Yesterday, Kobo unveiled its Aura H2O waterproof E Ink e-reader, which will be available for $179.99 beginning October 1 in the U.S., Canada, the U.K., France, Germany, the Netherlands, Italy and Spain, with more countries to follow. Starting today, select retailers will offer pre-orders and, as of September 1, pre-orders will be available at Kobo.com in Canada, the U.S. and the U.K. Kobo said the device is IP67 certified (waterproof for up to 30 minutes in one meter of water with the port cover closed).
"We are most interested in those people who put books at the center of their lives--what they want to see next, what gets them excited. When we asked our customers what held them back from reading more e-books, many told us they love to read in the bath, by the pool, or on the beach, but believed that devices and water didn't mix," said Michael Tamblyn, Kobo's president and chief content officer. "As we dug deeper, we found that more than 60% of customers surveyed said they would love to be able read near water without worry. We designed the Kobo Aura H2O, our latest premium e-reader, so that e-books could be just as common at the beach or in the bath as they are on the bus or in bed."
