Amazon has a lot to worry about with the Kindle today. Barnes & Noble unveiled their Kindle killer at a press event. Yes, it's the real Nook 2. It's being branded as the "Simple Touch Reader". It's incredibly cheesy, I know. Still, this guy has a lot to offer.

First things first. The new Nook has been completely redesigned. It's thinner and lighter than before, removes almost all buttons in favor of a 6-inch E-Ink touch screen display, and goes for a black hue this time around. A touch screen was next logical step for Barnes & Noble after including small, LCD touch display in the first Nook.

Aside from the design, it is jam-packed with new features. My favorite is the new two-month battery life, making this e-reader boast the longest battery life of any e-reader on the market. It also has the largest store with over two million available titles ready to be purchased. And speaking of reading, that gets better too. Barnes & Noble included the new E-Ink Pearl display -- the same one on the current Kindle -- with 50% better contrast.

Finally, what's a modern gadget without some sort of social aspect built in? Say hello to Nook Friends. Add some friends who also have a Nook and see what they're reading and recommending, plus as always you can swap books with that nifty "LendMe" feature. If you lack a social life, or if all your friends are remaining loyal to their now-outdated Kindle, you can get expert recommendations right from B&N as well.

This is a fantastic upgrade to the Nook line. Even better, the price remains the same at only $139. The downside to that price is the lack of 3G connectivity. It looks like Barnes & Noble isn't ready to add that capability to the new Nook just yet. But if you're as interested in this e-reader as I am, get the full details right here.