INDIGO ANNOUNCES PRE-ORDER FOR NEW KOBO WIRELESS EREADER

- Canada's eReading Destination Hails Kobo's WiFi, Speed, Functionality and Great New Colours -

TORONTO, Sept. 29 /CNW/ - Indigo Books & Music today announced the forthcoming launch of the new KOBO wireless eReader. Beginning today, September 29th, 2010, customers can reserve their device for immediate delivery upon launch in mid-October by pre-ordering directly from the website www.chapters.indigo.ca or at any Indigo, Chapters or Coles store nationally. Indigo is Canada's destination for eBooklovers and offers the widest selection of Kobo eReader accessories, including custom designed leather cases from Roots. Indigo and Kobo have partnered with Random House and are pleased to offer, in addition to 100 free classics, two brand new FREE eBooks, Fear the Worst by Linwood Barclay and When My World Was Very Small by Ruth Rakoff, to customers who pre-order the new eReader.

Heather Reisman, founder and Chief Executive Officer of Indigo Books & Music Inc. says, "We are delighted to offer our new Kobo Wireless eReader this fall. It's WIFI enabled, faster, offers new functionality and comes in great colors. At $149.00 the Kobo wireless eReader provides great value for an easy to use eReader that embodies our commitment to quality and innovation."

The new Kobo allows eBooklovers to now shop and update their bookshelf wirelessly by downloading books in seconds, anytime, anyplace, directly from their eReader with access to over 2 million eBooks, newspapers and magazines. The Kobo also comes pre-loaded with 100 free classics so that customers can start reading right out of the box.

Featuring an upgraded processor the new Kobo offers industry-leading load times between pages and a smoother, faster reading experience and allows users to customize font, size, and brightness to suit their reading preferences.

Additional features include:

• The Kobo Wireless eReader is now available in three stylish colors: Onyx, Porcelain with Metallic Silver back, and Porcelain with a Pearlized Lilac back.
• Unique quilted back that's joyful to hold.
• eInk technology that reads like print on paper, even in sunlight
• 1 GB of built in memory allowing for 1000 books to be stored at any time, with capacity of up to 5000 books with the addition of an SD card.  
• Extended battery life now lasts up to a month on a single charge. 
• 6" eInk screen - with 16 level gray scale that means sharper, crisper text that reads true to print.
• The device is 10mm thick and weighs only 7 ounces, similar to the weight of a small paperback, making portability easy. 
• The eReader's new "Shop" button provides one touch access to the Kobo store bookstore where consumers can browse from a selection of over 2.2 million eBooks, with titles ranging from the NYT bestseller list, new releases, thrillers, romance and more, plus Kobo now offers access to the most popular newspapers and magazines.

The bookmarking feature on Kobo makes it possible for users to continue reading where they last left off regardless what device they are accessing their library— smartphone, tablet, or desktop. Kobo, Inc. continues to offer advancements and innovations in eReading, and yesterday announced its status as the featured eBook App on BlackBerry PlayBook in a partnership with Research in Motion (RIM) for its forthcoming tablet device and the development of an industry-first social eReading application leveraging the BlackBerry® Messenger (BBM™) Social Platform.  Additional Kobo-powered devices include Samsung's GALAXY Tab, the Literati by Sharper Image, and many apps for mobile handsets. 

Consumer research undertaken by Indigo, in the spring of 2010, found that the percentage of Canadians interested in eReading has jumped 10 per cent over the previous 6 months up to 50 per cent in the spring of 2010 versus 40 per cent in the fall of 2009. The actual eReader base is estimated to have increased from 4 per cent in February 2010 to 8 per cent in June 2010.

About Indigo Books & Music Inc.
Indigo is a publicly traded Canadian company listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange (IDG) and the majority shareholder of  the global eReading service Kobo, Inc. As the largest book and specialty retailer in Canada, Indigo operates in all provinces under different banners including Indigo Books & Music; Indigo Books, Gifts, Kids; IndigoSpirit, Chapters, The World's Biggest Bookstore, and Coles. The online division, http://www.chapters.indigo.ca, features books, eBooks, toys, music and DVDs, and hosts the award winning Indigo Online Community.

To learn more about Indigo, please visit the About Our Company section of http://www.chapters.indigo.ca/.

About Kobo, Inc.
Kobo is a global eReading service backed by majority shareholder Indigo Books & Music, Borders Group, REDgroup Retail, and Cheung Kong Holdings. Kobo believes consumers should be able to read any book on any device. With a catalog of over two million eBooks, and an open platform, Kobo enables retailers, device manufacturers and mobile operators to bring the joy of eReading to customers everywhere.  For more information, visit www.kobobooks.com.

For further information:

and high-res images please contact:

Janet Eger, Director, Public Relations, Indigo Books & Music Inc.,
416.342.8561; [email protected]