CEO Stephen Riggio

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Barnes & Noble Inc said on Friday it had sold out of its first allotment of newly launched Nook electronic readers due to high demand and new shipments will not arrive in time for the holidays. "While we increased production based on the high consumer interest, we've sold out of our initial Nook allotment available for delivery before the holidays," the bookseller said in a statement. Devices ordered from Friday will be shipped beginning the week of January 4, the company said. Gift givers will be issued a holiday certificate that notes a January ship date. The update from Barnes ... Read Full Story

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Spring Design, a maker of electronic readers, is suing Barnes & Noble Inc, claiming the bookseller's newly launched Nook reader illegally copied its dual-screen design after the two discussed a possible partnership. Spring Design said Barnes & Noble used its proprietary design to better compete with Amazon.com's market-leading Kindle, while failing to disclose its intentions to make its own device. In a lawsuit filed on Monday in U.S. District Court in San Jose, California, Spring Design said it had shared the design of its Alex eReader with Barnes & Noble under protection of a nondisclosure agreement, hoping to strike a ... Read Full Story

The shift from digital to physical books will ultimately hurt traditional bricks-and-mortar book sellers, analysts said Friday on the heels of Barnes & Noble Inc., the largest U.S. bookstore chain, launching its new e-reader. Barnes & Noble introduced the Nook Tuesday as a competitor to online retailer Amazon.com's Kindle, which has dominated the e-reader market. Barnes & Noble, which operates 774 brick-and-mortar stores, also has an e-bookstore that offers more than 1 million titles and an e-reader application that can be used on mobile devices and personal computers, as well as the Nook. The company could become a major player in the digital book ... Read Full Story

Barnes & Noble Inc. is expected to unveil an electronic-book reader to compete with Amazon.com's Kindle in the still-small arena where some see book-selling's future playing out. The New York Times reported that the reader, to be announced Tuesday in New York, will be called the "Nook" and sell for $259. The newspaper cited an ad set running in its book review section Sunday. New York-based Barnes & Noble did not return calls. It launched an online store in July that sells versions of books for mobile devices and PCs. Sony also offers an e-reader, and IREX Technologies Inc. and Plastic Logic Ltd. will ... Read Full Story

NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. bookseller Barnes & Noble Inc <BKS.N> said on Thursday it expects lower same-store sales for its current quarter and full year after adjusting its financial reporting period to reflect a recent acquisition. Barnes & Noble said on September 30 it would change its fiscal year following its purchase of College Booksellers to align its results with that business. Barnes & Noble is currently in its second quarter, from August 2 to October 31, and expects comparable store sales to drop 1 percent to 3 percent for the period. For its new fiscal year 2010, from May 3 2009 to ... Read Full Story