Ellen DeGeneres is a well known and loved comedian, actress, and a host of her own TV show, and we are thrilled that our Kobo Vox eReader was featured on the show during a special Super Bowl episode.

Not only did our Kobo Vox eReader look great on camera as Ellen DeGeneres presented it to her audience, but it was amazing to see that our Kobo Vox eReader stirred up quite the cheer when Ellen announced that everyone in her studio audience will be taking one home with them.

Here are some highlights of what Ellen DeGeneres had to say about our Kobo Vox eReader:

“Get in the game with the Kobo Vox eReader that’s a tablet and a whole lot more. Access over 15,000 free apps, a million free books, get social and have fun.”

“Kobo Vox is the eReader tablet for today’s connected life — watch videos of the big game, huddle with your friends through Pulse and tackle new favourite reads from friends’ recommendations. The Kobo Vox tablet comes in 4 bold colors — one to match your personality.”

Click here for a chance to win your very own Kobo Vox eReader from The Ellen DeGeneres Show and watch highlights from today’s Special Super Bowl Edition!

The Ontario Science Centre is hosting a Live Event via Facebook to discuss da Vinci’s impact on today’s innovators.

Joined by 4 panel of experts, including our CEO, Micheal Serbinis, examine how da Vinci’s amazing contributions to modern invention and his spirit can spur young minds towards invention in a much different world.

Event Details

When: Thursday, February 2, 2012 at 1pm EST

Where: Visit and “like” https://www.facebook.com/ontariosciencecentre#!/events/162759327165781/ to register and view the event.

Join the discussion with your own thoughts on Twitter using hashtag #innovinci and follow @Kobo & @OntScienceCtr

If you are not on Facebook, you will still be able to view the discussion on YouTube following the event.

Canadian innovator Michael Serbinis, Chief Executive Officer of Kobo, will be joining 3 other experts as panelists at the event. This special event will feature a live panel discussion on how da Vinci’s amazing contributions to modern invention and his spirit can spur young minds toward invention in a much different world.

Join in on February 2nd and get the opportunity to ask questions live via Facebook!

Event Details

When: Thursday, February 2, 2012 at 1pm EST

Where: Visit and “like” https://www.facebook.com/ontariosciencecentre#!/events/162759327165781/ to register and view the event.

Panelists:

• Michael Serbinis – Chief Executive Officer, Kobo
• Sandra Martin – Executive Editor, Today’s Parent Magazine
• Massimiliano Lisa – Curator and CEO of Leonardo3
• Dr. Hooley McLaughlin – Vice President, Science Experience and Chief Science Office, Ontario Science Centre

Join the discussion with your own thoughts on Twitter using hashtag #innovinci and follow @Kobo & @OntScienceCtr

If you are not on Facebook, you will still be able to view the discussion on YouTube following the event.

KOBO CONTINUES INTERNATIONAL EXPANSION
LAUNCHING IN THE NETHERLANDS WITH LIBRIS BLZ.
Award Winning Kobo Touch eReader will be Available Online and In-Stores for €129.00

THE NETHERLANDS / TORONTO – January 24, 2012 – Kobo, a global leader in eReading with over 7 million users in more than 170 countries worldwide, announced today that Dutch retailer Libris Blz. are selling the award winning* Kobo Touch eReader online at www.libris.nl and www.blz.nl with free shipping, and it will be in select stores starting Jan 30 – for €129.00. Kobo offers one of the world’s largest bookstores with more than 2.5 million ebooks, which now includes thousands of bestselling Dutch titles.

“Through our new partnership with Libris Blz., we’re confident our expansion into the Netherlands will be a huge success,” said Michael Serbinis, CEO of Kobo. “Kobo’s focus has always been to bring eReading and eBooks to people everywhere around the world. By launching in the Netherlands, and bringing eReading to the passionate Dutch reading community – we are one more country closer to delivering on that promise.”

