Kobo, the Canadian company that makes an e-reader for Borders, plans to expand its presence in Seattle, according to this interview with The Seattle Times’ Brier Dudley. Kobo, which is out with a new touchscreen version of its e-reader today, previously hired Amazon.com alum Todd Humphrey as its business development director. Now, Dudley reports that Kobo plans to open a full office in Seattle by year’s end. “Whether it’s five or 15 or 20 people, we’ll see,” Humphrey told the Times. That would put a competitor to Amazon’s Kindle right in the company’s face, potentially competing for talent. Amazon, of course, also seems to be moving beyond the Kindle, with recent indications from CEO Jeff Bezos that an Android tablet is in the works.
Author: Curt Woodward
Curt covered technology and innovation in the Boston area for Xconomy. He previously worked in Xconomy’s Seattle bureau and continued some coverage of Seattle-area tech companies, including Amazon and Microsoft.
Curt joined Xconomy in February 2011 after nearly nine years with The Associated Press, the world's largest news organization. He worked in three states and covered a wide variety of beats for the AP, including business, law, politics, government, and general mayhem.
A native Washingtonian, Curt earned a bachelor's degree in journalism from Western Washington University in Bellingham, WA. As a past president of the state's Capitol Correspondents Association, he led efforts to expand statehouse press credentialing to online news outlets for the first time.
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