Calling it the first digital product to be produced from the recent partnership between Barnes & Noble and Microsoft, B&N has released the Nook for Windows 8 app, a free e-book reader and book buying app designed to run on Windows 8 personal computers and tablets. The Nook for Windows 8 app is integrated into the Windows 8 “live tiles” interface and allows readers to “pin” content to the start screen, takes advantage of B&N’s new Nook Channels recommendation engine and allows consumers to purchase titles directly through the app.

Jamie Iannone, B&N president of digital products at Nook Media, hailed the app as the first product of the strategic alliance with Microsoft and said, “Our intent was to create a great digital reading and content buying experience for millions of users on Windows 8, and by working closely with Microsoft on the app we’ve accomplished that.”

 Nook for Windows 8 can be downloaded via the Windows Store link on all Windows 8 devices and from B&N’s Nook for Windows 8 website.