While it is important for Barnes & Noble to enter the mobile space, I'm not sure that they are solving a need by offering users more mobility to search for items online, place and track orders, locate Barnes & Noble stores and check stores for an item's availability. I was hoping to read that they were going to develop a competitive device to Amazon's Kindle that enabled consumers to both purchase hardbound and digital versions of books and magazines.
On my wish list would be to see Apple develop the competitive hardware and work jointly with B&N on software and downloads to gain another foothold in this digital space.
Lastly, there is no reason for B&N to purchase Borders, a competitive brick and mortar book store. I fear that most locations simply overlap and that they gain no additional synergies. The future is digital, not land.
