Borders invests in ereader solutions provider Kobo

Bookseller Borders Group announced an unspecified strategic investment and commercial partnership with ereader services provider Kobo (formerly Shortcovers), a spinoff of Canadian retailer Indigo Books & Music. The partnership will yield a new Kobo-powered ebook storefront integrated into the Borders.com website as well as a Borders-branded store optimized for mobile devices. Borders stresses that Kobo's mobile applications are device-agnostic, enabling consumers to purchase ebooks across the iPhone, BlackBerry, Palm Pre and Android platforms. Borders and Kobo add they plan to launch the new digital services in Q2 of next year.

Kobo already provides ebooks to consumers in over 200 countries--downloads of its application now exceed 1 million, and span across desktops, smartphones and ereader devices like the Sony Reader.  

For more on the Borders/Kobo partnership:
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