Audiobook enthusiasts and fans now have a new option to compare against when shopping. Rakuten Kobo has announced the addition of audiobooks to its iOS and Android eBooks app.
There are two ways to purchase the audiobooks: first is a la carte, in which case, audiobooks will have to be purchased individually, alternatively, audiobooks can be acquired through the purchase of a $10 per month subscription that allows you listen to one eBook per month.
The audiobooks and eBooks can be found and purchased within Kobo"s iOS and Android apps. Once you"ve chosen what to listen to, the app uses a built-in player to play the audiobook and gives you control over narration speed. The app also shows how much time is left according to the current rate of listening and allows you program it to switch off after a certain amount of time if you are listening to books in bed.
Kobo CEO Micheal Tamblyn said that the company decided to enter the audiobook market, since "We have more books than time, always. Audiobooks let [the company"s] readers fit the books they love into more parts of their day."
Kobo has also promised to add more titles weekly in the case that a certain audiobook that a customer wants isn"t available in the current catalogue. Also, the company has included personalized recommendations based on previous eBook purchases, should browsing the available audiobooks become overwhelming.
Audiobooks subscriptions are also available in Canada ($13/month), the UK (£6.99/month), Australia ($13/month) and New Zealand ($14/month).