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I’m not suggesting this thing is better than sliced bread. But it does provide a different user experience than Kindle, Nook and Sony and at the low end price point. It definitely stays in the running.
Kobo isn’t Kindle — by focusing on so-called “open” ePub, it provides a solid alternative to Kindle and access to library books. And the Kobo bookstore has “localised” content for US, UK, NZ, Australia and Canadian markets.
Kobo isn’t Nook — it is sold outside the US and by leading bookstore partners in major english-speaking markets. Nor is Kobo aimed at the “let’s root this device” market: it’s for folks who want to use it as is right out of the box.
And Kobo certainly isn’t Sony. Yes, it lacks a touch screeen but it has wifi content delivery and syncing across multiple devices and platforms … at considerably lower price.
The US$139 Kobo wifi brings a different value proposition to the market and clear differences between it and leading competitors in and out of the US market.
Kobo's performance is impressive: it's only been in the US market since mid-June -- less than four months -- and has already demonstrated it has a broader vision than some other players. Bravo, Kobo!
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