Kindle 2 races to Canada, Barnes & Noble Nook stuck in U.S.

Amazon isn’t waiting around with the Kindle 2 for Barnes & Noble to steal market share with its upcoming Nook. Originally the Kindle 2 came in an international flavor that allowed users to download new content outside the U.S. but Amazon promptly removed that price premium when the eBook reader space became crowded. Now the Kindle 2 can be used in over 100 countries and Canada is the latest addition.

Barnes & Noble is hoping to gain a leg up in the market because the Nook has a touch screen that helps users navigate and interact with content on the device more easily. That won’t matter though to potential customers in other countries who are unable to access the content at all.

It’s obviously something the company has received questions on in some quantity because on the Nook’s FAQ page it says that existing content can be used while traveling abroad but no new purchases can take place. And specifically on sales

Q: I don’t live in the U.S. Can a buy a Nook?

A: No. At this time, Nook is not available outside the U.S.

Canadian users won’t have access to the full catalog either. U.S. readers can download somewhere around 360,000 books while anyone in Canada will only see 300,000 according to the Wall Street Journal.

While the Kindle 2 and Nook are exciting devices in the green gadget space because of their mass appeal and potential to cut down on paper production, both companies need to do more to make their devices sustainable. Using recycled and recyclable plastics like the Samsung Reclaim would be one approach, and another could be the integration of charging solar cells.

Any enhancements like that depend on how much Amazon and Barnes & Noble choose to cash in on appealing to the green movement. Right now eBook readers are receiving enough buzz in their own right because it’s a new industry with lots of interest from avid book readers. Eventually points of differentiation will emerge though and just as the Kindle 2 is available in more countries right now, maybe the Nook will eventually take on more green qualities.