[Tech In Asia] Rakuten’s Kobo E-Reader to Hit Japan July 19, Priced at 7980 Yen (or $100)

At a press conference in Tokyo this afternoon, Japanese e-commerce giant Rakuten announced that its e-reading service will launch in Japan on July 19 for the price of 7,980 yen (or about $100 dollars), with a ‘fully localized’ experience. On that day, you will be able to access kobo.rakuten.co.jp, which will feature local content and authors, available for purchase in local currency. Readers may recall that Rakuten acquired Kobo for $315 million late last year.

Tech In Asia 7/2/2012 [en]

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• Kindle is expected to be released soon in Japan. Rakuten got a head against  Amazon with the competitive pricing. But e-book reader's success mostly depends on a number of contents. Since Rakuten has not revealed contents selection, it is difficult to say how much Rakuten is taking a lead.