Barnes & Noble is being named the underdog against Amazon. 

The bookstore retail giant recently  announced that it will launch its devices, starting with the e-readers, in the U.K. in October, along with a new U.K. online storefront for the Nook digital bookstore and "partnerships with leading retailers" to sell them, according to Tech Crunch.

The Wall Street Journal reported that Barnes & Noble is partnering with Home Retail Group PLC's Argos stores, independent bookstore Foyles and academic bookseller Blackwell's.

Earlier this week, Barnes & Noble named British department-store operator John Lewis Partnership PLC as the first retailer outside the U.S. to sell the Nook, also starting in October. The retailers will initially carry the Nook Simple Touch and Nook Simply Touch with Glow Light $186.49 at Amazon Marketplace.

The move will make Barnes & Noble in direct competition with Amazon's Kindle Fire.

The first Kindle Fire has yet to launch in the U.K., but it is expected to do so this autumn.

However, according to The Telegraph, technology analysts predict that the UK release may be skip the first generation of the tablet, which has been received with mixed reviews, and fast forward straight onto the second generation of the 10-inch tablet.

According to Tech Crunch, both the Kindle Fire and Nook are built on forked versions of Google's Android OS.

Amazon wants to make sure it stays ahead of the game though.

According to PC Mag, Amazon announced Thursday that it opened its Appstore in the U.K., Germany, France, Italy, and Spain. The retail giant began taking app submissions from developers back in June.

PC mag also reported that U.K. customers will find Nook tablets easy. Barnes & Noble said that about 90 percent of the U.K. population lives within 10 miles of an Argos store. Plus, Blackwells is the leading U.K. academic bookseller and Foyles is London's largest independent bookstore chain.

Meanwhile, in Germany, France, and Italy, Amazon's Android marketplace is known as the "App-Shop." In Spain it's called "Tienda Apps" and the U.K. version carries the same moniker as the U.S. portal, "Amazon Appstore for Android."

The store boasts apps for Android phones and tablets, including local favorites in the U.K. like celebrity chef Jamie Oliver's 20 Minute Meals recipe app and travel app Skyscanner. Customers will also find bestsellers like the games Fruit Ninja and Cut the Rope. The store offers a paid app for free every day, with today's selection being an ad-free version of Angry Birds.

To stay in the competition, Wall Street Journal reported that Barnes & Noble recently unveiled Nook for Web, which allows readers to access full books from their computer browsers without a sign-in, Nook account or software download.

Barnes & Noble also said its fiscal first-quarter loss narrowed thanks to improved results from its consumer stores, ignited by the racy, extremely popular "Fifty Shades of Grey" erotic trilogy written by bestselling author E.L. James.

What do you think? Does Barnes & Nobles have what it takes to stay in the game with big competition from Amazon? Share your thoughts below!