14 DAY TRIAL // The Nook Color is one of those devices that partially fit into both the e-reader and the tablet product categories, and it looks like its maker expects a lot from it if certain rumors are true.
Barnes and Noble may have been having troubles of the legal sort over the past few months, but this doesn't seem to have affected its sales hopes much.
For those that don't know, B&N was sued for patent infringement by Microsoft, and this action is one of the relatively recent ones.
Prior to that, it was locked in a battle with Spring Design (owner of the now dead Alex e-reader), though a settlement was reached back at the beginning of March.
Either way, it looks like B&N has high hopes for the future, at least this is what suggests a report made by Digitimes.
Some consumers may know that B&N sells one of the very few e-readers with color support, although the so-called Nook Color can qualify as a tablet as well.
Even the official product page dubs it the reader's tablet. It has a screen size of 7 inches and runs the Google Android OS (operating system).
The report cited says that, in North America, this gadget took over 50% of the 'iPad-like market,' whatever that means.
Considering that 600,000-700,000 units a month were sold in January and February, there might even be something to this claim.
Either way, what is implied is that B&N took delivery of almost three million e-book reader tablets of this kind from its production partner, that being Inventec.
No doubt the price of the gadget, US$249, was a primary factor in its success and its makers' confidence.
What remains is to see how Amazon, Sony, ASUS, HP (which also placed orders with Inventec) and all other makers of tablets and e-readers fare in comparison to it.