This Kobo e-book reader looks like a Kindle without a keyboard. It also lacks the Kindle’s 3G connection and $260 price tag, although it will have access to a nice variety of content thanks to its partnership with Borders.
The device will sell for $150 this summer (no hard-and-fast launch date yet) and supports the ePub format. Aside from reading books on the Kobo reader, the company’s software is also available for iPhone, Blackberry, Palm, and Android smartphones, so you’ll theoretically be able to synchronize your books between gadgets. Books can be read on PC or Mac using Adobe Digital Editions as well.
You’ll need to shuttle downloaded books to the reader via USB cable, which helps keep the $150 price point intact. I’d love to see more Wi-Fi versions of these mainstream book readers someday. Bridge the gap between the 3G-connected readers and USB readers, eh? Still, $150 isn’t too bad for a capable e-book reader with plenty of available content, so it’ll be interesting to see if the Kobo reader can attract some of the fence-sitters.