US bookstore Barnes & Noble has reached out to developers to make apps for the new Android-based version of its Nook e-reader. As we reported last week, Barnes & Noble plans to transform the 7-inch Nook Color into “a full-featured Android tablet.” It will retail at just US$249 – half the price of the iPad. The retailer confirmed in a blog post this week that “a major update to the Nook Color firmware this Spring will offer customers the first new apps to discover and enjoy, along with email and other requested features.” This update is thought to add a Web browser (with Adobe Flash support) and an e-mail client. The Nook already features a music player and can play videos in MP4 format.

The company is initially looking for apps “with a focus on delivering reading-centric applications to customers – apps that enrich and extend the reading experience.” In its pitch to developers, the firm said that Nook developers would be able to “distribute apps to millions of Barnes & Noble customers – enthusiastic about expanding what they can do on the highly acclaimed, bestselling device — finding rich, immersive and vivid paid and free apps that are specifically optimised for Nook Color.” It added that Nook apps have an opportunity to be “showcased and merchandised” on-device, online and in more than 1,300 retail locations across the US. It also promises an “expanded set of development resources to facilitate your app deployment.”

Barnes & Noble’s move to launch its own apps storefront mimics the strategy of its book store rival Amazon, which launched its own Android-based store last month. However, Amazon’s store is not designed to work on its own Kindle e-reader and is available only on Android-based smartphones. It is thought that Nook developers will be offered the standard 70/30 revenue split.