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Kobo Touch, localized e-bookstore reach Portugal through FNAC

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It's all too easy to forget in English-speaking countries that the e-reading selection often isn't as diverse in other parts of the world, where local authors are often kept out of the equation. The Portuguese may know that all too well, which makes Kobo's arrival in their country a potential breakthrough. A deal with European retailer FNAC has both the Kobo Touch and a localized Kobo e-bookstore reaching physical and online stores in Portugal as of today. The price strategy won't be a shock versus what we've seen through an earlier deal in France: the Touch itself costs €99.90 ($129), while books vary and typically hover around €15 ($19). Whether or not Kobo's offering is a good deal, its arrival could be a relief for lisboetas who'd rather not resort to paper and ink to catch up on their own culture.

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Kobo Brings eReading to Portugal in New Partnership with FNAC

FNAC Portugal to offer the award winning Kobo Touch eReader at all FNAC stores, and on www.fnac.pt, from €99.90

Lisbon, September 24th, 2012 – Today Kobo, a global leader in eReading, and leading retailer FNAC announced a partnership that will revolutionize reading in Portugal. FNAC, in partnership with Kobo Inc., will offer the first localized eReading experience with local content, including favorite authors and books in Portuguese. FNAC will be selling the award-winning Kobo Touch, named Wired Magazine's 2012 Editor's Pick for Best eReader and the industry's first touch-screen eReader – bringing a world class eReading experience to Portuguese booklovers. The Kobo Touch comes in four stylish colors: black (on black), silver, blue and lilac (on white) and is available online at www.fnac.pt and in-store today from just € 99.90.

"This is an exciting time to be in the eReading market, with significant growth in readers turning to eBooks in Europe and around the world. With our global experience, combined with our partnership with FNAC, I believe we can revolutionize reading in Portugal." said Michael Serbinis, CEO, Kobo Inc.

"The Portuguese language is the common heritage to four percent of the seven billion inhabitants of the planet, across five continents. We feel this entry into the Portuguese eBook market is a priority for FNAC due to its growth potential. We are confident that this great partnership with Kobo can help transform the reading experience in Portugal while also further growing the number of titles available in Portuguese", said Cláudia Almeida e Silva, General Manager FNAC Portugal.

The relationship between the FNAC Group and Kobo began in FNAC stores in France in November 2011, and has proven a great success with eBook sales having tripled this year in France. Portugal is now the second country in Europe where Kobo and FNAC are partnering to offer a range of services and products for the eReading market.

THE KOBO TOUCH eREADER™ BY FNAC MAKES eREADING EASY

With a revolutionary touch screen experience, the Kobo Touch makes eReading easier than ever. Created for readers by readers, the beautiful design provides the ultimate in reading comfort. The easily portable eReader is thin and light, and travels comfortably anywhere.

The Kobo Touch by FNAC uses infrared touch technology to make the experience of reading on Kobo, just like that of reading a real book. With the use of Pearl eInk™ technology, reading on the Kobo eReader is just like reading print on paper –and it is easy on the eyes, even in bright sunlight. It includes Kobo's latest software with more ways to personalize the reading experience, get recommendations and discover new content. It weighs only 185 grams, has a battery life up to one month, and holds up to a thousand eBooks, with storage of up to 30,000 books with expandable memory.

THE FIRST INTERNATIONAL eREADER

Kobo's focus from day one has been to bring reading to more people in more countries around the world. With today's exciting announcement, Kobo is one step closer to making that happen. The Kobo Touch eReader is available in multiple Languages: English, French, German, Spanish, Dutch, Japanese, Italian and now Portuguese. With Kobo, readers will enjoy a localized user experience, local content, recommendations, and a local store experience.

WORLD CLASS EBOOK STORE

Portuguese readers will now also have access to Kobo's world class catalog of nearly 3 million eBooks – of which more than one million are available to download and read for free. Kobo offers content for everyone from new releases, to the hottest bestsellers, romance, suspense, and more. At launch, thousands of titles will be available from popular local authors in Portuguese including eBooks from favorites such as José Saramago, Memorial do Convento and João Ricardo Pedro, O Teu Rosto Será o Último. Available at www.kobobooks.pt and at www.fnac.pt this represents the largest collection of Portuguese language eBook titles in Portugal.

THE READ FREELY GUARANTEE

Kobo has over 10 million registered users in 190 countries worldwide, offers one of the world's largest eBook catalogs, and a line-up of easy to use, award winning eReaders, featuring an eReader for everyone. Kobo offers readers the freedom to choose which device they want to read on, whether it's an eReader or through Kobo's free eReading applications available for most popular device; including smartphones, tablets, laptops, and desktops. Content purchases are stored in the Kobo cloud, making the Kobo library accessible anytime, anyplace

A WORLD OF SOCIAL READING. EXPLORE, UNLOCK, DISCUSS, SHARE.

Kobo has quickly established itself as the global leader in social reading with its Reading Life™ and Kobo Pulse™ features and as the official eReading partner of Facebook, Kobo transforms a solitary pastime of reading into a dynamic, engaging, social experience to be shared with friends online.

Readers can choose to track their personal reading history, earn fun and exciting awards for simply reading, and with Kobo Pulse engage in real-time discussion with friends or the Kobo community within the pages of a book – just like a virtual book club. Readers can also choose to share books, favourite passages, awards and more with their friends on Facebook.

AVAILABILITY

The Kobo Touch by FNAC comes in four stylish colors: black (on black), silver, blue and lilac (on white) and is available for order online at www.fnac.pt and in-store as of today from just € 99.90.

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