Barnes & Noble enters the eReader race

It’s hardly a surprise, but we can now officially add Barnes & Noble to the list of companies with their own eReader. The bookseller is taking on Amazon again with the Nook.

Shipping at the end of November, the Nook will sell for $259 – roughly in line with the Kindle. It features the dual touchscreens the rumor mill predicted, along with 2 GB of internal storage (which will hold up to 1,500 books, magazines and newspapers), a microSD slot and a MP3 player.

Like every other eReader on the market, the main screen will feature E Ink technology. The color screen below is used to browse covers when shopping and navigate to different features.

It’s the features that make Nook stand out. Owners will be able to lend eBooks to friends for up to 14 days. Better still, those friends won’t have to own a Nook to borrow the book. The device will send it to cell phones and computers as well.

Downloads on the go are done via AT&T’s 3G network or Wi-Fi, but customers who take their Nook to their local B&N get an added bonus. In-store, Nook owners will be able to read any eBook in the company’s collection for free.

Granted, that’s not much of a stretch. You can do the same thing with print books in any store – but it’s something the Kindle can’t offer.

The Nook does have disadvantages, though. Primarily, Barnes & Noble’s eStore doesn’t have the depth that Amazon’s does.

Barnes & Noble was briefly taking pre-orders for the device earlier today when it prematurely launched the Nook’s website. That’s down again now, but should be back up after a 4pm ET “official” unveiling of the device in New York.