According to the blog, you can use the Nook to read any book for free in a B&N store.
http://bookclubs.barnesandnoble.com/...D46A2CA9C9B0D2
Unfortunately for me, the nearest B&N is 2 hours away.
JSW, since B&N is saying you can buy books elsewhere for it, it would by necessity have to have other ways to get the books on.
Have they said how the annotation feature works? I love my 505 for reading, but I've been thinking of getting a 600 when I'm ready to edit the novel I'm working on. I hate to print out all that paper, and I hate to read for long periods on a computer. I like the 'write on' feature of the 600. I'd consider a Nook if it doesn't involve typing on a tiny little keyboard.