Barnes & Noble’s recently launched Nook e-reader, called the Simple Touch Reader, has been ranked higher than Amazon’s latest Kindle in the new Consumers Reports ranking.

It is for the first time that Nook e-reader has outshined the Kindle. The Simple Touch Reader, the second-generation Nook, was launched last month. The new Nook features better touchscreen sensitivity, better contrast, better design and better performance than it predecessor.

The new Nook does also improve upon the Kindle 3 in respect of the battery life. PCWorld’s Melissa Perenson gave the Simple Touch Reader 4 out of 5 stars in her recent review.

Both the Wi-Fi Simple Touch Reader as well as Amazon’s Kindle are available for US$139.

However, the new Nook’s victory seems to be brief as Amazon is expected to give it a tough competition with its next-generation Kindle that is due for this summer.