“Libris Blz. and Kobo are a perfect fit, as we are driven by a strong passion for reading and books, and both organisations see great potential in eReading,” stated Caroline Damwijk, Managing Director of Libris Blz. B.V.

THE KOBO TOUCH – Built by booklovers, for booklovers.
The Kobo Touch offers a best-in-class reading experience, with an amazing touch experience, that uses Infrared Touch Technology, allowing readers to easily swipe or tap to turn pages. With the intuitive touch interface, readers can highlight a phrase, lookup a word, zoom into an image, increase the font size, or quickly navigate through a book and an entire library. Plus, finding that next read is also quick and easy with Wi-Fi and a virtual keyboard.

The Kobo eReader Touch is the first eReader to be available in multiple languages and offers a completely local experience, including content, recommendations, and the Kobo store. Readers may choose from English, French, Canadian French, German, Spanish, Italian and Dutch.

KOBO TOUCH FEATURE HIGHLIGHTS:

• New Pearl 6” E Ink Screen – Equipped with the newest E Ink screen featuring 16 level grey scale, the Kobo Touch is a highly responsive and intuitive experience designed to help you forget about the device and focus on reading.
• The eInk screen is glare free and easy to read in bright sunlight
• Read in Style – Kobo’s signature quilted soft-touch back and travel-friendly size offer the ultimate reading comfort and experience – choose from white, black, silver, blue and lilac.
• Customize taps on the screen to turn pages to bring additional comfort to left-handed readers
• A choice of 7 font styles and 25 sizes to best suit individual eyesight needs– the most of any eReader on the market today.
• Add your own fonts for full customization
• Easy note making within a book while users read, as well as browsing and editing notes with the Annotations list
• Easily highlight favourite passages within books
• Fully adjustable refresh rate for fast page turns
• Sleep and power off screens that show full screen book covers
• Progress indicator — Readers can easily find out how far they’ve read in each book

With battery life of up to one month, and storage of up to 30,000 books with expandable memory, the Kobo eReader Touch Edition delivers the freedom to read anywhere, at any time.

READ FREELY – KOBO SUPPORTS THE MOST CONTENT
The Kobo eReading service is built on an open platform, allowing consumers to read eBooks from other stores that use the ePub format – plus books on a growing number of Kobo eReaders and apps. The versatile Kobo eReader Touch Edition devices let users read ePUB, PDF and MOBI format eBooks; view JPEG, GIF, PNG, BMP and TIFF images; review TXT, HTML and RTF materials; and enjoy CBZ and CBR comic book formats. Consumers can also easily borrow and read eBooks from the local public library.

GET SOCIAL WITH KOBO READING LIFE
Kobo offers the industry leading social platform, Reading Life, that provides the ability to connect with friends or create book clubs and discuss favorite reads on Facebook and Twitter. Plus, users can track their reading statistics, and unlock fun and exciting awards just for reading.

SHOP AND READ ON ANY DEVICE WITH KOBO
Kobo offers free eReading apps so users can read on most popular devices such as desktops, laptops, tablets, Android phones, iPhones, iPads, Blackberry® Smartphones and Blackberry® PlayBooks – in addition they can browse and shop the Kobo store. Plus, with Kobo Sync you can read from one device to another and pick up from the page that you last read – your library will always be kept up to date.

WHERE TO BUY
The Kobo Touch eReader is available for immediate purchase online from Libris at www.libris.nl and Blz. at www.blz.nl, including free shipping and delivery, and in select stores starting Jan 30 – for €129.00.

