Announcing Kobo Aura ONE: A breakthrough waterproof eReader designed with the help of real booklovers

The world's first eReader with a blue-light reducing front-lit display – so while stories might keep booklovers up at night, their device won't.

At 7.8 inches, Kobo Aura ONE offers the largest premium E Ink display currently available

Also joining the lineup is Kobo Aura Edition 2—a refreshed version of a beloved classic

TORONTO, Aug. 17, 2016 /CNW/ - For many, reading is not just a pastime, but an identity. Inspired by that insight, Rakuten Kobo today announces Kobo Aura ONE, which was designed with the help of its best customers and reflects Kobo's latest step towards the perfect reading device. A team of nine of Kobo's top customers challenged the Kobo design team to push the limits on all aspects of hardware and software. Months of collaboration resulted in an eReader with a screen size that fits more words to a page, front-light technology that allows for nighttime reading with no impact on sleep, and an interface offering customized book recommendations to suit each and every reader.  

Kobo Aura ONE makes its debut with a singular goal—to offer a reading experience like no other. It will be available in soft black and will retail for $249.99 CAD (MSRP) in Canada exclusively at www.kobo.com and with Indigo in-store and online at www.indigo.ca from August 30 to September 29 (pre-order from August 30 to September 5; September 6 in-store availability); the device will be available at Best Buy beginning September 30; and as of September 6 in the US, the UK, Italy, France, the Netherlands, Germany, Spain, Belgium, Japan, and Turkey; October/November in Australia, New Zealand and Mexico; and March 2017 in Brazil.

Go behind-the-scenes with the Kobo design and booklover team for a peek at what went into the creation of Kobo Aura ONE—view video here: www.Kobo.com/KoboAuraONE

Welcome to the reader-centric Kobo Aura ONE experience

Get Lost in a Story with a Book-Sized Touchscreen: Those who like the size of a hardcover book with spacious pages will enjoy reading on the largest premium Carta E Ink touchscreen currently available on the market, with 300 ppi for print-quality resolution. Housed within the device's thin, lightweight design (195.1 x 138.5 x 6.9 mm; 230g), the edge-to-edge 7.8" screen allows for an enjoyable reading experience with more words to a page, which means fewer page turns.

Bedtime Readers Rejoice with ComfortLight PRO: Experts have cautioned that devices in bed, and specifically the blue light from screens, can affect sleep quality. By reducing blue light exposure, Kobo Aura ONE's enhanced front-light technology lets people enjoy nighttime reading without impacting their sleep. An ambient light sensor automatically detects current light levels to emit the optimal brightness based on the time of day; by setting a bedtime hour, the hue of the light mimics the sun's natural progression. Readers can also manually choose their own light settings based on personal preference.

"Getting the right amount of sleep is extremely important, and is just as valuable to your health as a balanced diet and daily exercise routine", says Colleen Carney, Associate Professor and Director of the Sleep and Depression Laboratory at Ryerson University. "A lot of people find it hard to wind-down at the end of the day, and falling asleep with a racing mind doesn't make it easy. Doing something relaxing like meditation, yoga or reading for 20 minutes before hitting the pillow can help, but we've all heard that reading on an electronic device can hinder a restful night's sleep due to the activating effects of blue spectrum light. We require red spectrum light to stimulate melatonin, a hormone that regulates our body clock. This device pays attention to the timing of blue and red spectrum light to protect sleep quality."

She said a lot of people troubled by insomnia or sleeplessness give up their reading devices. "That's the last thing I want you to do," says Carney. "Depending on what kind of bedside light you have, I'd prefer you to read on a device, and one that eliminates blue light is excellent. It's especially important for teens who are much more photo sensitive than adults."

Borrowing eBooks has Never Been Easier: Readers can easily connect to their local public libraries right from their Kobo Aura ONE with built-in, one-touch OverDrive library lending access*. Set-up is free with a library card from any OverDrive-powered library, and through an integrated catalogue, booklovers can search for the title they want, and depending on the title, choose to either borrow or buy.

Waterproof for the ultimate escape: Sink into a good read while in the bath or take it poolside without worry. Advancing from the breakthrough Kobo Aura H2O waterproof device, Kobo Aura ONE now has HZO Protection™, making it waterproof** for reading in places where other devices might not survive. The coating technology applied to the device's interior allows it to be fully submerged without the need for port covers. Now relax, draw a bath and start reading.  

