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Kobo’s new ereaders include its first with color displays
Rakuten has a trio of new Kobo ereaders, including the company’s first two with color displays. On Wednesday, the company revealed the $220 Kobo Libra Colour and $150 Clara Colour alongside the monochrome $130 Clara BW.
Kobo takes on the Kindle Scribe with improved Elipsa 2E e-ink tablet
Rakuten-owned Kobo unveiled its newest e-reader today, a $400 alternative to the Kindle Scribe and reMarkable 2.
Kobo's new entry-level e-reader is the $100 Nia
The Kobo Nia is an entry-level reader with a six-inch, 1,024 x 758 Carta E Ink display (with Kobo’s ComfortLight front lighting), 172 gram weight, 8GB of storage and 1,000 mAh battery that will run for “weeks on end” on a single charge.
Major credit card companies launch a one-click checkout button
If you're shopping on Cinemark, Movember or Rakuten any time soon, you might see a new click-to-pay button at checkout. American Express, Discover, Mastercard and Visa have teamed up to create the new option for fast, secure online purchases. Their vision is to have one standard checkout button across all online retail websites, similar to the PayPal experience.
'Venom' and 'Alpha' will be the first IMAX Enhanced 4K blockbusters
The 'IMAX Enhanced' tag that IMAX and DTS teamed up to create for home entertainment is continuing to expand with several announcements at CES. According to its backers, the label means that content is mastered using the latest "proprietary post-production process developed by IMAX while a "special variant" of DTS:X pumps up the audio to deliver an "immersive" IMAX experience at home. Today the group added three general outlets for streaming IMAX Enhanced content: Tencent in China, FandangoNow in the US and RakutenTV in Europe, plus Privilege 4K in the US for Sony TVs. Sony Pictures announced that Venom and Alpha will be among the first blockbuster movie titles available with the tag. while Paramount has also pledged support. Arcam, Elite, Integra, Lexicon, Onkyo, Pioneer and Trinnov are working on certified A/V receivers, while TCL has joined Sony in developing certified TVs. Meanwhile, an IMAX Certified Mode to optimize settings based on content is still in development.
Walmart opens its first online store in Japan
Walmart has opened its first online store in Japan with the help of local e-commerce giant Rakuten. Over 1,200 items will be available to Japanese customers on the "Walmart Rakuten Ichiba Store," including clothing, outdoor items and toys from US brands. It marks the latest step in the duo's strategic alliance, announced in January, which also spans an online grocery delivery service in Japan and the sale of e-readers, audiobooks and e-books from Rakuten-owned Kobo in the US.
Kobo's new e-reader offers an HD e-ink screen for $130
In a world full of full-color tablet displays, it may seem surprising that dedicated e-readers are still around. But these devices actually have an advantage over tablets that avid readers appreciate -- the e-ink displays are much easier on the eyes than backlit displays. They allow for comfortable long-term reading. Today, Rakuten announced a new Kobo e-reader called the Clara HD. It's a 6-inch device with an HD 300 dpi screen at an affordable $130.
Walmart teams up with Kobo to sell ebooks and audiobooks
Later this year, you'll be able to buy ebooks and audiobooks straight from Walmart's website. The big box retailer has teamed up with Japanese e-commerce titan Rakuten to launch a business that can take on Amazon's Kindle offerings. Walmart will give its customers in the US an easy way to access to Kobo's library -- Kobo is Rakuten's digital book division -- and its six million titles from tens of thousands of publishers. The company will also start selling Kobo eReaders, which will set you back at least $120, online and in stores sometime this year.
Japan’s answer to Amazon is building its own mobile network
Japanese e-commerce platform Rakuten has announced its plan to shake up the mobile business in its home country. Reuters is reporting that the company is applying for a license to offer 4G service, making it Japan's fourth national wireless carrier. Rakuten intends to offer service in 2019, and has a target of gaining 15 million customers, putting it well behind third-placed Softbank, which currently serves 39 million.
Kobo adds audiobooks along with an Audible-like subscription
Kobo is finally getting into the audiobooks biz. The Canadian company has added audiobooks to its offerings and already has an extensive catalogue sell, including bestsellers like the Harry Potter series. Even better, it has launched $10-per-month Audible-like subscription service, which sounds like a good deal if you regularly purchase audiobooks. The service gives you credits you can use to get any title from Kobo.com, even if its list price costs more than what you paid. You get a free 30-day trial period, so you can check out how it works before committing. But if you know you can go through a single audiobook real fast, you can also just straight up buy a three-pack credit for $30 and keep up to 24 credits in your subscription account.
Chat app Viber hopes you'll shop from its keyboard
If you owned Viber and saw Facebook make a big deal of in-chat shopping, what would you do? Bake shopping into the very heart of your messaging app, apparently. A few months after including an Instant Shopping feature in Viber, parent company Rakuten Viber has snapped up the feature's architect, Chatter Commerce. The deal gives it full control over a keyboard that lets you browse store catalogs and either share them with your friends or commit to a purchase. You don't have to jump to a separate app or the web just to share those great shoes you found.
Kobo's latest waterproof e-reader is sized for poolside reading
Kobo's Aura One e-reader was potentially the dream device for anyone who likes to read in the bath or at the beach, but it had some catches. Its big 7.8-inch screen didn't make it the most portable device around, and that $229 price could be off-putting if you just wanted to read a novel now and then. Enter the just-introduced Aura H2O -- the new e-reader is still as waterproof as the One, and shares the same smart lighting that reduces blue light at night (in theory, to help you sleep). Its 6.8-inch touchscreen is decidedly easier to hold during longer siestas, while the $180 price (£150 in the UK) might simplify your purchasing decision.
