Borders' "device neutral" eBook Store

A piece in the Tech Herald quotes Borders CEO Mike Edwards touting the "device neutral philosophy" of the Kobo-based Borders eBookstore and how this approach will help Borders take over "about 17%" of the domestic eBook market "by this time next year."

I don't see it. Starting from nothing right now, and going up against the already well-established stores hosted by Amazon, Apple, B&N, etc., it is very hard to understand how Borders can seize 17% of the market, especially when their hardware offer is the klunky Kobo e-reader (with only Bluetooth for some smartphone connectivity, and a USB cord for connecting to PCs) which sells at the same price right now as the far-superior Nook WiFi. Besides, to the extent that it is a hook, isn't that whole "agnostic" and "device neutral" rhetoric a Google Editions thing anyway?

You'll find a somewhat more in-depth piece in ComputerWorld.

Kobo Complaint: Bluetooth Flaw

From SlashGear:

Kobo’s $150 eReader isn’t expected to arrive at Borders in the US until June 17th, so hopefully that will give the manufacturer a little time to finesse the firmware. According to one thread over at MobileRead, the Kobo’s much-touted Bluetooth connectivity – allowing for short-range, cable-free transfers of ebooks to the device – has a significant flaw in that it won’t update its books list after wireless use. Ironically, the only way at present to force an update is to plug in a USB cable and unplug it. ...