Toronto, May 08, 2014 – Kobo, a global leader in eReading, today announced it will provide Sony’s Reader™ and Sony’s Xperia™ tablet and smartphone users in the UK, Germany, Austria, and Australia with access to its comprehensive digital reading ecosystem, which includes a catalogue of more than 4 million eBooks, top-ranking eReading apps, and award-winning devices. Sony’s Reader Store in the four countries will close on June 16, and customers and their current eBook libraries will transfer to the Kobo ecosystem soon after the closure.
Sony customers will be able to shop Kobo’s catalogue, which includes the most popular bestsellers, literary works, comics, graphic novels, and kids’ content. North American Reader Store customers were transferred to the Kobo platform earlier this year.
“We are delighted to be working with Sony to reach the most passionate Readers in Europe and Australia, by bringing the Kobo world to Reader Store customers – keeping them reading their favourite stories,” said Takahito Aiki, CEO, Kobo. “Both companies share the goal of putting the most passionate booklovers at the centre of the reading experience. This means providing the best experience through innovative technology coupled with a vast and comprehensive digital reading ecosystem.”
The free, top-ranking Kobo App for Android will be pre-loaded on select Sony smartphones and tablets. Timing and availability may vary by market and carrier. Sony’s Reader will also harness the wide variety of content available via the Kobo eBookstore. Sony’s current Reader Store customers in the UK, Germany, Austria, and Australia will have access to the Kobo eBookstore soon after the closure of Reader Store via a simple and easy migration process. Reader Store customers will receive an email from Kobo with instructions on how to easily transfer their library to a Kobo account. Until that time, Sony’s customers can continue to purchase eBooks from Sony’s Reader Store.
Kobo serves 20 million readers around the world and works with 1.3 million authors to deliver one of the world’s best catalogues of more than 4 million eBooks and magazines*.
*The Kobo Magazine Store is currently available in North America, the UK, France, and Italy – with more countries to be added.
For more information, please visit:
Kobo - https://www.kobo.com/sonyFAQ
Sony （UK） - https://gb.readerstore.sony.com/reader-store-closure-faq/
Sony（Germany） - https://de.readerstore.sony.com/reader-store-schliesst-faq/
Sony （Austria)） - https://at.readerstore.sony.com/reader-store-schliesst-faq/
Sony （Australia）- https://au.readerstore.sony.com/reader-store-closure-faq/
About Kobo Inc.
Kobo Inc. is one of the world’s fastest-growing eReading services offering more than 4 million eBooks, magazines and newspapers to millions of customers in 190 countries. Believing that consumers should have the freedom to read any book on any device, Kobo provides consumers with a choice when reading. Kobo offers an eReader for everyone with a wide variety of E Ink eReaders and Google-Certified Android tablets to suit any Reader’s style including the award-winning Kobo Touch™, Kobo Mini, Kobo Glo, Kobo Aura, Kobo Aura HD, Kobo Arc, Kobo Arc 7, Kobo Arc 7HD, and Kobo Arc 10HD. Along with the company’s free top-ranking eReading apps for Apple®, BlackBerry®, Android®, and Windows®, Kobo ensures the next great read is just a page-turn away. Headquartered in Toronto and owned by Tokyo-based Rakuten, Kobo produces eReaders and tablets that can be found in major retail chains around the world. For more information, visit www.kobo.com.