Is Barnes & Noble Inc. trying to give Apple a run for its money? Well, not exactly but the behemoth book retailer is taking a page from Apple’s handbook. That’s because Barnes & Noble has added an applications store and email program to its Nook Color e-reader that recalls the functionality of Apple’s iPad.

Now, Nook Color users can get a taste of Angry Birds, try new recipes from the app from Epicurious, or download made-for-kids apps like Sandra Boynton’s Going to Bed Book.

“NOOK Color offers the best reading experience of any device, and now delivers the most popular tablet features such as engaging apps so customers can play, learn and explore, free, built-in email, an Android operating system update for enhanced Web browsing and more interactive content,” said William Lynch, chief executive officer of Barnes & Noble, in a statement. “With our new NOOK Apps program, we’ve partnered with the world’s best publishers and developers to offer popular brands like Angry Birds, Epicurious, Uno, Lonely Planet, Dr. Seuss, Little Critter and many more quality and entertaining applications.”

With its 7-inch color touchscreen, the Nook Color expands beyond Amazon.com’s rival e-reader, Kindle, and relies on Google’s wildly popular Android software. What’s more, NOOK Color lets customers stay connected with its free email application designed to organize Web mail accounts in one inbox. So too has Barnes & Noble made it possible for users to play Flash content on its web browser.

Despite these technological advancements, the NOOK Color’s 125 apps aren’t likely to eat into Apple’s iPad sales – a device for which there are now more than 65,000 apps. But it’s definitely a compelling new chapter in what could be a real page-turner.