Kobo (company)

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Kobo Inc.

logo
legal form Public Company (Canada)
Seat Toronto , Ontario , Canada
management Takahito Aiki
Michael Tamblyn
Branch E-books
Website www.kobo.com/de/de

Kobo Inc. (formerly Shortcovers) is an international bookseller and e-book reader manufacturer. The company is based in Toronto (Canada) and was founded in 2009. In addition to producing the e-book reader, Kobo offers its own reading programs and apps for BlackBerry OS , Apple iOS , Android , Firefox OS , Microsoft Windows and Microsoft Windows Phone . The name Kobo is an anagram for the English word for book.

Kobo has strategic partnerships with Cheung Kong Holdings, WHSmith , Whitcoulls and Fnac . For 2012 the company has announced the start of its own publishing service. The business for the German-speaking countries is carried out by the Kobo Europe SA branch based in Luxembourg.

Kobo was sold to Japanese online retailer Rakuten on November 8, 2011 .

On January 1, 2017, Deutsche Telekom left the Tolino Alliance as a technology partner and transferred the business to the Rakuten Group, which has its headquarters in Japan and which also includes the e-book reader manufacturer Kobo from Canada heard. In the future, new models will come from Kobo production and will most likely only have the Tolino logo instead of the Kobo logo. Devices of both brands are manufactured by the same manufacturer in China.

Kobo Book Store

E-books can be purchased and downloaded from the Kobo Book Store. They can be read on suitable media (see above) with the help of programs or apps.

With Kobo Writing Life, authors can publish their own e-books in the Kobo Book Store.

equipment

The Kobo Touch was presented for the first time in a localized version for the German-speaking market at the Internationale Funkausstellung Berlin (IFA) 2011. Kobo uses both the open e-book file format EPUB and PDF with or without Adobe DRM . Kobo also uses its own ePub-compatible format, which contains additional formatting instructions for Kobo end devices.

In September 2012 Kobo introduced three new models with the Arc, Glo and Mini. The two e-book readers Kobo Glo and Kobo Mini have been available in Germany since the end of October 2012.

In 2017 kobo withdrew its hardware from the German market and worked with Tolino.

Kobo Arc

The 189 mm × 120 mm × 11.5 mm and 364 g heavy reading tablet Kobo Arc uses a color 7-inch IPS LC display with 1280 × 800 pixels. A slightly adapted Android 4 version is used as the operating system . It is offered in 16 GB, 32 GB and 64 GB variants. The Arc is the successor to the Kobo Vox , but it was never released in Germany.

Kobo Glo

The Kobo Glo measures 157 mm × 114 mm × 10 mm and weighs 185 g. The reader has a 6-inch E Ink Pearl XGA display and has a resolution of 1024 × 758 pixels (212 dpi). Thanks to a thin film of illumination, the screen can be read even in the dark without an external light source. The film is illuminated by five LEDs in the frame . Kobo advertises that the technology should be particularly easy on the eyes compared to a regular backlit LC screen. The battery life is reduced to a maximum of 70 hours with continuously activated lighting.

The device is operated via an infrared touchscreen. The 2 GB internal memory can be expanded with a microSD memory card . The integrated e-book store can be accessed via the integrated WiFi 802.11 b / g / n connection. The Kobo Glo is available in black and white (this model with backs in silver, pink or blue).

Kobo Mini

The Kobo Mini is a 5-inch e-book reader with an e-ink pearl display and 800 × 600 pixels (200 dpi). It weighs 134 g and measures 133.1 mm × 101.6 mm × 10.3 mm. It is currently the smallest and lightest e-reader on the market. The Kobo Mini has a built-in WiFi 802.11 b / g / n connection.

Kobo Touch

The Kobo Touch is a 6-inch e-book reader with e-ink pearl display technology and an infrared touchscreen. The internal memory is 2 GB and can be expanded with a microSD memory card . In addition to the Amazon Kindle, the Kobo Touch was one of the first e-book readers available in Germany with an integrated e-book store, which can be accessed via the built-in WiFi 802.11 b / g / n connection. The device is available in black, silver, blue, lavender and white.

