Spotted my first Kobo Aura HD this weekend! My local Indigo had added the new 30-percent larger 6.8 inch reader to its in-store display, and I got to play with one for a few minutes. And my first impression? It was fine. That's it. That's all I can really say about it. It's bigger and it weighs a little more, but other than that, it was virtually identical to my Kobo Glo. It has the same font controls, the same general interface, the same glow light for reading in the dark. All of those were great features on my Glo, and they...

Honestly, I've got mixed feelings about Kobo's announcement of their new e-reader. On the one hand, I'm glad to see someone releasing a high-end E Ink reader. The specs on this one look good, with a pixel resolution that is better even than the Kindle Paperwhite. Lots of people on various e-book forums are saying they read more on their tablets because of the better resolution. I definitely notice it when I go from Nexus 7 to Kindle Touch. The Aura's resolution should be a selling point. As to performance, we'll have to see what it's like in person. Pre-orders start...

I woke up this morning to the news that Kobo is launching a new HD reader! The 'Aura HD' has the same glow technology as the excellent flagship Kobo Glo, but has a bigger 6.8 inch screen with 1440 x 1080 resolution and 265 dpi, which they claim is the highest on the market. It features the same user interface as the Glo as well, with font customization options aplenty, and access to the Kobo store. I think Kobo's strategy is a smart one. They already have the technology developed (for the Glo screen and user interface), so why not deploy it on...

Sony Launches Discover Map Feature on Reader Store (Good e-Reader) Books to Help Kids Talk About Boston Marathon News (GalleyCat) Kobo Unveils Aura HD, a High-Definition Reader (Digital Book World) Enough About Data Caps, They are a Terrible Idea (Paid Content) Kindle Daily Deals: Why We Can't Wait by Martin Luther Kind Jr. (and 3 others)  ...

If you've ever purchased a paperback novel at the airport—or for that matter, a hardcover book, or even a magazine or a candy bar or a cheap tourist trinket—there's a decent chance you picked it up at a branch of Hudson Booksellers, which refers to itself as "The Travelers' Best Friend," and "aiports' #1 bookseller." According to the Hudson Group's Wikipedia entry, the company "operates retail outlets at 59 airports in the U.S. and Canada." And yet prior to March 18 of this year, the bookseller somehow never had its own retail presence on the Internet. With the recent introduction of...

Kobo Arc owners should be very happy today. You'll be receiving Android 4.1 Jelly Bean the next time you connect to Wi-Fi. What does this get you? Well, it gets you Google Now, which I reviewed for GadgeTell in January. Although I said back then that I thought it was a bit creepy at times, I've grown to really like it and depend on it for my daily activities. My favorite Google Now feature is the card that gives me navigation information to my next appointment, including warning me of delays. In the Washington, D.C., area, that's extremely helpful. You'll also get...

Yesterday morning, we brought to your attention a rather unusual situation that had been taking place in the WH Smith e-retail store: Kobo e-books that were meant to be DRM-free had been listed on the WH Smith site as having digital rights management software added. Even books that had been authored by Cory Doctorow, perhaps the most vocal opponent of DRM today, were listed as having DRM installed. After contacting both Kobo and WH Smith and requesting statements about the situation from both, we heard from Kobo's Toronto-based media relations manager, René d'Entremont. And while his message wasn't exactly the picture of clarity,...

Could there possibly be a modern author better known for his extremely anti-DRM stance than Cory Doctorow? Certainly not many, at any rate. But Kobo owners visiting the WH Smith e-retail store and attempting to buy Doctorow's books would be forgiven for thinking otherwise: They've all been saddled with digital rights management. (Scroll down for the incriminating screen shot.) The Bangkok-based author Simon Royle brought this truly odd turn of events to our attention this morning; if you happen to be a regular reading of the KBoards, you may have already seen the thread Royle created just after 7 a.m. this morning. "I was happy...

From the Ontario Book Publishers Organization (OBPO) today comes a bit of interesting news about a ten-day e-book promo that kicks off today on Kobo's Canadian site, Kobo.ca, which apparently involves an opportunity to win either a Kobo Arc or a Kobo Mini. (More on that later in the post.) Dubbed the 1001 Canadian Nights Promotion, the scheme involves "almost 360 titles across eight different categories" from 16 different OBPA members, "including small independent presses, children's publishers, specialty publishers of poetry and plays, academic presses and general publishers," according to a release. (A full 125 of those titles are Young Adult...

Our friends over at Good E-Reader alerted us this morning to a Valentine's  Day promotion that's being planned by the good folks at Kobo: Starting this Friday, January 25, and running all the way through Valentine's Day (Thursday, February 14), the fantastic and too-small-to-be-believed Kobo Mini e-reader will be available for just $59.99—that's a full $20 off the Mini's regular retail price. According to Good E-Reader, "Patrons will ... also get a free [SnapBack] case in the color of their choice." Where can you take advantage of the deal? Unfortunately, it doesn't seem as if it'll be offered online, although I'm not...

The Kobo Arc has been selling well since its recent launch in Canada, propelled largely by its retail presence at Canadian book chain Indigo, where it undercuts the Google Nexus on price, and by a decently impressive spec sheet. I had the chance to speak with a few Kobo Arc customers, now that they've settled in with their tablet. What's working for them ... and what's not? Keep reading. 1. The Longing for Full Control Firstly, most of the Kobo customers I've spoken with are universally impressed with the Arc's sharp screen and front-loaded speakers. They compliment the form factor, and many...

There is a great thread going on at Mobile Read on the Kobo series and their success in Canada. The poster, Scrapking, points out that Kobo was not the first reader available in Canada—that honor goes to Sony—but it has now become by far the dominant. The evidence? A glance at the flyers the big electronics chains are putting out these days. Scrapking reports: ♦ Future Shop: half-page spread, all Kobo products but one ♦ Best Buy: half-page spread, all Kobo save a lone Sony placed off to the side ♦ Staples: 'big' spread featuring all Kobo and no competitors at all ♦ The Source: two kobo mentions in main...