Nook

The Barnes & Noble Nook has received its fair share of negative reviews from early adopters who claim the Android-powered e-reader is sluggish, especially when compared to the Amazon Kindle 2. B&N rolled out firmware 1.1 yesterday which hopes to improve the e-reader’s performance and add a new local promotional feature that will differentiate the Nook from its competition. The local promotions will allow Nook owners to download free reading content when visiting their local B&N store. In the future, it may even be possible to download and read an entire book while within the confines of a local B&N store. In addition to book content, the promotions will also include in-store retail offers such as a free coffee or dessert at the in-house Starbucks. Sweet, literally! The firmware also addressed the reported sluggish performance of the Nook with initial reports suggesting that the device’s speed has slightly improved. A video by Matthew Miller at ZDNet shows off this new firmware and its improved performance. Hit the jump to watch Miller’s hands-on video.