Kobo

If you thought that the Kobo ereader was limited to just Borders stores (R.I.P), think again. Kobo has launched its next edition ereader at Best Buy, and it's coming with a surprising feature: a touchscreen! The Kobo Ereader Touch Edition ($130) comes with an extremely competitive price tag along with a Pearl E Ink touchscreen display, which makes glare-free reading in the sun a breeze and flipping through pages as easy as a tablet, comes with seven different fonts (with the ability to upload as many additional fonts you prefer), as well as line and margin settings so you can customize your reading experience.

And don't worry — the Kobo store is stocked with thousands of titles for you to download, and the Kobo Touch supports Epub, PDF, Mobi, TXT, HTML, RTF, along with CBZ and CBR comic book formats. Finally, you can get a new Kobo Touch in one of four different quilted back-plate colors — black, silver, lilac, or blue.

Remember the Kobo? The Borders-backed ereader never reached the popularity heights of the Kindle or the Nook, but it's always been a reasonable (and cheaper) option for the eink screen lover. And now it's getting even cheaper — with 200 Borders stores closing because of the company's bankruptcy, many have spotted the ereader offered at a price of $60, half off the $120 tag advertised on its website.

While the low price is only available in some stores that are well on their way out, even the regularly priced units can be found for around $100. And although the Kobo lacks some features that its competitors have, if you're in the market for an ereader and haven't decided which one to get, now's the time to check out the Kobo's features. Thinking about getting a Nook or a Kindle? Check out three great reasons to give a fabulously priced Kobo a second look after the break.

Amid the sad news that Borders has filed for bankruptcy protection and that many of its stores will shutter, the chain assured Kobo users that the service will still be supported. While the Kobo was available exclusively through Borders, it's actually its own company, a spin-off of Canada-based Indigo Books & Music.

A blog post from Kobo explains the situation, assuring customers that nothing will change: "Kobo is an independent, financially secure company that provides a Global eReading Service." Additionally, titles purchased through Borders will continue to be available to users, and customers will still be able to purchase titles through Borders.com.

The poor Kobo can't seem to catch a break. No matter what new features come to the Borders-supported device, it seems to be a bit behind. The latest release: Kobo will now offer newspaper and magazine subscriptions. This feature, while helpful, is already offered by the Kobo's main competitors. Though the announcement does contain one major win — the subscriptions will be available to users running the Kobo app on mobile devices, something Amazon has just announced and not yet rolled out for Kindle app users.

Find out more, including details on trial periods after the jump.

Amazon won't disclose the number of new Kindle devices it's sold so far, but it has said that its success has been impressive. The Kindle is already for sale at Target stores, and now it's coming to Staples this Fall. Three Kindle models will be available at all Staples stores: the new Kindle ($139), Kindle 3G ($189), and Kindle DX ($379), plus accessories for all three.

The Kindle isn't the only ereader worth checking out, as evidenced by the success of other models. And today, there's more news about Borders' Kobo ereader, which launched in June. The ereader, formerly priced at $150, has dropped to $129 — $10 less than the Kindle. Additionally, Borders has announced preorder availability for Velocity Micro's Android Cruz Reader R101 ($199) and Cruz Tablet T103 ($299), poised as less expensive iPad competitors.

The Kobo ereader is the perfect gadget for book fans on a budget, but it will soon be used as a luxurious offering from one of the top hotels in the world. Fairmont hotels has partnered up with the Kobo to offer free ereading to its President's Club members who stay in its exclusive Fairmont Gold rooms. Fairmont Gold is like a hotel within a hotel consisting of plush rooms and world-class amenities. Adding to the already long list of extras is a loaner Kobo reader that's packed with fiction and nonfiction titles, which guests can use during their stay. Michael Serbinis, CEO of Kobo, says that travelers are "a great fit for the Kobo offering" because they "do not want to carry heavy books in their luggage, and vacations provide the perfect time to relax and catch up on reading." True that!

However, if you're a traveler who happens to be staying at a Fairmont that isn't offering Gold status rooms, you can still request to use a Kobo through the hotel's Royal Service. Royal, indeed.

• Choose from over a million books in the new Kobo ebook store and download BlackBerry and Android Kobo apps — Borders
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The Kobo ereader won't even be available until June here in the US, but it's following closely in Barnes & Noble's footsteps by releasing an iPad app for worldwide customers. The free app is available for download in the iTunes App Store and comes with a really sleek interface. If it looks familiar, that's because it resembles the Apple iBookstore shelving layout but takes things a step further by allowing you to customize the look — adding different background wallpapers to mix things up — and create custom bookmarks. Similar to the Barnes & Noble iPad app, the Kobo app gives users access to the ebooks they've downloaded on their Kobo devices (it's available in more than 200 countries already), comes preloaded with five free classic titles, and enables you to browse the millions of books available in the Kobo ebook store.

I'm still pretty excited about the affordable Kobo making its way to the US. Having an additional iPad app is great for those lucky bookworms who already have a Kobo but may have upgraded to Apple's new tablet. Way to stay ahead of the game, Borders!

Just when you thought it was safe to save up some some cash for that ereader you've been wanting, another competitor enters the market. The Kobo eReader ($150) from Borders offers most of the features of the Kindle and Nook, but without all the extra bells and whistles. That translates to a lower price for those of you on a budget or who just want to read your books easily on the go.

Kobo is compact: weighing in at just eight ounces and with measurements that stack up against its two main competitors (7.2H x 4.7W x 0.4D), it's a great alternative to the more popular ereaders on the market. It doesn't come with WiFi or 3G connectivity, games, or storage for your MP3s, but it does have an e-ink display for easy reading, flexible fonts, custom title organization, and reads ePub, PDF, and Adobe DRM files with ease. Update and purchase books via the USB cable and Borders app on your computer or from your smartphone via Bluetooth and store up to 1,000 titles with its internal 1GB of memory (upgraded to 4GB with SD memory card). Kobo comes with a D-pad style navigation system, so gamers should feel right at home with the Kobo!

Find out when and how to get your Kobo after the break.

• Evernote now has an app in the Android Market — TechCrunch
• Starting this Saturday until Dec. 24., you can get an iPod Nano for $145 from Wal-Mart that includes a $50 iTunes gift card — Gizmodo
• The Sony PS3 is the top-selling home console in Japan — The Silicon Alley Insider
• Find out what the most watched and searched for videos were on YouTube this past year — The Official Google Blog
• Borders and Kobo are teaming up to create a new ereader — Engadget
• Here are some of the top smartphones of 2009 — CNET
• Submit your Cool Captures for your chance to win a CanvasPop print — GeekSugar