Kobo introduces e-reader tablets in India

Canada-headquartered e-reading service company Kobo Thursday forayed into the Indian market with launch of four new tablet devices optimised for electronic reading.

The devices priced in the range of Rs.8,000 to Rs.14,000 support all the major e-books formats including mobi and epub. The company has partnered with Crossword, WHSmith and Croma for sale of the new devices across the country.

Addressing the launch event here, Kobo's executive vice president and general manager Wayne White said the company sees huge potential in the Indian market.

"India is in the early stages of what we believe is a 25-year transformation from print to digital reading," White said.

"In partnership with some of the leading booksellers and retailers in the country, Kobo is poised to lead this transformation, by delivering a fully localised experience designed to meet the increased demand for digital content in India," he said.

The new devices named Kobo Touch, Kobo Glo, Kobo Arc and Kobo Aura HD are WiFi only and does not support mobile network. The devices are optimised and designed for e-reading.

Kobo Touch is the cheapest priced at Rs.7,999, while Kobo Aura HD is priced at Rs.13,999, said Haja Sheriff, country director Kobo in India.

Through these devices readers will have access to Kobo's eBookstore, one of the largest in the world, featuring nearly 4-million titles across 68 languages. It includes 95 percent of India's bestselling content featuring work from top-selling Indian authors including Jhumpa Lahiri, Ramachandra Guha and Sachin Garg to international bestselling authors like Dan Brown, John Grisham and Lee Child.

"Literature and the love of storytelling are ingrained in our culture and the Kobo platform will make it easier than ever before for Indians to access to the stories they love - anytime, anyplace and on any device," Sheriff said.