Kobo Announces New Partnership With Feltrinelli Bookstores To Expand Award-Winning eReading Offering In Italy

TORONTO, Oct. 10, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Kobo, a global leader in eReading, today announced that it has partnered with Feltrinelli, Italy's largest bookstore chain, to further Kobo's presence and accessibility to Italy's most passionate Readers. Together, the companies have partnered to bring Kobo's world-class eReading platform, award-winning eReading devices, and a full line of accessories to 50 Feltrinelli stores. Starting October 15, Feltrinelli will offer the Kobo Touch™, Kobo Glo, Kobo Aura, and Kobo Aura HD E Ink eReaders. The much-anticipated Kobo 7 HD tablet designed for Readers will be available in-store in late October. 

"Digital reading continues to grow in Italy, and we're building on the momentum we gained with our strategic partnership with Mondadori by creating new opportunities with leading booksellers such as Feltrinelli," said Michael Serbinis, CEO, Kobo. "Partnering with Feltrinelli will allow us to introduce even more Italian Readers to Kobo's world-class ecosystem.  With award-winning devices, a localized online experience, and nearly 4-million titles including international bestsellers and works from local authors, there's something to meet the needs of every Reader."

With a catalogue of nearly 4-million titles and 68 languages represented, Kobo serves Readers in 190 countries as it continues its mission to help more people read more often – any time, any place, and on any device. The company has created a local Italian experience that Readers can access via http://www.lafeltrinelli.it and www.it.kobo.com where they can download their favourite titles to read on the company's eReading devices as well as its top-ranking eReading apps for iOS, Android, BB10 and Windows platforms.

"Feltrinelli chose Kobo because they have created a superior experience for people who are truly passionate about reading," said Stefano Sardo, CEO, Feltrinelli. "Their commitment to celebrating the written word, for understanding the personal journey of Readers as they thumb through pages, and the delight of discovering new ideas and fostering their imagination, is the same of Feltrinelli and something we share and will help us to create the best experiences for our customers."

KOBO AURA – READ IN STYLE AND ELEGANCE, DAY OR NIGHT
Touted by popular technology news site Engadget as "the best flagship eReader on the market" – the new 6" Kobo Aura eReader is a front-lit E Ink eReader that features the first high-resolution, edge-to-edge display available in an E Ink eReader. Kobo's ComfortLight technology offers the most evenly lit display that is adjustable to suit any preference for the best reading experience – day or night. Available in black and pink, the sophisticated design of the eReader delivers the closest experience to print-on-paper with a 212 dpi and Pearl E Ink screen. With pinch-and-zoom capabilities for FLePubs/PDFs, Kobo Aura creates a smooth experience with a low-flash waveform screen to virtually eliminate page refresh and ghosting. With 4GB of storage (up to 3,000 books), expandable up to 32GB with a microSD card, Kobo Aura has a battery life of up to two months. Kobo Aura will be available for €149.99 MSRP.

KOBO AURA HD – THE EREADER, REIMAGINED
Named "the best eReader" by The Wall Street Journal  and designed for the world's most passionate booklover, the Kobo Aura HD delivers a superior eReading experience with the highest resolution at 265 dpi and 1440x1080 resolution. The spacious 6.8" front-lit ClarityScreen+ Pearl E Ink touchscreen offers 30 percent more reading surface and the closest experience to print-on-paper – showcasing text and high-resolution images beautifully. ClarityScreen+ also delivers a crisp, clear and glare-free eReading experience. The display has the most durable E Ink eReader screen on the market as proven by an independent test that revealed the screen stood up to drops from 3" up to 2.4 times better than the competition.  Available in Ivory, Espresso and Onyx, the Kobo Aura HD was designed to fit perfectly in the hand, just as a hardcover book does, for a truly ergonomic design and immersive reading experience. The Kobo Aura HD will be available for €169.99.

KOBO TOUCH – THE MOST NATURAL READING EXPERIENCE
The award-winning Kobo Touch eReader is equipped with an anti-glare 6" Pearl E Ink touchscreen that offers the closest experience to reading print on paper and is easy on the eyes – even in bright sunlight. The thin and lightweight Kobo Touch is highly portable and offers many ways to personalize the reading experience, get book recommendations, and discover new content.  Available in black, blue and lilac, the Kobo Touch has a battery life of up to one month and has 2 GB of internal memory for the storage of up to 1,000 books, with the option to expand to 32 GB with a microSD card. The Kobo Touch will be available for €99.99.

KOBO GLO – READ COMFORTABLY, DAY OR NIGHT
The front-lit Kobo Glo eReader offers the most even and adjustable ComfortLight technology to enable people to read anytime – day or night. Its durable screen and customizable fonts and page-turning features make it the perfect eReader for the most passionate booklovers. The Kobo Glo uses E Ink technology, and its no-glare XGA high-resolution 6" E Ink screen provides an experience that is just like reading print on paper. The device easily connects to Wi Fi allowing consumers to explore and discover recommendations in the Kobo eBookstore. Available in Black or White with a selection of stylish back colors – Pink Sunset, Blue Moon, Silver Star – the Kobo Glo has a battery life of up to one month and has 2 GB of internal memory for the storage of up to 1,000 books, with the option to expand to 32 GB with a microSD card. The Kobo Glo will be available for €129.99.

KOBO ARC 7HD TABLET – THE BEST TABLET FOR READERS
The Kobo Arc 7HD tablet celebrates reading with Kobo's Reading Life platform, a compelling reading dashboard that is part of the user interface, with full access to the content people love to consume including books, magazines, news, and social media. The tablet is powered by the NVIDIA® Tegra® 3 1.7GHz quad-core processor and 1920x1200 display with up to 1080p video playback delivering a crisp, seamless viewing experience. The HD tablet has a 1GB of RAM, a front-facing 1.3 MP HD camera, and a battery that lasts up to 8 hours so readers are never at a loss for words. The Kobo Arc 7HD will be available for €199.99 (16GB) and €249.99 (32 GB).

About Kobo Inc.

Kobo Inc. is one of the world's fastest-growing eReading services offering nearly 4-million eBooks, magazines and newspapers to millions of customers in 190 countries.  Believing that consumers should have the freedom to read any book on any device, Kobo provides consumers with a choice when reading. Kobo offers an eReader for everyone with a wide variety of E Ink eReaders and Google-Certified Android tablets to suit any Reader's style including the award-winning Kobo Touch™, Kobo Mini, Kobo Glo, Kobo Aura, Kobo Aura HD, Kobo Arc, Kobo Arc 7, Kobo Arc 7HD, and Kobo Arc 10HD. Along with the company's free top-ranking eReading apps for Apple®, BlackBerry®, Android®, and Windows®, Kobo ensures the next great read is just a page-turn away. Headquartered in Toronto and owned by Tokyo-based Rakuten, Kobo eReaders can be found in major retail chains around the world. For more information, visit www.kobo.com.

For more information please contact:
Cerys Goodall
Senior Director, Public Relations
647-282-1181
[email protected]

SOURCE Kobo