E-Ink-powered e-readers are great for reading in daylight by at night in low light (or no light), they are completely useless. Also there are some high resolution tablets, which give a superb feel indoors, but outdoors, under direct sunlight, reading is annoying even at 100% screen brightness level. A hybrid device could be a great hit and working on the concept, Barnes & Noble has unveiled an e-book reader with E-Ink display + Glowlight.

The new e-reader is meant for reading e-books in the dark. The 6.5-inch device has soft, glowing backlit display. According to Barnes & Noble's chief executive William Lynch, the new device gives a feel of two different e-book readers. It functions as a standard E-Ink device, which is much easier to read in direct sunlight than Android and Apple tablets. And in dim light conditions, pressing a button turns on the GlowLight. This makes the device like a tablet, suitable for reading in dark places like in bed at night. A recent study shows that over 60% of adult Americans read e-books in bed. So, glow-in-the-dark Nook tablet is believed as a strong competitor to rival e-book readers like Amazon's Kindle lineup.

The Nook Simple Touch e-reader with Glowlight features faster page turning and longer battery life than its predecessor. The device can last up to 60 hours on continuous usage at 18% brightness level with Glow-ON. The new Nook, which supports Wi-Fi, weighs 197 g (less than 7 ounces), is priced at $139 and will hit the U.S. market in May.

Amazon is the crowned king when it comes to e-book reader. The Kindle family is very popular as e-readers. Kindle Touch and Kindle Fire are company's top selling e-book reader and entry-level tablet. Aiming to snatch the market from Kindles, Barnes & Noble has released the glow-in-the-dark Nook tablet.

The original Nook tablet was not good enough to take on Amazon Kindle e-readers. But this one looks promising. The manufacturer is directly aiming at its competitors. But it is more expensive than Kindle Touch Wi-Fi, which costs $99 (but Kindle does not have glowlight). However, the new Nook device is a little cheaper than Kindle Touch 3G, which is priced at $149. The sole problem against mass success of Barnes & Noble's devices, however, is lack of brand awareness. Barnes & Noble already has two other e-readers in the market - Nook Simple Touch ($99) and Nook Color ($169) - as well as Nook Tablet ($199), which is an entry-level tablet. But the company has done little to market them.

(reported by Johnny Wills, edited by Dave Clark)