Here is one more reason to buy the Kobo e-reader from the Borders Store – a Borders.com gift certificate worth $20 is now inclusive of the e-reader with immediate effect. There will also be a double Borders Bucks up for grabs that will let you save some more when you make further purchases from Borders later on.
And that’s not all as Borders also announced the availability of their own branded e-reader app for the iPhone, iPod touch and iPad, all of which can be downloaded from the Apple App Store free of cost. There will also be a free coffee in its Seattle’s Best Coffee cafes for anyone who can show the Borders eBooks app on their iPhone or iPad. So that makes up a lot of goodies for the consumers though Borders also announced that both the coffee and the gift cards are limited time offers. All of these Borders hopes will put themselves up in the league of the other big players in this segment, namely the Amazon or Barnes & Noble.
The Borders eBooks app allows one to choose from over a million e-book titles. Readers will have the option to search by title, author, topic or keyword. Among the other features that the Borders eBooks app promises include automatic bookmarking, print quality resolution, customizable fonts and font sizes. The app also ensures smooth transition between pages and chapters along with much more.
Coming to the Kobo e-reader, the $20 gift card will make the e-reader, which at $149 is already among the least priced e-readers all the more enticing to anyone who’s looking for a budget e-reader. The Kobo is a light weight device and is comparable to the WiFi only Nook from B&N. The Kobo also comes pre-loaded with a 100 free titles.
The price advantage is also in line with consumer research conducted by the Boston Consulting Group that revealed the $100 to $150 to be the best appealing price to consumers looking for an e-readers. So the Kobo at $149 is right within the sweet spot which along with the attached lollies will perhaps let Borders to reach out to prospective clients all the more.
The price benefit also comes in the wake of the Barnes & Noble coming up with the 3G-equipped Nook that costs just $199 while Amazon took the game a bit further by lowering the cost of it Kindle to $189 that too come with integrated 3G.
“We believe the lion’s share of the e-readers will eventually be priced under the $200 mark, and we’re already out there with two devices that meet that criteria,” stated a Borders spokeswoman with the other e-reader being talked about is the Aluratek Libre that costs just $119. Borders is also currently taking orders for the Aluratek Libre which will start shipping from late July.
Borders, which is the second-largest book chain in the U.S. in revenue terms hopes to get firmly out of the red on the back of discounts and new e-readers after having seen its profits dip sharply due to recession.
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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.
