This is a bigger story than it's getting credit for. Samsung is a major name in mobile devices (aka phones); they are the first player to actually launch an Android tablet on the backbone of the mobile carriers infrastructure. This, in turn, is a great opportunity for Kobobooks to expand its reach and customer base.
At the same time, this new reader:
http://www.literatireader.com/, the Literati, is launching at $159 from Sharper Image and will be in 7,000 retail locations, including Best Buy, Macy's JC Penney's etc, in October. It, too, is a wireless (in this case wifi) colour device which can sync cross-platform with books you are reading.
Kobo may be the smallest of the newest players but they continue to lead the market, finding new niches to launch in -- and ahead of everyone else. as recently as last June, leading brand name e-ink e-readers were typically being sold for $250+; Kobo launched at $149 and suddenly the market followed. Now they will be the first on a brand name mainstream Android tablet and be the bookstore behind a dedicated $159 wifi colour ereader.
If nothing else, Kobo is a moving target and not bogged down in internal corporate navel gazing, buy-outs, down-sizing, etc. It's kinda refreshing.