Barnes & Noble’s new glow-in-the-dark Nook may save marriages

E-reader lovers, get ready to toss your clip-on light--Barnes & Noble has just announced a new version of its Nook Simple Touch Reader that has an adjustable glow light built right in, making it possible to read in the dark -- unobtrusively.

This is excellent news for middle-of-the-night readers, partners of middle-of-the-night readers who can’t sleep with the light on, and parents trapped in a dark hotel room with a sleeping baby at 7:45 p.m.

The new Nook will hit stores in May and will cost $139 -- about $40 more than the original Nook.

Users of the new Nook can turn on the light by pressing down on the N button at the bottom of the device and holding it for a few seconds. Soon you should notice a gentle light filling the screen, making it possible for you to read but keeping the ambient light at a minimum. Users can even control the intensity of the light by touching the screen.

The easy-on-the-eyes gray e-ink format will remain the same. Battery life shouldn’t be affected by using the light. In a release, Barnes & Noble said the new Nook will be able to keep its charge for a month.

Barnes & Noble said a gentle, built in light was one of the most requested features by users since it launched the Simple Touch Nook device.

We’re not surprised -- the issue of turning on the light to read while someone else is sleeping in the same room has long been dicey.

In a survey conducted in March, Barnes & Noble found that 42% of people surveyed said they or their partner have relocated to a different room to not disturb the partner who wanted to sleep, and said this was the best way to “keep the peace.”

The survey also found that 42% of respondents had gone to sleep annoyed because their partner was reading with the light on.

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