geekosystem

Updated text follows below. Word on the street is that Microsoft sent out some glib, cryptic invitations for a "major Microsoft announcement" going down in Los Angeles at 3:30 PM PDT (6:30 PM EDT) today. The exact location has only just been announced but the nature of the announcement has yet to be revealed. However, a number of news outlets are putting their money on some kind of tablet device.

While the rise of eBooks has been centered around Amazon's Kindle devices and the Apple iPad, the NOOK from the last big-box book seller Barnes & Noble has remained a noble, if distant, competitor. Now, B&N has announced that it has formed a strategic partnership with Microsoft, forming a subsidiary company comprised of its digital and college businesses combined with $300 million from the software giant.