The Digital Reader

The Best News and Info on Ebooks and eReaders

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Entries Tagged as 'kobo'

Kobo Touch Available Soon in the Netherlands

January 24th, 2012 · ebookstore news, hardware news, kobo

It looks like Kobo’s expansion into the Dutch ebook market has firmed up a little in the past month; they’ve just announced a new retail partner for the Kobo Touch.

Netherlands based bookseller Libris will be carrying the KT on 30 January, with  retail of 129 euros. You”ll be able to find the KT both on their website and in stores, long with  selection of covers. They will also be Kobo’s ebookstore partner in the Netherlands.

Kobo has in fact been carrying Dutch ebooks since mid-2011, and they have been selling them since December 2011. That makes today’s launch a tad anti-climatic.

I would appreciate it if someone could check the Dutch Kobo store and tell me how many titles are available; their website won’t show them to me because I’m in the US.

Update: Kobo has a policy of not showing ebooks to customers if the customer cannot buy them. That is wht I ws referring to.

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Kobo to Launch Both Self-Pub and Traditional Publishing Platforms Next Year

October 30th, 2011 · kobo, Self-Pub

One of the hot stories this past week (that I didn’t get to because I was at a conference) was that Kobo planned to expand and launch their own publishing imprint. But did anyone mention that Kobo are also working on a new self-pub platform? No? I didn’t think so.

There isn’t much detail available yet on Kobo’s plans to get into traditional publishing, but they do plan to offer the usual services like book editing, cover design, layout, and other services.  I couldn’t even get a time frame for the launch that was more specific than “next year”.

Update: I still haven’t heard back from Michael Serbinis, the CEO of Kobo, but I did find this article where he talked to Quill & Quire. He offers a few more details on the new platform. It looks like there’s just one, not 2.

[Read more →]

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Kobo for iOS Updated – Still Hamstrung by Apple’s Rules

August 29th, 2011 · kobo, software news

Kobo released a new version of the iPad and iPhone apps over the weekend and they made some noticeable improvements.

The app now supports multi-tasking, and that means you can download ebooks and update your library while doing other things. It also sports a redesigned interface with a nicer feel. The news feed is still there, but it’s now a window on the screen (instead of taking up the full screen). The app also now has access to exclusive content and enhanced ebooks in Faces and Places Reading Life. I can’t say that I’ve seen the latter, but I’m sure it’s there somewhere.

The app is still crippled by Apple, sadly. Kobo can’t in any way link to their website, and that includes the ebookstore, creating an account, or anything. In fact, the link that you might expect for “Forgot your password” doesn’t actually go anywhere.

The funny part here is that Apple claimed earlier this year that their new rules were intended to create a better experience for users. Haha.

via Kobo

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Kobo’s secret link to their ebookstore is gone from their iOS app

August 5th, 2011 · Apple, ebookstore news, kobo, software news

On Monday I wrote a post about how Kobo had gotten around Apple’s no links to the ebookstore rule, and I explained how you could use it.

A reader left a comment a few minutes ago that the link was gone. Obviously someone at Amazon Apple reads this blog (I already knew that), because it looks like Amazon Apple made Kobo remove the links. That same post is still there but it was edited to remove the links. I don’t see a reason why Kobo would do that other than Amazon Apple forcing them too.

Call me petty, but I do enjoy making everyone dance to my tune.

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First look at Kobo’s new note taking ability

May 18th, 2011 · kobo, software news

iPad owners, eat your hear out.

Chippy of UMPC Portal got his hands on the new HTC Flyer, the one with dual touchscreen layers. He puts this Android tablet though its paces, and 1 of the apps he shows off is a reading app based on Kobo. The new app supports scribbled notes.

Now, this isn’t all that new of a feature; some e-readers have been doing this for years. But when it comes to the Big 3 (Kindle, B&N, Kobo), it is new. None of them have apps that can do this yet. TBH, Kobo can’t quite do this either. All these features are based on code written for the HTC Flyer.

The video is after the break; skip to about 5:10 to see the Kobo app.

[Read more →]

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Walmart are the new Kobo affiliate in Canada – Is the US next?

May 7th, 2011 · ebookstore news, kobo

Kobo announced it yesterday, and it took me a while to confirm it. But it’s true.

But there are a few details worth noting.  Some reports are saying that Walmart are selling ebooks; that’s not quite true. Walmart.ca won’t actually sell ebooks (like Borders). Instead it will provide a link to Kobo and get credit for sending you there (and probably get a commission).

Walmart.ca also do that with a number of different product categories. For example, the store page I’m looking at right now redirects “Digital  Music” to songspark.ca and “Travel” redirects to a travel agency.

So far as I can tell Walmart don’t do anything like this in the US.  But they might, and that would be interesting.

It looks like Kobo might already have Walmart lined up to replace Borders when they go under. Now wouldn’t that be a coup? Kobo would go from partnering with a struggling bookstore chain to partnering with the world’s biggest retailer.

image by I am I.A.M.

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Kobo going social with Blackberry Messenger

September 27th, 2010 · ebookstore news, kobo, software news

RIM are throwing a developers conference right this week for the Blackberry. It just kicked off in San Francisco today. Apparently Kobo are at the conference and they just accidentally announced their new social networking features. Here’s the blog post (they didn’t take it down quite fast enough): [Read more →]

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Kobo e-reader firmware update coming very soon

June 30th, 2010 · hardware news, kobo

Kobo are going to be rolling out the firmware update over the next couple weeks. There are a couple ways you can get it.

  1. Bring your Kobo e-reader in to a Indigo, Chapters or Coles store you purchased your e-reader from and have the Indigo staff do the upgrade for you. Only good after 5 July.
  2. Download the update.  You can ask to download a copy here: blog.kobobooks.com/early-access/

What’s In the Upgrade

Everything that they talked about here, here, and here. For more information, visit the Kobo blog.

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Kobo launches a new contest

June 17th, 2010 · contest, kobo

A friend emailed me the link to Kobo’s newest promotion. It’s on Facebook, so you’ll need an account. The contest runs until 20 July 2010. I’m not entirely clear on how you participate. You have to give Kob access to your personal info just to enter for the contest, and there is no way in hell I’m doing that. But I’ve looked at the page, and apparently you get points for:

  • “liking” the contest page (150 pts)
  • downloading Kobo apps (100 pts each)
  • inviting friends to join the contest (10 pts each)

This contest has 6 prizes. The grand prize is a 3k CAD gift certificate for Flight Centre or Liberty Travel. The other 5 prizes are Kobo e-readers.

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Kobo e-reader now in stores across Canada

May 18th, 2010 · hardware news, kobo

From the Kobo blog:

Great news! You can now get the Kobo eReader in Walmart stores across Canada.

Along with Indigo, Chapters, and select Coles stores, Walmart is now selling the Kobo eReader nationwide at $149. In addition to the 100 free classic eBooks preloaded on the eReader, for the Walmart launch customers will get four free Harlequin novels as an added bonus.

In other news, the Kobo e-reader is also listed on Borders Australia’s website for $199.

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