Microsoft, Barnesandnoble.com team for e-bookstore

Microsoft said it has signed agreements with both Barnes & Noble and Barnesandnoble.com to develop and market the Microsoft Reader eBook store online. The announcement was made at the Computer Electronics Show taking place in Las Vegas this week. While financial terms of the deal were not disclosed, company executives stressed the alliance is a "very tight relationship," but not an exclusive one. "The publishers are going to join this revolution. ... They_re not going to be able to stop it," said Steven Riggio, vice chairman of Barnes & Noble, who also led the press conference. Microsoft Reader software can be used to read books that have been downloaded to portable computing devices. Reader incorporates Microsoft_s ClearType technology, which makes it easier to view small text. Microsoft Reader works on a range of computing devices, including PCs, laptops, handhelds and pocket PC devices, which range in cost from $200 to $400. Executives said they will work on reducing those prices as well as offering eBooks at a cheaper rate than paper books.