Switched On: Competing by hook or by Nook

Each week Ross Rubin contributes Switched On, a column about consumer technology.

Microsoft has a long history of supporting bitter rivals -- even those that have long publicly disparaged the company, offering funds to Nokia, Corel and, most famously, Apple. It also has a long history of supporting e-reading. Prior to ending development last year, the company offered its Microsoft Reader software for about a decade -- first on handheld devices using Windows CE and Windows Mobile and later on desktop Windows. Those two traditions intersected yesterday as Microsoft invested in a new Nook e-book business designed to compete better against Apple and especially Amazon.com.

Continue reading Switched On: Competing by hook or by Nook

Switched On: Competing by hook or by Nook originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 06 May 2012 18:28:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.