Kobo eReader Touch Edition Launches at Best Buy

TORONTO, Aug. 24, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Kobo, a leading global eReading service with over 4.5 million users in more than 100 countries worldwide, has announced that the Kobo eReader Touch Edition is now available at Best Buy as part of its strategy to deliver eReading to everyone, everywhere.  To support the launch of the new Kobo eReader Touch Edition at Best Buy, Kobo specialists will be alongside Best Buy's Blue Shirts to demo the eReader to consumers, providing them with a hands-on experience to see, touch and try the slim, light and innovative touch screen eReader.  

The Kobo Wireless eReader has been available in-store and online at Best Buy for the last four months. Best Buy is now expanding its Kobo offering by carrying the Kobo eReader Touch Edition, which is available online through www.bestbuy.com and at select Best Buy stores nationwide. This in-store roll out allows consumers to gain an in-depth, hands-on comparison of the Touch Edition against competing eReaders.  Kobo is currently expanding the Touch Edition availability through multiple retail channels on a number of continents, and Best Buy is one of several planned launches in the United States for Q3 and Q4.

AMAZING NEW TOUCH EXPERIENCE

The new Kobo eReader Touch Edition was designed in partnership with leading design firm IDEO, with months spent listening to reader feedback to build a truly advanced reader that delivers a 'true to life' experience.  With the Kobo-signature soft quilted back and travel friendly size, the new Kobo eReader Touch offers the ultimate reading experience.  The beautifully designed Touch Edition uses infrared touch technology to make the experience of reading on the Kobo Touch just like that of reading a real book.  Using a simple swipe, tap or slide on the Pearl E Ink™ display, readers can easily turn pages, highlight phrases for lookup in the Touch Edition's onboard dictionary, zoom, rotate, jump through chapters of the book and more.

The new eReader was the first to be powered by the new Freescale™ i.MX508 processor, a high performance engine designed to enable fast page turning for electronic paper displays.  A reader's dream, the new device boasts storage of up to 30,000 books with expandable memory, and battery life of up to one month.

A CUSTOMIZABLE READ

With the latest Pearl E Ink technology, reading on the new Kobo eReader is just like reading print on paper -- it is glare free and easy on the eyes, even in bright sunlight.  Featuring seven fonts, the ability for users to load unlimited fonts (each with 25 size settings), adjustable line spacing and adjustable margins, the Kobo eReader Touch Edition is fully customizable to fit individual reading styles.  

DISCOVER SOCIAL READING -- WITH READING LIFE™

Kobo extends Reading Life to the new Kobo eReader Touch Edition -- Reading Life is the most comprehensive social eReading experience and an industry-first social platform.  Consumers can discover their reading style, and gain insight into their unique eReading fingerprint with Reading Life Stats -- track the minutes per reading session of a current read, the number of pages turned, plus see an overview of books completed in their library.  Readers can also earn fun and exciting awards, and connect and share their Reading Life with friends on Facebook and Twitter.  

ACCESS MILLIONS OF TITLES

Kobo offers one of the largest stores worldwide, consumers can easily connect via Wi Fi or USB and access over 2.5 million eBooks, with titles ranging from the New York Times' Bestseller List, the hottest new releases, thrillers, romance, Oprah's Picks, newspapers, magazines and more -- there is something to read for everyone.  The new Kobo Touch comes pre-loaded with 15 hand-picked FREE previews of the hottest new books, so consumers can read right out of the box.  Plus, Kobo offers over 1 million engaging classics from Anna Karenina, to Pride and Prejudice, to Dracula -- for consumers to download and read for free.

SUPPORTS THE MOST CONTENT

The Kobo eReading service is built on an open platform, allowing consumers to read eBooks from other stores that use the ePub format -- plus read PDF documents, and books.  The versatile Kobo eReader Touch Edition lets users read EPUB, PDF and MOBI format eBooks; view JPEG, GIF, PNG, BMP and TIFF images; review TXT, HTML and RTF materials; and enjoy CBZ and CBR comic book formats.  Consumers can also easily borrow and read eBooks from the local public library.

SHOP AND READ ON ANY DEVICE WITH KOBO

Kobo offers free eReading apps so users can read on most popular devices such as desktops, laptops, tablets, Android™ phones, iPhones®, iPads®, Blackberry® Smartphones and Blackberry® PlayBooks -- in addition they can browse and shop the Kobo store.  Plus, with Kobo Sync you can read from one device to another and pick up from the page that you last read -- your library will always be kept up to date.

About Kobo, Inc.

Kobo is a global eReading service with more than 2.5 million eBooks, magazines and newspapers -- one of the largest eReading catalogues in the world.  Kobo believes consumers should have the freedom to read any book on any device and has attracted millions of readers from over 100 countries across the globe.  Kobo has top ranked eReading applications for iPad, iPhone, BlackBerry, Android, Windows and MacOS, and is the eReading application of choice for leading tablet OEMs.  Kobo eReaders are also available at leading retailers including Indigo, Walmart, Best Buy, WHSmith, Collins Booksellers and Whitcoull's.  Kobo's innovative Reading Life is an industry-first comprehensive social eReading experience -- Kobo users can earn awards simply for time spent reading and encouraging others to read.  Kobo is backed by majority shareholder Indigo Books & Music Inc, Cheung Kong Holdings, and institutional investors.

SOURCE Kobo