The exclusive distribution partner in Germany and Austria for the official launch on November 14, 2011 was the online retailer Redcoon . The Kobo Touch is now available in brick-and-mortar stores.

Kobo aura

The Kobo Aura, released at the end of 2013, has a 6-inch pearl display from E-Ink that has a color depth of 16 shades of gray with a resolution of 1024 × 768 pixels and a size of 150 mm × 114 mm × 8.1 mm and one Has a weight of 174 g. The memory is 4 GB. Supported file formats are: Books: EPUB, PDF and MOBI, Images: JPEG, GIF, PNG and TIFF, Text: TXT, HTML, XHTML and RTF, Comics: CBZ and CBR. Two-finger gestures can be used to zoom and adjust the background lighting.

Kobo Aura HD

The Kobo Aura HD also has a Pearl display from E Ink with a color depth of 16 shades of gray. However, with an HD resolution of 1440 × 1080 (265 ppi) on 6.8 inches. It has a backlight and an SD card slot. The processor is clocked at 1 GHz. The available memory is 4 GB. The device has been on the market since April 2013. The Kobo Aura HD supports ePub, PDF, MOBI, TXT, (X) HTML, RTF, CBZ and CBR files as well as JPG, GIF, PNG and TIFF image formats. The built-in WLAN interface supports the standards Wi-Fi 802.11 b / g / n. The device weighs 240 grams.

Kobo Aura H2O

The Kobo Aura H2O is a further development of the Kobo Aura HD. It was released on October 1, 2014 and, compared to the Aura HD, has a higher-contrast E Ink display (Carta E Ink HD). The reader is IP67 certified and should be waterproof for up to thirty minutes in a water depth of one meter with the port covers closed. The resolution is 1430 × 1080 pixels (265 ppi).

Kobo Aura ONE

The Kobo Aura ONE, officially presented in August 2016, has a resolution of 1,872 × 1,404 pixels. This corresponds to a resolution of 300 dpi. With this reader, Kobo has also improved the reading experience in the dark with the integrated, individually adjustable Comfort Light PRO. An ambient light sensor is used to determine the optimal brightness for the screen. The natural light setting controls the light color. In the evening and at night, the proportion of blue light is reduced, which should make it easier to fall asleep.

Kobo Clara HD

In summer 2018, the 6-inch Kobo Clara HD was presented, which was marketed by the Tolino Alliance in the form of the virtually identical Tolino Shine 3 .

Its display has a resolution of 1448 × 1024 pixels (300 dpi) and it has an 8 GB internal memory. The blue light reduction at night - called ComfortLight PRO - serves as an extended reading aid. With the help of additional LEDs the light color is changed from blue to orange.

The dimensions are 159.6 × 110 × 8.35 mm with a total weight of 166 grams.

Kobo Forma

The Kobo Forma was presented in October 2018. With an 8 "display, it should be lighter, more ergonomic (horizontal and transverse reading), more durable and better protected if it is dropped.

Kobo Libra

The Kobo Libra H2O was presented in September 2019. A 7 "eReader with a new design and a new display.

