Borders to offer electronic books on Web for variety of devices through partnership

Borders will offer e-book store

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Book seller Borders Inc. says it will partner with a Canadian digital book company to offer electronic books via its Web site.

Borders will work with Kobo Inc., an electronic book service spun off from Toronto-based Indigo Books & Music Inc., on an e-reader application that will be available for most mobile phones and PCs begining in the second quarter of 2010.

Financial terms were undisclosed.

The news comes after Ann Arbor, Mich.-based Borders’ chief rival Barnes & Noble launched its own e-reader, the Nook, in October. The field has been dominated by Amazon.com’s Kindle.

Sales through the Borders-branded e-book store will be recorded by Borders.

Kobo says it has a catalog of over 2 million e-books.