All products featured on WIRED are independently selected by our editors. However, we may receive compensation from retailers and/or from purchases of products through these links.
Part of the appeal of an e-reader -- well, its ecosystem, really -- is the ability to read the same book on multiple devices. Whether you're reading your novel on a dedicated e-reader, a smartphone or a tablet, you can indulge your literary passions without missing a beat. Barnes & Noble recognizes this, and is extending its e-reader ecosystem to browsers. Yes, even Internet Explorer.
On Tuesday, B&N introduced Nook for Web, a browser-based e-reader. The extension of the book seller's e-reader ecosystem to the web mirrors the current platform of B&N's chief rival, Amazon. Like Amazon's Cloud Reader, Nook for Web syncs with the latest page read on any Nook e-reader or device running the Nook app.
The feature works on Firefox, Safari, Chrome and Internet Explorer on Mac and Windows computers. Books are presented as a two-page layout, and can be expanded to fill the screen of a display. Navigating to the next page is handled by mouse-tapping on onscreen arrows, or using the left and right arrow keys on a keyboard. To get bookworms to try the new system, the company is offering what readers want most: free books.
B&N is offering six free novels, including the novelization of the Pixar movie Brave and Kim Carpernter's The Vow. The free books are available in full if you have a Nook account. If you don't have an account, you just receive sample pages.
At this point, it appears Amazon and B&N have only one screen platform left uncharted: living room TVs. Maybe one day soon, families will gather around their HDTVs and argue about when to turn the page.
