HZO Waterproof Technology Featured on Rakuten Kobo’s Thinnest eReader to Date

Draper, UT – October 02, 2018 – HZO, Inc., the provider of waterproofing technology on Rakuten Kobo’s premiere line of eReaders, is proud to protect the company’s thinnest, most durable, and most comfortable eReader – Kobo Forma – from drips, dips and full submersion in a variety of reading environments.

Kobo Forma, announced today, is the largest and lightest 8” display eReader and the third Kobo eReader model to feature HZO Protection™. Thanks to HZO, the premiere eReader meets the requirements of an IPX8 rating, enabling waterproof protection for up to 60 minutes in up to 2 meters of water.

“We’re happy to provide the protection Rakuten Kobo, and its customers are looking for,” said Simone Maraini, CEO at HZO. “As devices get thinner, like Kobo Forma, waterproof coatings from HZO are a clear choice for durable water protection over bulkier options like port covers and mechanical seals.”

Kobo Forma, with 8GB of storage, will be available in black and will retail for $299.99 CAD, $279.99 USD, 279.99 Euro, and 239.99 GBP (MSRP) at select retailers and on the Kobo website. Pre-orders begin October 16, and as of October 23, Kobo Forma will be available in stores and online in Canada, the US, the UK, Italy, the Netherlands, France, Japan, and Spain; and as of October 30 in Australia, New Zealand, Switzerland, Sweden, and Turkey; early 2019 in Mexico. Kobo Forma with 32GB of storage will be available in Japan October 23, and will be available in other countries at a later date.

About HZO Inc.
HZO provides a full spectrum of nanochemical solutions to protect electronics from corrosive and hazardous environments including humidity, sweat, dust and debris. To meet its customer’s needs, HZO leverages its broad spectrum of nanochemical solutions, process engineering, and high capacity equipment for key industries including consumer electronics, automotive, industrial and more. Visit HZO.com to learn more.

About Rakuten Kobo Inc.
Owned by Tokyo-based Rakuten and headquartered in Toronto, Rakuten Kobo Inc. is one of the world’s most innovative eReading services offering more than 6 million eBooks and audiobooks to millions of customers in 190 countries. Believing that consumers should be free to read any book on any device, Kobo provides people with a choice when reading. Kobo offers an eReader for everyone with a wide variety of E Ink eReaders to suit any Reader’s style including the Kobo Clara HD, Kobo Aura, Kobo Aura H2O, Kobo Aura ONE and Kobo Forma; along with the company’s free top-ranking eReading and audiobook listening app for iOS® and Android®. Kobo’s award-winning eReaders can be found in major retail chains around the world. For more information, visit www.kobo.com.