Rumour: Barnes & Noble’s eReader Will Run Android

It’s not certain, but I’ll be damned if it isn’t the best idea I’ve heard in a while: Barnes & Noble’s rapidly-approaching eReader will be an Android piece, according to our source. And it really should be, according to me.

The leak came from someone who (quite convincingly!) claims to work for B&N developing mobile apps—his background knowledge of their app projects was startlingly deep, at any rate—and makes quite a bit of sense as an alternative to the brutally dumb software of current eBook readers.

Think about it. At six inches, it’s a smallish device, and we’ve seen Android on similarly-sized screens already. Wireless connectivity is built into the OS. Extraneous, inappropriate apps could be switched out. A custom-designed interface could be easily dropped in. Apps—oh, sweet apps—could be a huge boon. And hey, E-Ink Android drivers have already been demonstrated on video. Simply put, this would be pretty fantastic, and it’s eminently plausible.

And from the looks of it, we won’t have to wait long to find out.