CAIRO: Microsoft has decided to team up on Monday with US bookselling giant Barnes & Noble aimed at grabbing a bigger share of the rapidly growing market for electronic books, according to a press release. The world's biggest software group will make a $300 million investment in a new Barnes & Noble subsidiary focusing on the bookseller's digital reading capabilities, including its Nook tablet, and its college businesses. “This will extend the reach of Barnes & Noble's digital bookstore by providing one of the world's largest digital catalogues of e-books, magazines and newspapers to hundreds of millions of Windows customers in the US and internationally,” a joint statement from both company said. According to the statement Microsoft stake in the new unit will reach about 17.6 percent that will accelerate the transition to e-reading, which is revolutionizing the way people consume, create, share and enjoy digital content. The move appears to end a long patent dispute between the two firms and brings them together to battle Amazon's popular Kindle tablet and eBook reader, as well as the surging Apple iPad. “The shift to digital is putting the world's libraries and newsstands in the palm of every person's hand, and is the beginning of a journey that will impact how people read, interact with, and enjoy new forms of content,” said Microsoft president Andy Lees.
