Why Online Marketers Need to Start Designing for 480 X 144

Surely by now you have heard about the successful Amazon Kindle and have imagined the possibilities online marketers have with eBook readers.

Now comes further details about the Barnes & Noble e-reader (compliments of Gizmodo) set to be revealed next week.

Amongst the great leaked product shots is the revelation that not only with the B&N e-reader implement e-ink technology (much like the e-readers from Amazon and Sony, etc do) but that it will also contain an LCD screen sized at 480×144 pixels capable of displaying full color graphics and– dare I say– widgets and apps?

How will the convergence of this type of e-book gadgetry and the slow death of traditional printed media affect online marketing? No one knows for sure. But the presence of a color LCD screen covering approximately 1/5th of the device real estate and the ability for most of these devices to download and transmit via WiFi certainly makes it interesting.

What do you think? Will e-Book readers make enough of a penetration to warrant designing for this type of screen size? Will Barnes & Noble even allow advertising on their device? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.