Parent Tested, Parent Approved Community Recognizes the Kobo Glo eReader and Kobo Mini eReader as the Perfect Addition to Any Family

TORONTO, Dec. 13, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Kobo, a global leader in eReading with more than 10-million users, is proud to announce that its Kobo Glo and Kobo Mini eReaders have been awarded the Parent Tested Parent Approved (PTPA) seal of approval, signalling that the devices are a hit with busy parents both at home and on-the-go.

"Kobo is thrilled to be recognized by PTPA families who examined the Kobo Glo and Kobo Mini from the perspective of parents and children reading," said Liz Ridout, Vice President of Marketing Communications, Kobo. "The feedback from the community has been tremendous and given us great insights into how eReaders can motivate kids and also give the whole family a convenient way to read on the go."

PTPA is North America's largest volunteer parent testing community with more than 60,000 parents. The organization, which was rated the Most Trusted Seal by 22,000 parents works with independent parent volunteers to evaluate products in their own homes to ensure that PTPA winners are chosen based on merit and consumer experience – not on commercial considerations. As a result, the PTPA Media™ Seal has quickly gained recognition as an international leader in certifying consumer products for quality, effectiveness and value.

"It's no surprise that the Kobo Glo and Kobo Mini eReaders are family favourites," said Sharon Vinderine, CEO and founder of PTPA Media Inc. "The company makes it easy for parents to encourage their children to read with colourful devices, a great selection of eBooks, and my favourite – a battery that lasts a month!"

The Kobo Mini and the Kobo Glo are available in the U.S. at IndieBound independent bookstores, Family Christian stores and Best Buy (Kobo Mini), and in Canada at Indigo-Chapters, Future Shop, Best Buy, Staples, Walmart, The Source, and Toys"R"Us.

WHAT PTPA PARENT TESTERS HAD TO SAY ABOUT THE KOBO GLO AND KOBO MINI:

"I didn't even have to read the instructions to work the Kobo Glo. Everything is self-explanatory and easy to figure out. Very user-friendly!"

"I think the screen was the feature that really impacted my impression of the Kobo Glo. The screen's texture has a very nice feel to it and actually reminded me a bit of reading/touching an actual paperback."

"The Kobo Glo is soft enough that I can use it with kids sleeping in the same room and that I am not going to disturb them but bright enough that I don't have to squint. I really like the fact that the Kobo Glo can be adjusted for brightness and that you can change the weight of your font based on your preferences."

"Not one word of a lie. I love to read in the car, the tub, in bed. The portability of the Kobo Mini makes that possible."

"I love reading on an eReader, the Kobo Mini is perfect for popping into your purse or diaper bag!"

"I liked the fact that all 3 of my kids could use this Kobo Mini. I also like the durability of the Mini, even after several drops by my 3 year old son, the Kobo still worked!"

"The built in Wi-Fi is great and makes the Kobo Mini easy to download new books on the go."

FAST FACTS ABOUT THE KOBO GLO:
Lightweight and functional the Kobo Glo allows families to access their favourite books no matter where they are:

• The Kobo Glo provides a comfortable front-lit eReading display that lets people read any time—day or night.
• With Kobo Glo's E Ink anti-glare screen, it's just like reading print on paper—even in direct sunlight; it's also the only high resolution display available on the market.
• The Kobo Glo is highly customizable with 24 font styles and 7 font sizes. 
• The Kobo Glo comes in four stylish colour options – Black Night, Pink Sunset, Blue Moon and Silver Star.
• Readers have direct access to the Kobo eBookstore from the Kobo Glo with a Wi-Fi connection—with a storage capacity for over 1,000 eBooks, with expandable storage with an SD card for up to 30,000.

FAST FACTS ABOUT THE KOBO MINI:

• The 5" Kobo Mini is the smallest, lightest full-featured eReader in the world.
• With Kobo Mini's glare-free E Ink touchscreen, it's just like reading print on paper—even in direct sunlight
• The Kobo Mini is fully customizable and allows you to choose from 7 font styles and 24 font sizes, as well as exclusive weight and sharpness settings so you can adjust the text to suit your eyes.
• The Kobo Mini is sleek and stylish with 5 interchangeable SnapBacks in a range of colours to suit anyone's reading style.
• Readers have direct access to the Kobo eBookstore from the Kobo Mini with a Wi-Fi connection—and storage capacity for over 1,000 eBooks.

About Kobo Inc.

Kobo Inc. is one of the world's fastest-growing eReading services offering more than 3-million eBooks, magazines and newspapers.  Believing that consumers should have the freedom to read any book on any device, Kobo has built an open-standards platform to provide consumers with a choice when reading. Inspired by a "Read Freely" philosophy and a passion for innovation, Kobo has expanded to 190 countries, where millions of consumers have access to localized eBook catalogues and award-winning eReaders, like the Kobo Touch. With top-ranked eReading applications for Apple, BlackBerry, Android, and Windows products, Kobo allows consumers to make eReading social through Facebook Timeline and Reading Life, an industry-first social experience that lets users earn awards for time spent reading and encourage others to join in. Headquartered in Toronto and owned by Tokyo-based Rakuten, Kobo eReaders can be found in major retail chains across the globe.

For more information, visit www.kobo.com.

About PTPA Media Inc.:

PTPA Media provides an objective framework for appraising and promoting new products designed to enrich family living. The company's mission is to marry innovative companies with discerning consumers, to improve consumer access to quality products and services for their families and homes. www.ptpamedia.com

Contact:
Rene d'Entremont
Kobo
(416) 977-8737
[email protected]

SOURCE Kobo