Amazon has the Kindle, Barnes & Noble has the Nook, so that leaves Borders to pair up with the Kobo eReader. Available now for pre-order, the Kobo eReader will ship on June 17th for a price tag of $149.99. The eReader will ship pre-loaded with 100 classic eBooks while also allowing for purchases from Borders’ eBook store. The Kobo does lack both WiFi and 3G, which means all file transfer are done via Bluetooth, which is somewhat behind competition. The device itself is only 0.1-inches thick, weighs 200g, has a 6-inch E Ink display, 1GB of internal storage, and an SD card slot for additional memory. As for the battery, it should last up to 8,000 page flips.

Press Release:

KOBO™ EREADER COMING TO THE U.S. IN JUNE

$149.99 eReader Now Available for Pre-Order on Borders.com

TORONTO — March 7, 2010 — Kobo, a global eReading service, today announced that the Kobo eReader is available for pre-order in the U.S. at Borders online at www.borders.com/koboereader, and will ship in time for Father’s Day.

The new Kobo eReader offered through Borders is a stylized, easy-to-use, affordable eInk device that comes pre-loaded with the Borders eBook app. Consumers can easily access over a million eBooks, including today’s bestsellers, through USB or wirelessly through Bluetooth. The Kobo eReader also comes pre-loaded with 100 classic books and can store up to 1000 eBooks. Its soft, quilted back allows for an enjoyable book-like reading experience.

“The Kobo eReader is the eReader for everyone and is now available in the U.S. – launching at Borders,” said Michael Serbinis, CEO of Kobo. “At $149.99 the Kobo eReader is roughly $100 less than the other eReading devices out there, so it provides a great way to start eReading without breaking the bank. We couldn’t be happier about partnering with a brand like Borders which shares our commitment to technological innovation, high quality, and customer value.”

Kobo has developed a strong global following for their eReading service, which includes free apps for the iPhone, iPad, BlackBerry, Palm Pre and Android. Through the “Powered By” program, Kobo also offers applications to partners allowing them to offer eReading on their own devices. eReader application is in sync with a user’s Kobo account and any Kobo-enabled device for continuous reading.

For information specific to the new Kobo eReader, visit www.KoboeReader.com.

At the Windows 7 launch event, Amazon announced an upcoming PC app that will bring Kindle to the PC. With the app, you have access to over 360,000 e-books will full color, zooming with pinch, and turning pages with a finger swipe. With Kindle for PC, any computer running Windows 7 is now a color Kindle, with tablet and multitouch PCs adding to the touch experience.

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It’s official, the Barnes & Noble e-book reader, Nook, is now up for pre-order for the rumored price tag of $259. The “Android-based” Nook comes in at 7.7- x 4.9- x 0.5-inches, weighs 11.2 ounces, and features an e-ink display from Vizplex. On the bottom of the device is a 3.5-inch color touchscreen LCD with one touch control, navigation, and swiping of full-color book covers. Storage on the Nook  will be 2GB internal and can be expanded via a  microSD slot. Battery life will run for ten days with wireless off and charging takes 3.5 hours from zero to full. The Nook will also ship with Wi-Fi ( 802.11 b/g) and free AT&T 3G. Other notable features include an MP3 player, a mono speaker, a 3.5 millimeter headphone jack, and support for EPUB, PDF and MP3.

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Dubbed the Nook, the Barnes & Noble e-book reader has been confirmed by The Wall Street Journal. The reader is rumored to feature an e-ink display on top with a multitouch screen on the bottom and will also allow lending of e-books to friends. According to the article, the e-book reader will become available Tuesday for a price tag of $259.

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Two days ago, Amazon took the Kindle international with availability in over 100 countries starting October 19. Today, Amazon spokesman, Drew Herdener, confirmed that the Kindle DX will also be available internationally. He doesn’t mention a specific date or price, but does say it will come out “sometime next year.”

At the CTIA show, a Barnes & Noble representative, Daniel Joresson, slipped some info about a color Plastic Logic e-book reader launching in Spring 2010. According to Daniel, the e-reader will include a color screen and run the “Barnes & Noble e-book reader application.” Similar to the Kindle app, the Barnes & Noble app might also be available on mobile phones including the iPhone, Android, and Blackberry devices. When asked about the competition, Daniel says that their product will be superior because of a color display and it will also include “cool new features.” Video after the jump.

Since February, Amazon has been selling the Kindle 2 for a price of $359. Today, they dropped the price by $60, which makes the Kindle 2 cost $299. With sales actually growing, it’s unknown why Amazon dropped the price, but who are we to complain.

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