Quill and Quire

Digital publishing and technology

« Back to
Quillblog

Kobo Pulse gets to the heart of “social in-book e-reading”

Kobo has released more details about Kobo Pulse, its new “social in-book e-reading experience”

Essentially a social media tool, Kobo Pulse will allow Kobo users to connect with other people reading the same book, comment on passages or the book as a whole, and view statistics (e.g., how many people are reading the title at a given time). According to a press release, readers can also post reviews and engage in online conversations. As more people join the conversation, the Kobo Pulse will turn “larger and brighter,” indicating the level of interaction.

Last Friday at F8, Facebook’s developers conference, Kobo CEO Michael Serbinis spoke about how the company’s e-reading app, Kobo Reading Life, will be seamlessly integrated into the Facebook interface. Today’s press release provided more details on the new features, which include the ability to follow friends’ reading activity; customizable privacy settings; automation of Ticker e-reading updates; and profile “‘call-outs’ for recently read books, most read authors, books that have the most time read and recent awards.”

A release date for Kobo Pulse was not available. However, the Facebook integration features will “roll out gradually over the coming months.”