Kobo will be launching a fully localized Dutch website in February. For more information and to download the free Kobo International eReading app avaible in Dutch please visit kobobooks.com/welkomlibrisblz

* Named “Editor’s Pick” in Wired Magazine: eInk Reader Round-up: January 2012 Edition; Won prestigious “Jaus de L’Industrie” for innovative & lightweight design of the Kobo Touch eReader; Institut Francais du Design (IFD); Nov 2011

About Kobo, Inc.
Kobo is a global eReading service with more than 2.5 million eBooks, magazines and newspapers – one of the largest eReading catalogues in the world. As part of its “Read Freely” mentality, Kobo believes consumers should have the freedom to read any book on any device and has attracted millions of readers from more than 170 countries across the globe. Kobo has top-ranked eReading applications for iPad, iPhone, BlackBerry, Android, Windows and MacOS, and is the eReading application of choice for leading tablet OEMs. Kobo eReaders, including the Kobo Touch and the newly launched Kobo Vox are available at leading retailers, including Indigo, Walmart, Best Buy, Target, Future Shop, WHSmith, FNAC, Collins Booksellers and Whitcoull’s. Kobo’s innovative Reading Life is an industry-first comprehensive social eReading experience where Kobo users can earn awards simply for time spent reading and encouraging others. For more information on Kobo, and to download free eReading apps, visit www.kobo.com.

Libris Blz. B.V.
The Libris Blz. group of booksellers comprises independent, professional, highly-motivated entrepreneurs who work together to compete effectively against standard bookstore chains. Libris booksellers aim to be the authoritative bookseller within their market, offering a wide assortment of titles, whereas Blz. booksellers offer an optimal mix of books in combination with office supplies. With gross book sales of more than 100 million euros, the Libris Blz. group is the largest player in the Dutch general book market.

At Kobo, we always strive to be ahead of the curve; it’s what our customers have learned to expect from us and a passion that’s played an important part in keeping us atop of the competitive, ever-growing global eReading market.

And so we’re proud to be one of a select few kicking off this week the launch of applications for Facebook Timeline. Aimed at creating a more engaging online experience, apps allow users to bring their Timelines to life through sharing what they’re doing, the music they are listening to, the books they are reading, and more.

We already know that readers love sharing and talking about their experience with books, but organizing a book club isn’t always feasible in our fast-paced, digital world. With the rise of social media and the growing popularity of apps, reading no longer has to be done alone – it’s something that can be shared with friends.

Starting today, people on Facebook can download the free Kobo eReading app for iPhone or iPad, and then easily add Kobo Reading Life to their Facebook Timeline. Reading Life for Facebook lets you share your latest eBook activity with friends, whether you’re showing off a current book or staying on top of the hottest reading trends.

Ultimately, Reading Life for Facebook Timeline gives you a way to let others know what’s in your library while moving beyond simply sharing titles; this app is about sharing your Kobo reading experience in a fun, exciting and dynamic way.

Reading Life for Facebook Timeline builds upon the first Reading Life app we launched in 2010, adding a new dimension in Kobo’s commitment to making reading a more engaging social experience. We all know the key role reading plays in our lives – whether temporarily transporting us away from reality or bringing an important issue front and centre. Why not share that passion with others?

This new feature is available on Reading life for iPad and iPhone, and will be rolling out to other platforms on the near future.

Download the Kobo iOS App today!

For iPhone: www.kobo.com/iPhone
For iPad: www.kobo.com/iPad

There’s never been a better time to sample some of the finest independent Canadian eBooks available. From now until January 22nd, we’re offering a selection of indie reads – from literary fiction to memoirs, mysteries, young adult reads and more.

And better still, for every indie eBook you buy on or before January 22nd, you’ll be automatically entered into a draw to win a Kobo Touch eReader.

So try something new. Something fresh. Something uniquely Canadian.

Want to know more? Go to http://www.kobo.com/indiereads now, and find your next great independent read.

For the full terms and conditions, please go here

Find out what the Kobo Touch update has in store for you:

• New Book Recommendations: Your eBook recommendations are now at your finger tips! The new book lists at the bottom of your Home screen showcase books you may be interested in, as well as any books you’ve added to your Shortlist.

• New Home Menu: A consolidated Home menu will now contain your Library, Store, Reading Life, Settings, Sync, and Help.

