Archive for the ‘Kobo’ Category

New Arrival: Kobo Plus eBook & Audiobook Subscription in Singapore

Tuesday, March 18th, 2025

Rakuten Kobo launches subscription service in Singapore which gives avid readers unlimited access to Kobo’s library of over 2 million eBooks and 300,000 audiobooks at an affordable monthly fee. Prices below.

From left to right: Julian Chou, General Manager of Rakuten Kobo Asia, Denon Lim, President and Chief Editor of Lingzi Media, Michael Tamblyn, CEO of Rakuten Kobo, Hironori Shimada, Director of Rakuten Asia, and Maureen Ho, Chief Editor of Focus Publishing.

From left to right: Julian Chou, General Manager of Rakuten Kobo Asia, Denon Lim, President and Chief Editor of Lingzi Media, Michael Tamblyn, CEO of Rakuten Kobo, Hironori Shimada, Director of Rakuten Asia, and Maureen Ho, Chief Editor of Focus Publishing.

Digital reading retailer and publisher Rakuten Kobo today launched Kobo Plus in Singapore.

Avid readers and book lovers across Singapore – including more than 300,000 existing Kobo members – can now access Kobo Plus via the Kobo Books App for iOS or Android and directly on Kobo eReaders to begin discovering new authors and genres.

The service has three subscription plan offers:

● Kobo Plus Read: Unlimited eBooks for SGD 9.99 per month.
● Kobo Plus Listen: Unlimited audiobooks for SGD 9.99 per month.
● Kobo Plus Read and Listen: Unlimited eBooks and audiobooks for SGD 12.99 per month.

More details below from the press release.

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Posted in Events, events, Kobo, Launch, newArrivals, Press Release, Prices, Singapore, Software, Specifications, Trends | 2 Comments »

tech4xmas Review: Rakuten Kobo Sage & Kobo Libra 2 E-Readers

Thursday, December 2nd, 2021

An e-reader makes a fantastic Christmas present for an avid reader. I’ve gotten my wife the latest Rakuten Kobo Sage for this year’s X’mas. For those who prefer a slightly smaller form-factor (and lower price-tag), the Kobo Libra 2 is also an excellent e-reader.

The Rakuten Kobo Sage (left) and Kobo Libra 2 are both waterproof to IPX8 rating so you can safely read by the pool and in the bath. In this photo, the new Dark Mode is enabled on the Kobo Sage. Notice that the text is clearly legible even under bright sunlight.

The Rakuten Kobo Sage (left) and Kobo Libra 2 are both waterproof to IPX8 rating so you can safely read by the pool and in the bath. In this photo, the new Dark Mode is enabled on the Kobo Sage. Notice that the text is clearly legible even under bright sunlight.

The Kobo Sage (S$399.90) and Kobo Libra 2 (S$289.90) are the two latest e-readers that Rakuten Kobo launched in October.

The Kobo Sage is slightly cheaper than Amazon’s flagship Kindle Oasis, while the Kobo Libra 2 is similarly priced to the latest Kindle Paperwhite.

 

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Christmas prezzies for the wife and son who are avid readers. The 8″ Kobo Sage (left, in Dark Mode) and 7″ Kobo Libra 2 (with an audiobook) in their sleepcovers which protects them and doubles up as a stand.

The 8-inch Kobo Sage is the new flagship of Kobo’s e-reader line-up, taking over the baton from the Kobo Forma (S$349.90) which is still available.

The 7-inch Kobo Libra 2 is the new version that succeeds the Libra H2O that my wife has been using, with great satisfaction, for the past year – it was her Christmas present for last X’mas.

So what are the key improvements of the two new e-readers?

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Posted in Accessories, audioVisual, e-readers, Gadgets, gadgets, Kobo, Opinion, Prices, Review, Specifications, tablets | 5 Comments »

tech4xmas Review: Rakuten Kobo Libra H2O E-Reader

Saturday, December 5th, 2020

The Rakuten Kobo Libra H2O is the Christmas present for my wife who is an avid reader. I chose it because it offers all the features that she needs and uses at a reasonable price. Looks good, works well and value-for-money.

The Rakuten Kobo Libra H2O e-reader (S$279.90) and the optional sleep cover (S$59) is available online (https://sg.kobobooks.com/products/kobo-libra-h2o) as well as at key retailers such as Challenger, Courts, and Sprint-cass.

The Rakuten Kobo Libra H2O e-reader (S$279.90) and the optional sleep cover (S$59) is available online as well as at key retailers such as Challenger, Courts, and Sprint-cass.

So the two flagship e-readers that I started out looking at were the Kindle Oasis 3 and the Kobo Forma.

Eventually, I decided on the Libra H2O because it offers almost the same set of features but at a much lower price.

 

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Borrowing books from the public library and discovery of books from the Kobo eBookstore is easy and intuitive. I like the recommendations of similar books based on the books that I have read.

The Libra H2O has a seven-inch Carta E Ink HD touchscreen with 1690 x 1264 pixels at 300ppi.

The display is sharp and the content is clearly readable in dim light or in bright sunlight.

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Posted in Accessories, audioVisual, cases/housings, e-readers, Education, Entertainment, gadgets, Kobo, Opinion, Prices, Review, reviews, Specifications, tablets | 2 Comments »

Trends: Singaporeans Reading More in Surge during Pandemic

Sunday, November 15th, 2020

Singapore readers spent an equivalent of 28 years reading this year – 8 years more than 2019. The pandemic has seen a 270% increase in reading minutes, with nonfiction, romance and fiction topping the list for most popular genres of the year.

Reading a book on an e-book reader while enjoying a cup of tea.

Reading a book on an e-reader while enjoying a cup of tea.

With the COVID-19 pandemic, 2020 has been a tumultuous year full of change and uncertainties.

As the nation grapples with an ongoing pandemic, reading has been an escape from the present to disconnect from current worries.

As we near the end of 2020, data from Toronto-based digital reading company Rakuten Kobo provides a snapshot of what and how Kobo users in Singapore read.

According to Rakuten Kobo’s data, Singaporeans spent at least 10,409 days reading this year – which is the equivalent of 28 years.

This is an increase of 8 years more time spent reading compared to 2019.

Additionally, with readers spending more time at home, they also clocked 270% more reading minutes this year as compared to 2019.

While familiar genres like romance and nonfiction remain mainstays, books focused on kids are rising in popularity.

Despite being known as busy individuals (ranked 32 out of 40 for work-life balance in 2019), Singaporeans are still able to allocate time for reading first thing in the morning at 7.00am and before bed at 12:00am, the first and second most popular times of day for reading respectively.

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Posted in Accessories, e-readers, Education, Entertainment, Figures, Gadgets, Kobo, Press Release, Study, Trends | No Comments »