Kobo begins taking over Sony’s Reader e-book store

In early February, Sony revealed that its Reader Store would be replaced with Kobo’s eBookStore, making the latter company the digital supplier for Sony’s ereader customers. Today the company has issued a small update on the matter, kicking off the process. Sony has announced that Reader, Xperia tablet, and smartphone users in the United Kingdom, Germany, and Austria will also be transitioned to Kobo’s ecosystem, something that is set to take place some time next month.

As part of its multi-pronged effort to stop leaking red ink Sony decided to eliminate its Reader division. Rather than simply cut off customers who have already bought one of its devices though, it’s turning to the Canada-based e-reader giant Kobo, which has a 4-million strong e-book catalog. The transition is now officially underway, as Sony has announced that Kobo’s app will now be pre-loaded on Xperia and Reader devices in the UK, Austria and Germany. And thus begins the inevitable shuttering of Reader stores across the world. But don’t panic, customers will get an email describing how to transfer their library over to Kobo. And until the the transition is complete you’ll still be able to buy e-books from the Reader Store. If the whole thing has left a sour taste in your mouth, though, there are plenty of other options.