Rakuten Kobo announces upgraded e-reader and audiobook device

Digital bookseller Rakuten Kobo has announced Kobo Elipsa 2E, an upgraded e-reader, digital notebook, and audiobook device, bundled with the new Kobo Stylus 2.

The company is also launching the Kobo Plus monthly subscription, which gives readers unlimited access to e-books and audiobooks for a fixed price. Users can access more than 1.3 million e-books and over 100,000 audiobooks.

The new device, which will be available for pre-order on 5th April and in stores and online 19th April, features a 10.3” glare-free E Ink touchscreen and ComfortLight PRO, which aims to reduce blue light and eyestrain. The device also enables users to create notebooks and export them with integrated cloud services.

Readers can borrow e-books from most local public libraries right from their device through built-in OverDrive access, if they have access to a library card. Through the integrated catalogue, readers can search for the title they want, and depending on local library availability, choose to borrow from OverDrive or buy through the Kobo eBookstore. OverDrive integration is available on all of Kobo’s current e-readers in the UK.

Michael Tamblyn, c.e.o. of Rakuten Kobo, said: "We understand that, for many of our valued customers, reading is more than words on a page. It is about engaging with ideas. Marking up, highlighting, capturing inspiration in infinite notebooks of almost magical capability using a versatile, intuitively-designed stylus – these are essential for capturing the thoughts and ideas that reading inspires."

Mimicking a ballpoint pen, the Kobo Stylus 2 is designed for users to mark up, highlight and jot notes in e-books and PDFs. According to the company, it is ergonomically redesigned and rechargeable, and can be stored on the Kobo Elipsa 2E magnetically.

Tamblyn continued: "For avid nonfiction readers, e-books have historically been an imperfect medium because they couldn’t mark up the text and engage with the content as effectively as with a print book. With the introduction of Kobo Stylus, we have solved that and with Kobo Elipsa 2E and our upgraded Kobo Stylus 2, we have created a superior reading experience for nonfiction fans.”