Barnes & Noble is dropping its Nook e-reader prices for a limited period leading up to Mother's Day, May 13 for its Nook Simple Touch and Nook Color. The price drops come on the heels of news that B&N will take a $300 million investment from Microsoft to do battle against Amazon and Apple and craft a Nook app for Windows 8.
From May 1 to May 12, Barnes & Noble says it'll knock $20 off its Nook Simple Touch as well as the higher-priced Nook Color. The black and white Simple Touch typically goes for $99 ($79 during the sale, or 20% off), while the Color model retails for $169 ($149 during the sale, or 12% off). As a bonus, the company says it'll throw in a Nook gift bag "made of matte art board laminated for extra strength" and "grosgrain handles ... anchored by sturdy powder-coated metal grommets." The bags usually go for $3.95 each.
Picking the Right Nook for Mom
If you want to give Mom the gift of color, for books that support it, the Nook Color with 7-inch screen gets the job done, but it's also a notable step back from Barnes & Noble's flagship Nook Tablet ($199, not discounted). The Nook Tablet is faster, has a few hours extra battery life, weighs a tick less and includes a microphone (for a "Read and Record" book feature). But here again, you're looking at a significant price differential ($50), making it a question of whether Mom really needs those extras.
What about Amazon's Kindle e-reader lineup, the obvious alternative in terms of popularity? Amazon hasn't said yet whether it'll discount its devices for Mother's Day, so at the moment you're looking at $79 for Amazon's baseline black and white Kindle, $99 for the Kindle Touch, and $199 for the Kindle Fire -- comparable to Barnes & Noble's Nook Tablet.
Still can't make up your mind? Keep the time-limited discount prices in mind, then check out our Kindle Fire vs. Nook Tablet showdown or our guide to picking an e-reader.
Matt Peckham writes for TIME and PCWorld. You can find him on Twitter, Facebook, or Google+, and follow Today@PCWorld on Twitter for the latest tech news and analysis.