eReaders can be pretty big business if you do it the right way. The problem of course has been breaking into the market if you are not affiliated with Amazon or Barnes and Noble.
Kobo is attempting to make resurgence in the market with a new touch screen eReader that will behave much the same way a tablet computer would operate, with the caveat being it won’t host the same kind of technology an iPad or Xoom would. The Kobo eReader Touch Edition will only be able to read books and magazines but it soups up that experience enough that most users won’t be found wanting. The first improvement is that the Kobo Touch Edition will allow more than just tapping on the screen. Apparently the Touch Edition will also allow swipe and zoom gestures to be incorporated into the eReader, further reminding tech geeks of tablets.
The screen will also get an E Ink Pearl upgrade to the text output and a Freescale i.MX507 processor which will mean even faster loading times when you are swiping and zooming. The Kobo Touch Edition will still include Wi-Fi capabilities but still falls short in that it does not have its own 3G network like the big boys do, meaning you will only be able to sync and download when you are actually in an area that already has a wireless network set up. Luckily, that isnt that big of a problem considering even McDonald’s is boasting Wi-Fi networks these days.
Where the Kobo could really compete with the bigger companies is in price. While this line has usually been a little more expensive than was probably smart, the Canadian company seems to finally be realizing they may have to cut their per unit income in order to generate real demand. The Kobo eReader Touch Edition will be priced at $129. This means it will come in $10 under the regular Kindle and the company will also slash the price on their older model; bring the regular Kobo eReader to $99 a piece. While eReaders like the Libre eBook reader and the Literati have been trying to make inroads for a couple of years, Kobo’s device might actually accomplish getting its foot in the door when it hits shelves in June.
