Kobo launches Stack cloud storage service for digital books for a monthly subscription
Kobo has announced the launch of a new monthly subscription service called Stack, aimed at enabling users to upload their e-books and personal documents to the company's servers to sync them seamlessly across various devices and applications. The synchronization includes reading progress, highlights, and annotations. This step is part of a major version 6.0 update for the company's e-reader operating system, which is currently available as an optional beta version.
The Kobo Stack service is similar to Amazon's Send to Kindle feature, which allows users to upload various file types to Kindle libraries for free; however, the Kobo version will require a monthly fee of a few dollars. The service supports specific file types including EPUB and PDF formats up to 200MB in size. Files can be pushed to the company's cloud via a drag-and-drop interface on its website or by emailing them to a dedicated address provided upon subscription to the service.
What changes practically for users?
Uploaded documents are available wherever a Kobo account is logged in, including smartphone applications for iOS and Android, the company's website, and supported e-readers. E-reader support is currently limited to modern devices such as the Clara BW, Clara Colour, Libra Colour, and Elipsa 2E, with a promise to provide support for older devices manufactured between 2018 and 2024 soon.
In its first phase, the Kobo Stack service is available exclusively in Canada, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and Spain, with no availability in the United States yet. The subscription cost in Canada is $3.99 per month, and in the United Kingdom, it is £2.99 per month. The company offers a 90-day free trial to test the service, with a 60-day grace period after canceling the subscription to download files and keep backups before they are permanently deleted.
Additional features in the firmware update
In addition to the cloud storage service, the new firmware update includes a set of improvements and additional functions for users:
- The ability to add multiple library cards to borrow books from several libraries via the Libby platform.
- Reduced latency for the Stylus on devices that support drawing and handwriting.
- Improved accessibility by providing larger font options.
- Support for EPUB files protected by LCP DRM copyright protection systems.