Kobo has launched its subscription e-book library service named Kobo Plus in Australia. Interestingly, Kobo is yet to officially announce the launch of the service though the same is already reflected on the company’s official Australia website. With this, Australia would be joining a highly exclusive list of nations – Canada, Belgium, the Netherlands – where the Kobo Plus service is available at the moment.
Kobo is also offering a free trial to help users decide whether to actually opt for it. As per what the Kobo Plus page stated, the subscription will cost $13.99 every month along with applicable taxes. This puts it bang in the price category that Kindle Unlimited operates in and is understandable considering that Kobo Plus would effectively be competing with the Amazon library e-book subscription service.
The Kobo Plus free trial, meanwhile can be started via the Kobo eReader, kobo.com, or the Kobo Android app. Curiously, the same isn’t available on the Kobo iOS app. Further, the trial offer is applicable only on the Kobo Plus eBook earmarked for the same. Those who don’t have a valid Kobo account will be required to fill in their credit card and other billing info. Kobo will charge the subscription fees only for those users who opt to continue the service.
Kobo said the Kobo Plus eBooks can also be read offline, for which there is a fixed allocation of 15 Kobo Plus eBooks to be read on a Kobo e-reader or via Kobo.com. Users will have a 30 days’ time limit for reading the 15 e-books. This is going to be a boon for those who don’t connect to the Wi-Fi frequently or while traveling. Once the 15 e-books have been opened or the 30-day time period is over, users will have to go online and sync their e-reader or app which extends the time limit to another 30 days.
Kobo said there are hundreds and thousands of e-books available under Kobo Plus though not all of the Kobo books are covered under the subscription plan. More books keep getting added all the time.
With a keen interest in tech, I make it a point to keep myself updated on the latest developments in technology and gadgets. That includes smartphones or tablet devices but stretches to even AI and self-driven automobiles, the latter being my latest fad. Besides writing, I like watching videos, reading, listening to music, or experimenting with different recipes. The motion picture is another aspect that interests me a lot, and I'll likely make a film sometime in the future.
