Kobo releases a $149 eReader to support their eBook marketplace

The Kobo eReader

Back in December we stared into the crystal ball we bought from the crazy homeless gypsy woman and predicted a few things about the Kobo/Borders partnership. First, we said that Borders would use this partnership to bring an eReader to the market in order to better compete with the Kindle and Nook. However, we also warned that Borders and Kobo needed to do their homework and come out with an eReader that took advantage of the burgeoning color display technology before Kindle 3.0 and Nook 2.0 could. We finished the article by saying “realistically we’re probably looking at another E-Ink eReader or some variation thereof.”

Kobo has introduced another E-Ink eReader to be sold exclusively in Borders. Unfortunately this eReader didn’t do its homework and features a 6-inch E-Ink screen and the guts of a four year old eReader (the Netronix eBook reader to be exact). What Kobo and Borders is banking on is the eReader being the cheapest out of the bunch at $149. The small price tag will allow you to read eBooks purchased on the Kobo marketplace in ePub or PDF formats. The Kobo also has Bluetooth connectivity (no WiFi or 3G naturally), five font sizes, 1GB of internal storage and an expandable SD card slot. The battery is rated for 8,000 pageturns.

So nothing new, but something borrowed and something blue for Kobo. The unit will go on sale in Canada this May followed by a Borders-only release in the U.S. this Summer. By the way, that crystal ball turned out to be a much better purchase than the monkey paw. If you ever use your wish on universal health care coverage make sure to include a few caveats.

Source: MobileRead