Barnes & Noble launches iPad app

Grid view of the digital library.

(Credit: Barnes & Noble)

While Amazon had its Kindle for iPad app ready in time for the launch of the iPad, Barnes & Noble decided to take its sweet time before releasing its BN eReader for iPad, which is finally available as a free download in Apple's App Store.

Like Amazon, Barnes & Noble is trying to give its customers access to its e-book store from a wide array of popular mobile devices, including the iPhone, iPad, BlackBerry, and next month, Android smartphones. Users can store content in one master digital library and shuffle content between devices.

Barnes & Noble is touting the fact that it's designed this version of its eReader app from the ground up specifically for the iPad. It's also highlighting its e-book lending option, which allows you to lend out certain e-books to friends one time for a 14-day period.

Here's a look at the key features:

• Two options for displaying your library (Library Grid and Library List views)
• Choice of colors for text, pages, highlights, and links
• Eight typefaces and five text sizes
• Variety of margins and customizable spacing options
• LendMe feature (limited lending of certain e-books)
• All e-books and most periodicals purchased through the Barnes & Noble eBookstore are accessible on your iPad
• Built-in dictionary
• Google and Wikipedia integration for quick searches of terms and words

You can sync the last page read of an e-book, magazine, or newspaper opened on your iPad with BN eReader software-enabled PCs. Alas, you'll have to wait for last-page syncing capabilities between your iPad and iPhone (and iPod Touch). Barnes & Noble says it's completely redesigning its iPhone app and will add the syncing feature when it's released later this year.

We'll have more thoughts on the new app once we play around with it for a few days, but all in all, it seems to match up well against Amazon's Kindle for iPad app and Apple's own iBooks app. Feel free to let us know your thoughts after you download it