There's not really a heck of a lot to back this one up--Gizmodo got a tip from "someone who (quite convincingly!) claims to work for B&N developing mobile apps." According to the source, the forthcoming Barns and Noble-branded e-book reader will be running Google's Android OS.

Real or not, it definitely seems like a sound idea--and a step in the right direction given the sub-par operating systems employed by readers like the Amazon Kindle. Of course, even with Android employed, the manufacturer could ultimately strip some features from the device. Still, even with some features crippled, this could be a step in the right direction toward next generation devices.