Amazon has slashed Kindle prices drastically. It’s now possible to pick up an Amazon Kindle for around $80. In order to answer Amazon’s wildly popular Kindle line-up and dropped prices, Barnes and Noble is about to launch a new Nook tablet. The Nook will retail for around $249 – still a far cry from the Kindle’s meagre price tag. Still, the new Nook may be worth looking into.

Barnes and Noble hasn’t made a formal announcement yet, but information about the new Nook has already been leaked. Unlike Amazon, Barnes and Noble isn’t counting on content to sell the Nook. Instead, Barnes and Noble is placing a lot of effort into the design and look of the new Nook. The newest member of the Nook family will be released on November 16th. Here’s what you can expect from one of Amazon’s top competitors.

New Nook Details

The new Nook will come with 16GB of storage, a 7-inch touchscreen, 1GB of RAM, and a 1.2 GHz dual-core CPU. Are any of these things really mind-blowing? Not so much. But, the new Nook will stand up nicely to other tablets on the market. This is especially true if you’re after a device that’s more about the insides and less about available content.

Speaking of content, Barnes and Noble hasn’t left out the thought of great content altogether. Those who buy the new Nook will have access to music streaming sites such as Rhapsody and Pandora. In addition, a few more magazines and comics will be part of the new content line-up. Barnes and Noble plans on officially unveiling the new Nook next week.

Tablets are Where it’s At

It’s virtually impossible to ignore the ever-expanding tablet market these days. Amazon has shown the world that a company can have a vast amount of success by offering a tablet that’s priced low and comes with a variety of membership benefits. Just yesterday, Amazon announced its new Lending Library feature for Prime Members. Barnes and Noble seems to be to Amazon what Samsung is to Apple, though Barnes and Noble is going a different route when it comes to tablet offerings.

There’s no doubt that competing with Amazon will be tough for any other company producing tablets or e-readers. Amazon is a content kind, which means that Barnes and Noble will have to bridge the gap in another way. One has to wonder if consumers who are shopping during the holiday season will opt for a tablet that costs more than $200 over one that costs less than $80 and comes with Amazon’s amazing content. Still, there’s no denying the fact that tablets are where it’s at.

Availability

If you want to take a look at the new Nook, you can head to the Barnes and Noble website. You’ll find a teaser video and some basic information about the Nook on the B&N site. If you can wait a weekend, Barnes and Noble will be sending out official press releases and providing the public with official Nook documentation next week. The question you have to ask yourself (if you’re in the market for a tablet) is: do I opt for content or a pricey device?