Tablet Wars continue... Barnes & Noble strikes today

Barnes & Noble announced a price cut this morning for its line of Nook tablets in an apparent attempt to better compete with the Nexus 7.

The bookseller's 16GB Nook Tablet is now priced at $199, a $50 price cut from its previous $249 price, while the 8GB model's price was dropped $20 to $179. The Nook Color's price was also cut $20 to $149.

While the move better positions Barnes & Noble's tablets to compete with Google's Nexus 7, sells for $199 for the 8GB model and $249 for the 16GB version, the price cuts also come in the face of increased speculation that Amazon will soon release new Kindes.

Amazon recently started offering a 40 percent discount on the entry-level, non-touch-screen Kindles to holders of the Amazon.com Rewards Visa credit card. Until August 15, card holders can pick up the ad-supported Special Offers version for $47, while the ad-free version goes for $65.

The Internet retail giant is expected to soon bring out three Kindle Fire 2 tablets, which like the Nexus 7, will have displays that boast pixel densities of 216 pixels per inch.