Barnes & Noble today announced new pricing on its tablets in time for the back to school season.

Starting today the NOOK Tablet will be starting at $179 and NOOK Color for $149 at all of Barnes & Noble?s nearly 700 stores nationwide, online at NOOK.com and through the other leading retailers offering NOOK products.

The price cuts come amid speculation that rival Amazon.com Inc is preparing to launch a new version of its Kindle Fire tablet.

Users seeking a lightweight tablet with a 7-inch VividView display and long-lasting battery life will love the NOOK Tablet, now available at $179 for the 8GB model and $199 for the 16GB version. NOOK Tablet offers access to a digital library of more than 2.5 million titles, movies, TV shows, music and more, plus NOOK Apps, Web browsing, e-mail and expandable memory. NOOK Color provides tablet essentials for $149. The 7-inch device is ideal for reading and exploring a variety of content including books, magazines, interactive children?s books, apps, access video and music services, e-mail and Web browsing.