Kobo launches e-reader app for Android
Kobo -- perhaps best known for its e-reader tie-up with Borders -- is bringing its platform and bookstore to Android, beating bigger players like Amazon to the game. If you've already got a Kobo account, you can just log in and get instant access to your already-purchased books, but if you're new, you can buy stuff right from your phone; it supports ePub and counts more than two million titles to its library (some of which are free). Strangely, Kobo is circulating a picture of what appears to be a Nokia 5800 with its Android announcement -- but if you can get past that, the app should be available in the Market right now. Follow the break for the full press release.
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KOBO RELEASES THE FIRST GLOBAL EBOOK READER AND STORE FOR ANDROID
Kobo adds Android to list of supported devices which includes iPhone, iPad, BlackBerry, netbooks and dedicated eReaders, including the Kobo eReader
TORONTO - June 18, 2010 - Kobo, a global eReading service, today announced availability on Android-enabled smartphones. Just like other Kobo applications, Kobo for Android is designed to provide the best eReading experience to customers around the world. This announcement furthers Kobo's goal of delivering any book on any device. The service's open standards mean that customers can access and read their books from a variety of devices.
"Now the fastest-growing mobile platform, many of the new Android devices are great for eReading and we're excited to deliver Kobo to the millions of Android users around the world," said Kobo CEO, Michael Serbinis. "We've adapted the features our customers love and expect from Kobo to ensure that we provide the best reading experience for Android-enabled smartphones."
Kobo is available for free on Android smartphone's through the Android Market. Kobo supports ePUB file formats including rich text and images, offering a top-quality reading experience. Existing Kobo users can login to their Kobo account and start reading their books right away. Additionally, there are over two million eBooks available for download through the Kobo bookstore, thousands of which are available for free and best sellers start from $9.99.
Kobo has developed a strong global following for their eReading service, which includes free apps for the iPhone, iPad, BlackBerry and Android, as well as a dedicated Kobo eReader. Now Android users can log in to their existing Kobo account and download the eBooks they've already purchased at no additional cost. Furthermore, a Kobo user's library and bookmarks are automatically synchronized across all the applications and the Kobo eReader offering a seamless Kobo experience on any Kobo-enabled device.
For more information or to download Kobo, visit www.kobobooks.com.
