Boffin's corner

In my line of work it pays to keep your finger on the pulse of new technologies that will eventually affect both me and my peers. I read with great interest that Borders Australia has just announced that it will be stocking the Kobo eBook reader. It looks like a pretty snazzy piece of kit, and the $199.00 price point makes it an enticing proposition compared to similar products on the market, even if it is somewhat basic by comparison. In addition, their eBook platform will also be compatible with smartphones, PC and Macs, the iPod Touch and the iPad. To sweeten the deal, the unit comes preloaded with one hundred public domain books, and a $50.00 ebook voucher.