The Mondadori Group will launch the award-winning Kobo Touch™ eReader tomorrow. Priced at €99, it will be sold at more than 350 Mondadori stores and online at inMondadori.it. Also coming in October are the newest additions to the Kobo Family, the Kobo Glo™ eReader, for €129 and the Kobo Mini™ eReader at the low price of €79.

Mondadori supports the most extensive network of bookshops and one of the largest online media stores in Italy, with a catalogue of more than nine million products. This makes for the ideal platform to offer the Kobo Family of devices to Italian consumers. Kobo’s open and flexible eReading platform is the ideal solution for consumers to easily read what they want, when they want, where they want.

“Technology is rapidly changing and transforming the world of reading and content distribution. The arrival of Kobo eReaders allows us to share Mondadori’s quality content to an even wider audience,” said Maurizio Costa, Deputy Chairman and Chief Executive of the Mondadori Group. “The challenge is to find a way of reaching customers through all available channels – from physical to online – offering content across as many platforms as possible. Mondadori’s original approach brings together the strengths of our editorial resources, our chain of bookshops and online services,” Costa concluded.

“eReading is growing rapidly across Europe, and while still in the early adoption phase Italian readers are waiting for a superior, easy, eReading solution like Kobo to be offered in Italy.” said Mike Serbinis, CEO, Kobo. “Through our partnership with Mondadori, we are offering the Italian consumer a new and truly exciting way to read.”

The phenomenon of digital reading is a real opportunity for growth: the strength of the Mondadori portfolio coupled with the innovative and open Kobo reading platform provides a real growth opportunity for the Italian market with a cutting-edge digital reading solution and access to great content for consumption across multiple platforms. Readers can search for their favourite titles with maximum flexibility: on the digital devices or in Mondadori’s in physical stores where, in addition to being able to buy the Kobo eReader, they can purchase and download e-books using the Wi-Fi connection. All of which is in line with a multichannel logic, aimed at following readers through all the stages of purchase and use.
This strategy of online and offline convergence, is also reflected in the project for the refurbishment of the Mondadori stores and Bol.it, which will be grouped under a single brand, in Mondadori. The aim of this project is to strengthen customer service by integrating all points of contact, both in-person and online.

Mondadori and Kobo make accessing one of the world’s largest eBook stores very simple. Customers have access to 3 million titles – of which 1 million are free – directly on their Kobo eReader or through www.inMondadori.it. The Kobo platform offers more than a robust catalogue of Italian-language eBooks from leading publishers. In addition, Kobo is an open- eReading platform that allows for reading without restrictions. Customers can read their eBooks with Kobo as well as on other platforms that support file formats such as ePubs and PDFs. Kobo provides free eReading apps fo most popular devices device -from smartphones to desktops to tablets. Readers’ bookmarks are synched across all of their devices, which means they never have to worry about losing their spot in their favourite eBook.

The launch of the Kobo Touch eReader is accompanied by a special promotion allowing customers to download three free eBooks from a selection of nine current bestselling Italian titles: Sveva Casati Modignani, Léonie; Michael Connelly, Il respiro del drago; Pierre Dukan, La dieta Dukan; Sebastian Fitzek, Il cacciatore di occhi; Ken Follett, L’inverno del mondo; Anna Guglielmi, Il linguaggio segreto del volto; Murakami Haruki, 1Q84; Walter Isaacson, Steve Jobs; and EL James, Cinquanta sfumature di grigio.

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About Kobo Inc.

Kobo Inc. is one of the world’s fastest-growing eReading services offering nearly 3-million eBooks, magazines and newspapers. Believing that consumers should have the freedom to read any book on any device, Kobo has built an open-standards platform to provide consumers with a choice when reading. Inspired by an open philosophy and a passion for innovation, Kobo has expanded to nearly 190 countries, where millions of consumers have access to localized eBook catalogues and with the recently launched family of eReaders – offers an eReader for everyone. With top-ranked eReading applications for most popular devices, Kobo allows consumers to make eReading social through Facebook Timeline and Reading Life, an industry-first social experience that lets users earn awards for time spent reading and encourage others to join in. Headquartered in Toronto and owned by Tokyo-based Rakuten, Kobo eReaders can be found in major retail chains across the globe.
For more information, visit www.kobo.com.

