Barnes and Noble announced a way for my to hand over $139 gladly for a new touch screen Nook. Yes, I already have the original Nook and each of the other members of my immediate family have Nook Colors. Why do I need another Nook? The biggest reason is the ability to highlight passages of text with the swipe of my finger. The other day I was reading a book on my original Nook in which I wanted to highlight some passages and take a few notes. While it can be done on my eReader, it is a real pain. I had to use arrows to scroll to the start of the passage, start the highlighting, scroll to the end of the passage using the same arrows. After attempting this a few times I gave up because it was too time consuming! The size (6 inches) and the batter life (up to two months) are appealing as well. This Nook does not have apps but will have all of the magazines in the store. Also, it is a WiFi only device. The eReaders will be due out June 10 although you can pre-order yours now on Barnes and Noble's website.

Another of my favorite devices, Livescribe, announced Livescribe Connect recently. The free Connect Basic allows users to send notes and audio done by the Echo or Pulse pens to MyLivescribe, Facebook, Evernote, and mobile connectors. Connect Premium allows users access to Connect Basic features along with uploading notes and audio to email and Google Docs. 4GB and 8GB Echo users can download Connect Premium for free while all other Livescribe smartpen users can download the service for $14.99. Thank goodness this did not require a new pen to purchase. The ability to send notes and audio to Livescribe and Google Docs can be useful in a variety of ways. However, you probably will not see me sending Livescribe pencasts to Facebook unless there is no other way. If you have ever seen my hand writing you will totally understand why.

Photo of Nook: Barnes and Noble

Photo of Livescribe Pulse Pen: Livescribe