Kobo Wins Parent Tested, Parent Approved Awards For New Kids Store And Kobo Arc 7HD Tablet

TORONTO, Dec. 3, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Kobo, a global leader in eReading, today announced its Kids Store and Kobo Arc 7HD Google-Certified Android tablet have been recognized with the Parent Tested, Parent Approved (PTPA) seal of approval. The easy-to-navigate Kobo Kids Store was praised by PTPA parent testers for its safe search capabilities for age-appropriate books, and the ability to set up kids accounts and allowances. The Kobo Arc 7HD was touted for its amazingly crisp display, fast performance, quick access to favourite content through Collections, and access to more than 1-million apps and games from the Google Play Store.  The Kobo Arc 7HD and Kobo Kids Store are the perfect gift for families that love to read.

"With the Kobo Arc 7HD and the Kobo Kids Store, parents now have a winning combination where children are inspired to read and are given the freedom to make safe choices online," said Sharon Vinderine, Founder of PTPA Media.  "As a parent, I love the convenience of the Kobo Arc 7HD and how beautiful my magazine subscriptions look on the high resolution display, and how well organized my reading collections are on the new Reading Life interface that the Kobo Arc offers."

"We know that parents look for products that make reading fun, that are reliable and safe," said Michael Tamblyn, Chief Content Officer, Kobo. "Parents have told us that they love digital reading, and want a similar experience to share with their kids. When combined with the Kobo Arc 7HD, kids have a great, fun reading platform that brings books to life. We're thrilled that parent testers saw the immediate benefits of Kobo's products in helping encourage their kids to read more."  

The Kobo Kids Store and Kobo Arc 7HD join the previously PTPA-recognized Kobo Arc tablet as well as the Kobo Glo eReader. PTPA is North America's largest volunteer parent testing community with more than 65,000 parents. The organization received the Most Trusted Seal by parents and works with independent parent volunteers to evaluate products in their own homes to ensure that PTPA winners are chosen based on merit and consumer experience – not on commercial considerations.

KIDS LOVE TO READ DIGITALLY

The Kobo Kids Store is now available in the United States and Canada. Parents can easily set up dedicated accounts for their kids so they can safely explore the amazing titles within the Kobo eBookstore. With nearly 100,000 titles available including the immensely popular Llama Llama and the Bully Goat, The Little Engine That Could, City of Bones, and Catching Fire, Kobo gives parents the ability to set spending allowances for their kids, pre-select eBooks, and adjust search-settings to keep their kids reading safely. Kobo includes the ability to set reading goals and generates engaging reading stats – all features designed to make eReading an educational, fun, and friendly experience.

What PTPA parent testers said about the Kobo Kids Store:

"I am extremely excited how a Kobo Kids account can be pre-set with an amount so that the child can go in and select which books they would like to purchase, download and read.  The selection process is easy since it is set up with age-appropriate colour coded categories.  The site is easily navigated and the entire process from selection to checkout is problem free for both adult and child."
– Jeannine

"As the momma of a little book lover I absolutely adored the Kid's site. Being able to give my son an allowance for books is fantastic. My 11 year old really enjoyed choosing his book and is happily reading as I type :) A+" – Jennifer

KOBO ARC 7HD – THE BEST TABLET FOR FAMILIES
The Kobo Arc 7HD runs on Android™ 4.2.2 Jelly Bean, and offers a beautiful and responsive high definition display, which brings full colour children's books to life. Parents will love the Reading Mode feature, which eliminates distracting notifications and pop-ups from email, apps, and social media. In addition, the Kobo Arc 7HD has full access to the Google Play Store offering more than 1 million apps and games – which means fun for the whole family.  Available in black, the Kobo Arc 7HD retails for $199.99 MSRP with 16GB and $249.99 MSRP with 32GB. The Kobo Arc 7HD is available at Kobo.com. For a list of local retailers, please visit: http://www.kobo.com/koboarc7hd#retailers

What PTPA parent testers had to say about the Kobo Arc 7HD:

"I am so thrilled that the folks at Kobo came out with the Arc.  The HD display is sharp, crisp and bright. The speed and performance is miles ahead of its predecessors. And its design is the cherry on top." – David

"I would highly recommend this product to anyone looking for a e-reader/tablet. This unit is designed well, has an amazing display, and I was shocked to see how many apps it has included and how many more I could download! Looking forward to traveling with it as well as opposed to carrying 5 books! Highly recommend this product! Thanks PTPA for letting me evaluate this product!" – Roni

For more information, please visit www.kobo.com.

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.

About PTPA Media Inc.
PTPA Media provides an objective framework for appraising and promoting new products designed to enrich family living. The company's mission is to improve consumer access to quality products and services for their families and homes. Using volunteer family testers, PTPA has established a North American wide network of over 65,000 families who turn to the Seal of Approval when making their purchasing decisions.

For more information please contact:
Rene d'Entremont
Public Relations Manager
[email protected]

SOURCE Kobo Inc.