 

THE NEW LINEUP OF KOBO eREADERS

KOBO TOUCH – THE MOST NATURAL READING EXPERIENCE
The award-winning Kobo Touch, named Wired’s #1 eReader in 2012, and the industry’s first touch-screen eReader is available in stores around the world.. . The Kobo Touch includes Kobo’s latest software with more ways to personalize the reading experience, get recommendations and discover new content. The Kobo Touch is available in seven languages including Italian, English, French, German, Portuguese, Dutch, and Japanese.

Specifications
Measurements: 114 x 165 x 10 mm
Weight: 185g
Display: 6-inch E Ink Pearl, 16 levels of grey
Navigation: Touchscreen
Memory: 2GB (1GB available to the user, equivalent to 1,000 books), expandable to 32GB with an SD Memory Card
Connectivity: Micro USB, Wi-Fi
File formats: EPUB, PDF, MOBI, JPEG, GIF, PNG, BMP, TIFF. TXT, HTML, TRF, CBZ, CBR
Characters: 7 fonts, 24 sizes
Battery life: up to 1 month

KOBO GLO – READ COMFORTABLY DAY OR NIGHT
The new front-lit Kobo Glo is the next generation in comfortable eReading. It offers innovative, soft, even and adjustable ComfortLight technology to enable consumers to read anytime – day or night. Its durable screen and customizable page-turning features make it the perfect eReader for the booklover. The Kobo Glo uses E Ink technology, customizable fonts and a no-glare XGA high-resolution 6” E Ink screen that is just like reading print on paper, and connects easily to Wi Fi allowing consumers to explore and discover recommendations in the Kobo eBookstore. The Kobo Glo eReader comes in Black or White and a selection of stylish back colours – Pink Sunset, Blue Moon, Silver Star.

Specifications
Measurements: 114 x 157 x 10 mm
Weight: 185g
Display: 6-inch E Ink Pearl XGA, 1026×768 resolution, 16 levels of grey
Display: illuminated front Comfortlight technology, anti-glare
Navigation: Touchscreen
Memory: 2GB (1GB available to the user, equivalent to 1,000 books), expandable to 32GB with an SD Memory Card
Connectivity: Micro USB, Wi Fi
File formats: EPUB, PDF, MOBI, JPEG, GIF, PNG, BMP, TIFF. TXT, HTML, TRF, CBZ, CBR
Characters: 7 fonts, 24 sizes
Battery life: up to 1 month (light and Wi-Fi turned off), up to 55 hours of continuous use with illumination

KOBO MINI – SMALL IS A BIG DEAL
The Kobo Mini is the world’s smallest and lightest full-featured E Ink eReader available today, offering the full Kobo experience at a great value. Proving that great things come in small packages, the 5” Kobo Mini easily fits in your purse or pocket and is loaded with all of the amazing features Kobo customers have come to know and love. Just like reading print on paper, the no-glare 5” E Ink screen is easy on the eyes – even in bright sunlight. The Kobo Mini comes in black or white and offers a selection of three stylish Kobo SnapBacks in Teal, Ruby Red, and Purple. Perfect for people on-the-go, young adults, and easy for first-time readers to hold and read, the highly portable Kobo Mini holds up to 1,000 eBooks.

Specifications
Measurements: 102 x 133 x 10 mm
Weight: 134g
Display: 5-inch E Ink, Vizplex V110 display, 16 levels of grey
Navigation: Touchscreen
Memory: 2GB (1GB available to the user, equivalent to 1,000 books)
Connectivity: Micro USB, Wi Fi
File formats: EPUB, PDF, MOBI, JPEG, GIF, PNG, BMP, TIFF. TXT, HTML, TRF, CBZ, CBR
Characters: 7 fonts, 24 sizes
Battery life: up to 1 month