Read your way: As no two booklovers are alike, Kobo offers a reading experience to suit any reader's taste. TypeGenius offers customizable font options, which include exclusive weight and sharpness settings, with the choice of 50 font sizes and 11 font types. In addition, readers can adjust margins, highlight passages, write notes, and look up words with the built-in dictionary. With a world-class catalogue of more than 5 million titles available at Kobo.com, ranging from romance to thrillers, biographies and memoirs to business books, non-fiction to literary fiction—there are options for everyone—available directly from the device with a Wifi connection.

Carry an entire library in the palm of your hand: Not sure which book to take on vacation or on the bus to work? Take them all. With 8GB of storage, Kobo Aura ONE stores up to 6,000 eBooks. What's more, the device's battery life of up to one month allows booklovers to enjoy a full book before needing a charge. Reading is a breeze with 512 MB of RAM and the Solo Lite processor—making page turns fast and seamless.

"As we build new devices, we are trying to keep the reader's entire reading life in mind – where and when do they read, how can we make things easier, how can we combine beautiful design with pushing the envelope of what technology can do. Everything we do is for the reader," said Michael Tamblyn, CEO, Rakuten Kobo. "The insights and feedback gleaned from working closely with some of our top customers were instrumental in the design of this new device. The result is an eReader that offers our biggest, thinnest screen yet, a revolutionary light that adapts to day and night—and it's waterproof, which means it can go virtually anywhere you do. In the end, we want to make people's reading lives better, and with the help of our most passionate customers, we created Kobo Aura ONE to do just that."

Kobo Aura Edition 2—a refreshed version of a beloved classic

The new Kobo Aura encourages readers to lose themselves in their favourite stories on its 6" Carta E Ink touchscreen (1024 x 768 resolution; 212 ppi). The device's lightweight and comfortable design makes it easy and comfortable to hold for hours of reading, and offers access to millions of books 24/7 through a Wifi connection. With a print-on-paper look (11 font types and 40 font sizes), booklovers can read in direct sunlight without glare; battery life of up to 2 months; 4 GB of memory of on-board memory to store up to 3,000 eBooks; and with the built-in, adjustable ComfortLight, reading is made easy regardless of lighting conditions. Starting September 6, Kobo Aura will be available in Canada, the US, the UK, Italy, France, the Netherlands, Germany, Spain, Belgium, Turkey; October/November in Australia, New Zealand, Mexico, and the Philippines; in 2017 – Japan and Brazil; it will be available in black and retail for $129.99 CAD (MSRP).

For more information, please visit www.kobo.com.

*Dependent on library participation, available through most public libraries in North America, United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand. eBook availability varies based on library.
**Meets requirements of IPX8 rating. Waterproof for up to 60 minutes in up to 2 metres of water.

About Rakuten Kobo Inc.
Rakuten Kobo Inc. is one of the world's fastest-growing eReading services offering more than 5 million eBooks and magazines to millions of customers in 190 countries.  Believing that consumers should have the freedom to read any book on any device, Kobo provides consumers with a choice when reading. Kobo offers an eReader for everyone with a wide variety of E Ink eReaders and free top-ranking eReading apps for Apple®, BlackBerry®, Android®, and Windows®. Headquartered in Toronto and owned by Tokyo-based Rakuten, Kobo eReaders can be found in major retail chains around the world.

SOURCE Kobo Inc.

Video with caption: "VIDEO: Kobo Aura ONE -– An eReader unlike any other.". Video available at: http://stream1.newswire.ca/cgi-bin/playback.cgi?file=20160817_C1166_VIDEO_EN_754192.mp4&posterurl=http%3A%2F%2Fphotos.newswire.ca%2Fimages%2F20160817_C1166_PHOTO_EN_754192.jpg&order=1&jdd=20160817&cnum=C1166

Video with caption: "VIDEO: Kobo Aura ONE was designed with the help of its best customers and reflects Kobo’s latest step towards the perfect reading device. A team of nine of Kobo's top customers challenged the Kobo design team to push the limits on all aspects of hardware and software.". Video available at: http://stream1.newswire.ca/cgi-bin/playback.cgi?file=20160817_C1166_VIDEO_EN_754194.mp4&posterurl=http%3A%2F%2Fphotos.newswire.ca%2Fimages%2F20160817_C1166_PHOTO_EN_754194.jpg&order=2&jdd=20160817&cnum=C1166

Image with caption: "Kobo Aura ONE (CNW Group/Kobo Inc.)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20160817_C1166_PHOTO_EN_754179.jpg

Image with caption: "Kobo Aura ONE (CNW Group/Kobo Inc.)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20160817_C1166_PHOTO_EN_754188.jpg

René d'Entremont, Director, Public Relations, Rakuten Kobo Inc., 416-977-8737 x 3587, [email protected]