Barnes & Noble Launches Nook Simple Touch Glowlight in the UK, Bringing eReaders to Light

It looks like our friends across the pond will have a variety of eReaders to choose from this holiday season, as Barnes & Noble has just launched its first Nook eReaders in the U.K., bringing the Nook Simple Touch and its Glowlight brethren to the land of crumpets and tea.

Currently selling for £79 ($127) and £109 ($175), respectively, the eReaders are available at a variety of retail locations, including John Lewis, Argos, Sainsbury's, Dixons, Waitrose, Blackwell's and Foyles. The release coincides with the launch of the UK-specific Nook site,uk.nook.com, where customers can order Barnes & Noble Nook products, as well as research the devices.

With both eReaders featuring 6-inch eInk touchscreens, the major difference between the two is the Glowlight's illuminating display, which was an industry first when the device debuted earlier this year. Though since, other companies have tried their hands at front lit eReaders, such as Amazon with its Kindle Paperwhite and Booken with the Cybook Odyssey HD Frontlight.

Measuring in at 6.5-inches tall, 5.0-inches wide, and 0.47-inches thick, the Glowlight is almost identical to the Simple Touch, though at  just a shade under seven ounces, the front lit  Nook is just over half an ounce lighter than its predecessor. Both devices pack an 800 MHz Single-Core Processor, with the Simple Touch offering users up to 2 months of reading on a single charge and the Glowlight offering up to 1 month, assuming 30 minutes of reading a day, according to the book retailer.

For those looking for a little more power, Barnes & Noble's 7-inch Nook HD tablet and its 9-inch Nook HD+ are both available for pre-order on the UK Nook website. With both slates set to ship in late November, the HD is available for £159 ($256), while the HD+ will run you £229 ($368).