Kobo Nia

In July 2020, the Kobo Nia was presented as a new entry-level model. It has a 7 "screen with a resolution of 1024 × 758 pixels (212 ppi) and background lighting.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Stuart Woods: Shortcovers rechristened Kobo, with no branded e-reader in sight . Quill & Quire . December 15, 2009. Archived from the original on November 2, 2011. Retrieved on November 2, 2011.
  2. ^ Lynn Andriani: Indigo Unveils Shortcovers, New E-Reading Platform . Publisher's Weekly. February 9, 2009. Archived from the original on November 2, 2011. Retrieved on November 2, 2011.
  3. ↑ Stuart Woods: Shortcovers rechristened Kobo, with no branded e-reader in sight . Quill & Quire . December 15, 2009. Archived from the original on November 2, 2011. Retrieved on November 2, 2011.
  4. ↑ Indigo Maintains Majority Ownership As Kobo Closes $ 50 Million Investment Round . CNW Canada Newswire. April 19, 2011. Archived from the original on November 2, 2011. Retrieved on November 2, 2011.
  5. ^ Phillip Jones: More detail on the WH Smith Kobo deal . Future Book. October 21, 2011. Archived from the original on November 2, 2011. Retrieved on November 2, 2011.
  6. ↑ Paul Biba: Whitcoulls of New Zealand to launch ebooks - Kobo is branching out . TeleRead. April 26, 2010. Archived from the original on November 2, 2011. Retrieved on November 2, 2011.
  7. ↑ Kobo continues global expansion . Kobo Inc. October 11, 2011. Retrieved November 2, 2011.
  8. ↑ Kobo to become a publisher . CBC News. October 27, 2011. Archived from the original on November 2, 2011. Retrieved on November 2, 2011.
  9. ↑ Kobo sold to Japan's Rakuten for $ 315 million . Reuters . November 8, 2011. Archived from the original on November 9, 2011. Retrieved on November 8, 2011.
  10. ↑ Indigo sells off the Kobo e-reader business . CTV News. November 8, 2011. Archived from the original on November 9, 2011. Retrieved on November 8, 2011.
  11. ↑ IFA 2011: Kobo Touch available in Germany from October! . CME.AT. September 1, 2011. Retrieved November 15, 2011.
  12. ↑ E-book reader Kobo Glo: He lights up news report on heise.de, September 6, 2012
  13. ↑ Kobo: eReader disappears from German shelves. Retrieved on November 9, 2019 (German).
  14. ↑ Kobo Arc: Internal storage is growing, price remains the same; 16GB, 32GB & 64GB CME.AT (September 16, 2011). Retrieved November 19, 2012.
  15. ↑ Kobo Glo Experience ( Memento of the original from May 18, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Kobo Glo product page, November 19, 2012  @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.kobo.com
  16. ↑ Kobo Mini Test eBook-Fieber.de, January 2, 2013
  17. ↑ Kobo Touch at Media Markt, Saturn and notebooksbilliger.de . eBook-Fieber.de. December 2, 2011. Retrieved December 2, 2011.
  18. ↑ Technical data on the Kobo website
  19. ↑ Kobo Aura HD Review The Ebook Reader
  20. ↑ Kobo Aura HD test allesebook.de
  21. ↑ Technical data for the Kobo Aura H2O on the Kobo website
  22. ↑ Nadine Juliana Dressler: Kobo introduces the new waterproof 7.8 inch e-reader Aura One. In: winfuture.de. WinFuture, August 17, 2016, accessed January 27, 2017 .
  23. ↑ Technical data for the Kobo Aura ONE on the Kobo website
  24. ↑ Michael Sonntag: Kobo Clara HD in the practical test . papierlos-lesen.de. October 9, 2018. Retrieved October 17, 2018.
  25. ↑ Michael Sonntag: The brand new Tolino Shine 3 in a practical test . papierlos-lesen.de. October 10, 2018. Accessed October 17, 2018: "Because the new Tolino is technically the same as the Kobo Clara HD presented in May."
  26. ↑ Johannes Haupt: Tolino Shine 3: New middle class reader in Kobo dress . read.net. October 10, 2018. Accessed October 17, 2018: "The Tolino Shine 3 is practically identical to the Kobo Clara, which was released three months ago, the case is just a few millimeters shorter."
  27. ↑ Rakuten Kobo introduces Kobo Forma: Our thinnest, most durable, most ... Accessed November 9, 2019 (American English).
  28. ↑ Rakuten Kobo unveils the Kobo Libra H2O: A lightweight, waterproof, ... Retrieved November 9, 2019 (American English).
  29. ↑ Rakuten Kobo eReader Store (Canada), Specs. Retrieved August 22, 2020 (Canadian English).