• New Sync Options: Sync anytime and anywhere by touching the cloud icon in the status bar.

• Other Improvements: Now you’ll enjoy faster page turning and searching, plus crisper and sharper text.

Find out what Kobo Desktop Application has in store for you:

• New “Recommended for you”: This new panel automatically finds books tailored to your tastes.

• Other Improvements: You’ll enjoy better performance and overall experience.

Click here to update Kobo Desktop, and don’t forget to download the new Kobo Touch software update today!

The following improvements have been incorporated:

• Resolved issue with battery level not reporting the correct charge.
• Resolved issue with some customers losing their WiFi connectivity.
• Improved video streaming.
• Improved the stability of device resuming from Standby mode.
• Plus various bug fixes.

Check out these new and exciting features included in the latest Kobo Vox release:

Improved reading menu: New reading menu will allow you to easily access and customizes your reading preferences; brightness, font size, page styling and many more.

Dictionary: With the new dictionary feature you will be able to look up a word or a phrase right from the eBook.

New Page themes: Read your eBooks in the soft sepia colour tone that mimics a vintage-style book.

New Fonts: Times New Roman font style is now available.

New Shelf Backgrounds: Now your Kobo book shelf can be just as stylish as your Kobo Vox, with many sleek styles to choose from.

Direct Search: Browse the Kobo Bookstore directly from the Android Search widget.

Kobo Store Home Button: Kobo Store Home Button is now easier to find.

Powering on your Kobo Vox: To power on the Kobo Vox, press the button for 2.5s, or until the LED lights up, before the Kobo Vox can be powered on. This enhancement will reduce customers accidentally powering on the Kobo Vox.

All Kobo Vox users will receive an automatic notification to update their software or you can check for the update manually by going to Settings > About Kobo eReader > System Update.

Kobo Touch design was described as “handsome and comfortable”, its touch screen as “fastest and most responsive” and our user experience was evaluated as most “intuitive interface and easy to annotate books”.

Wired Magazine is amongst the most influential technology magazines with circulation of over 800,000.
For their January 2012 issue, Wired magazine evaluated eReading industry’s top contenders for their test-comparison story – Kobo Touch eReader was compared against Nook Simple Touch, the Sony Reader and Amazon Kindle.

This news came to the Kobo Team as an early holiday present, about which we are very excited, and thought that we would share with you! Click here for page 1 & page 2 of the review.

As part of iOS 5, the system automatically purges data from your device when it runs out of disk space. Unfortunately, when this happens, your books will be deleted from your library without your permission – meaning you will have to re-download your books again.

To avoid your books being deleted, we recommend that you update to the latest version of the Kobo app (version 5.1) AND upgrade to iOS 5.0.1 as we’ve included a fix for this.

To upgrade your device to iOS 5.0.1:

1. Connect your iPad, iPhone or iPod Touch to your computer.
2. Launch iTunes.
3. Under Devices, click on your iPad / iPhone / iPod Touch.
4. Click on the “Check for update” button and follow the instructions.

To update the Kobo app to 5.1:

1. Launch the App Store on your iPad, iPhone or iPod Touch.
2. Tap “Updates” in the bottom menu bar.
3. Tap ‘Update’ beside the Kobo app.

Our latest version of the Kobo app allows you to retain the last 10 books you’ve read.

To access these Kobo settings:

1. From your home screen, tap “Settings.”
2. Scroll down to “Apps” and tap “Kobo.” Your Settings are visible under the “Storage” heading.
3. Under “Permanently Store”, choose “10 most recent items.”

Also, to help you manage your library and maintain the best eReading experience, our latest update includes an auto-alert to warn you that your device is near full capacity as well as a notification to let you know that the system has removed your books.

If you have any questions or concerns we would like to hear from you. Please contact us via help@kobobooks.com or visit Get Help at www.kobobooks.com/help