Kobo introduced its first waterproof e-reader Wednesday, continuing the trend of technology being built to handle getting wet.
The device, called the Aura H2O, can be read while the user is in a bathtub or by a pool, and can spend up to 30 minutes in one meter (about 3.3. feet) of water, according to The Next Web. While the premium reader has the same resolution as the 265 ppi model that Kobo released last year, it has been updated with a 6.8-inch Carta E Ink display.
Thanks to high-quality hardware, the Canada-based company has built a strong following in the U.S. and has been getting more involved in the international e-reader market.
"We thought it (Kobo Aura HD) was a niche device and would account for maybe 5 percent of total sales. It was more like 25 percent," said Michael Tamblyn, president of Kobo.
Tamblyn added that the waterproof e-reader was developed after customers told Kobo that they liked to read ebooks while in bathtubs, by a pool, or on the beach, but were afraid of destroying the device with water, The Guardian reported.
"As we dug deeper, we found that more than 60 percent of customers surveyed said they would love to be able to read near water without worry," he said. "We designed the Kobo Aura H2O, our latest premium e-reader, so that e-books could be just as common at the beach or in the bath as they are on the bus or in bed."
Kobo fans will be able to pre-order the $179 Aura H2O at Kobo.com starting Thursday, The Next Web reported. The device will be available on Oct. 1st in stores in the U.S., Canada, the U.K., Spain, France, Germany, Italy and the Netherlands.