Kobo is the next to offer an e-book subscription service
All-you-can-read e-book subscriptions are nothing new (just ask Amazon), but Kobo is just now joining the fray. It's launching Kobo Plus, a service that offers unlimited reading of eligible books (currently 40,000 titles) for a flat monthly fee. While there aren't any surprising attempts to shake up the basic subscription formula, you probably won't complain if you prefer Kobo's e-readers or mobile apps -- you no longer have to buy every single title that piques your interest.
Rakuten is closing its UK marketplace
Before Amazon became the online behemoth it is today, it used to go toe-to-toe with another big web retailer: Play.com. The site initially specialised in DVDs, video games and music -- selling products from Jersey to escape VAT charges and lower its prices -- before expanding into electronics and personal computers. In 2009, at the height of its popularity, UK consumers even rated it their favourite retailer. Unfortunately for the company, that success didn't last and Japanese e-commerce giant Rakuten swept in to buy the company for £25 million in 2011. It spun it off into a marketplace for independent sellers in 2013 and it's operated that way ever since. Well, it will until August.
Delivery drone flies drinks and balls to golfers in Japan
Rakuten, just like Amazon, is experimenting with drones that can quickly deliver goods to its customers. Unlike Jeff Bezos' company, however, the e-commerce giant is starting small with a service designed for golfers. From May, players at a specific course in Japan's Chiba prefecture will be able to take out their phone and request some new golf balls or refreshments. A Mini Surveyor drone developed by the Autonomous Control Systems Laboratory -- a company from Chiba which Rakuten has now invested in -- will then fly them over from a base station near the course's clubhouse.
Tesco taps Kobo to offer Binkbox Books libraries when it closes
Unlike Blinkbox Movies and Blinkbox Music, Tesco hasn't found a buyer for its underperforming Blinkbox Books service. We expected the e-book platform to quietly fade into the night, along with customers' purchases, but it seems Tesco has a parting gift for bookworms that embraced its Kindle alternative. The beleaguered supermarket is teaming up with Kobo so that users can transition their Blinkbox libraries to the rival platform, free of charge. Tesco says it'll email users in the next two to three weeks with a special code for unlocking their purchases inside Kobo; the latter's library should also mirror Blinkbox's exactly, so readers won't lose any books in the move. At this stage it's not clear if any money is changing hands, but there are obvious benefits for both parties; Tesco now has a better chance of avoiding customer backlash, while Kobo gets to pick up a wave of new users. Of course, Kobo already has an Android app too, so it should be a fairly easy transition for Hudl owners who want to keep Tesco's tablet as their primary e-reader.
Viber looks to challenge Skype with backing from Japanese internet giant
Let's face it: The tech industry is starting to get used to big-name companies acquiring young, relatively successful startups. To wit, such was the case for Viber, a Tel Aviv-based service that lets you use an app to communicate through phone calls and instant messages. Viber's acquisition by Rakuten, a Japanese e-commerce and internet giant, came after the platform welcomed more than 300 million users worldwide since 2010, making it one of the most popular applications across iOS, Android, Windows Phone and BlackBerry. That growth, along with its flourishing appeal, have made Viber a real threat to services like Skype -- though, on the messaging front, it is still trying to catch up to WhatsApp, which is at 500 million active users and counting. But despite all of this, Viber still wants to keep growing, and it plans to use Rakuten's resources to help it get to where it wants to be.
Skype rival Viber purchased by Japanese e-commerce giant for $900 million
Japan's answer to Amazon, Rakuten, just got into the mobile communications business by purchasing internet calling app-maker Viber for $900 million. Viber was one of the first to introduce 3G VoIP on the iPhone, and now lets you call any land-line or mobile phone, send messages and even push-to-talk. The app' available on all major mobile and desktop platforms, and is one of Skype's biggest rivals with over 300 million users worldwide. According to the WSJ, Viber's global userbase helped draw Rakuten, which is trying to expand its business interests beyond Japan's shores. It also recently purchased a huge stake in Pinterest and bought e-reader maker Kobo. Rakuten's CEO confirmed that Viber "perfectly compliments" its goals and said the acquisition "will enable it to penetrate new markets with multiple digital content offerings."
Wuaki.tv streaming video service exits beta in the UK
The Rakuten-owned, web-based Wuaki.tv video service announced today it's officially ready for prime time in the United Kingdom. Following what the company's calling a successful beta launch earlier this year, which helped it lure in "tens of thousands" of new subscribers, Wuaki.tv appears ready to go head-to-head with streaming services like Lovefilm, Netflix and, thanks to its flexible pricing scheme, iTunes. Moreover, Wuaki.tv points out that being available in Spain, and now the UK, only marks the beginning of its plans for The Old Continent, where it is aiming to be "fully launched in main European countries by 2015."
Wuaki.tv video service gets Android, iPad app support in UK
When Rakuten launched the beta for its Wuaki.tv any-way-you-want-it video service in the UK, it left out the mobile apps that many crave. The company is rectifying that mistake today by officially bringing its Android and iOS clients to the country. There are few surprises for those who've used the apps in Spain, although the necessary Android update brings an option to rate shows. There's also more platform support on the way -- Wuaki.tv says that Brits will get access through game consoles and smart TVs later in the summer. As long as you're content with watching videos over WiFi, you can grab both apps through the source links.