B&N announced an update today for the NookColor, and alongside the new apps (email, web browser), Flash support, and the new Nook App Store was one feature that didn’t get the attention it deserved.

One of the apps that comes with the update is Nook Friends. This app is designed to help readers form virtual book clubs (like GoodReads) but it also will let you share an eBook. That could be a serious blow to the eBook lending sites if properly managed. People would no longer have to go look for a site; all they’d have to do is open the app on their NookColor.

Then again, far more people have Nooks than NookColors, so perhaps I’m reading too much into this. Also, given that B&N has shown no sign of updating the original Nook, it seems likely that there will always be a large group of Nook owners for the eBook lending sites to support.