where mysterious “insiders” were reportedly abuzz about the possibility of a B&N e-book reader that, like the Kindle, would supposedly be tied to a cellular carrier for some Whispernet-like connectivity.

Original?  Not really.  But it is a good indicator for Amazon, writers, and the publishing industry.

People that like to read will spend money on a device like the Kindle.  And, my little brain tells me people with an eBook reader read more than they did B.K. (before Kindle).  Will producers work harder to supply this dedicated group of customers with low cost, high quality, and timely material?

Or, will the eBook format continue to be an after thought for the majority of publishers?  Late or limited publication availability?  Will they continue to hit readers with the same pricing structure based on a model that is not relevant to digital publishing?  Is it possible to release eBooks 2 months before the print book comes out instead of 3 weeks after?

If done right, there’s a lot of money to be made, and all they have to do is think of the customer.  Hopefully a lot was learned from when the music industry made this shift a few years ago.

It’s still early.  But, “it gets late early out there.”