Plastic Logic, the maker of Barnes & Noble's new e-reader said that the book retailer has no intention of challenging Amazon's widely popular Kindle device.
The new device will be aimed at an entirely different audience, said Daren Benzi, vice president of business development at Plastic Logic, in an interview with Fox Business News.
"We're actually targeting a different type of customer, the business professional, while Amazon has been targeting the leisure book reading customers," Benzi said.
Holding up a model of the Plastic Logic e-reader Barnes & Noble will be selling, Benzi pointed out that the size of the device is larger than Amazon Kindle's DX model so that business executives can more easily read newspapers, magazines and other content.
Benzi also provided further details about the device. The e-reader will use Plastic Logic's flexible screen technology, will feature an intuitive user interface instead of buttons, and will weigh in at just 13 ounces.
Barnes & Noble expects to roll out the device early next year, but the company hasn't set a price, Benzi said.
When Barnes & Noble disclosed plans for its new e-reader, it simultaneously announced that it will provide over 700,000 books in electronic form that could be read on various electronic devices such as the RIM BlackBerry, Apple's iPhone and Microsoft Windows and Apple Mac laptops and desktops.
E-books from the "world's largest e-book store," as Barnes & Noble calls itself, will be accessible through AT&T's 3G network, according to The New York Times. Access will also be available via Wi-Fi, unlike Kindle, which is carried on Sprint's network.
