Kobo Beats Amazon to BlackBerry PlayBook

BlackBerry PlayBook is just another tablet to all Kindle and nook fans. It does not have an e-ink screen and will not offer an optimized experience for reading. However, there is no question it will be a big hit in the corporate world. Many companies are already taking advantage of RIM products to keep their employees connected and productive. Integrating PlayBook in their businesses won’t be that hard of a decision.

We expect Amazon and other major e-reader companies to bring their software applications to PlayBook. The bad news for those companies is the fact that Kobo software will be preloaded on PlayBook. That should not be a game changer but is still a blow for Amazon and its Kindle software for PlayBook.

Kobo took little time to announce this piece of news on its blog:

Kobo will come preloaded, bringing over 2.2 million books to the new BlackBerry tablet. Users will be able to access our massive catalog of free books, new releases, bestsellers and all time classics, download for free or buy, build their libraries and have a rich reading experience. As always with Kobo, users will be able to access their libraries – anytime, anyplace.

We are not sure what to make of Kobo CEO’s claims about PlayBook and the reading experience it offers:

Readers will love the elegant design, crisp display and portable size and weight of the BlackBerry PlayBook, which is perfectly suited for long reading sessions. I am also excited by the possibilities of the BlackBerry Tablet OS, which will allow us to bring today’s bestsellers and classics, as well as other rich content, to BlackBerry PlayBook users.

Jim Tobin, VP at RIM, made a similar claim:

The new BlackBerry PlayBook is a multitasking powerhouse for apps and content services and, together with Kobo’s eBooks app and service, it will provide users with an exceptional eReading experience

PlayBook will be a popular tablet, especially among business professionals. But it won’t be suited for long reading sessions. That’s not what LCD eReaders are for. This is a good break for Kobo as Amazon already has enough momentum behind the Kindle platform. But it won’t be a game changer. As far as the eReading experience on PlayBook is concerned, we can’t blame Kobo’s CEO for trying to hype up this move.

Will you be getting a PlayBook?