Kobo has announced that its latest high-end ereader, the waterproof Aura H2O, will be receiving a local launch on 5 February, 2015. The Aura H2O is waterproof to a depth of one metre for up to 30 minutes. It also comes with an anti-glare HD display, is dust-proof and provides up to two-months of battery life.

Kobo is expanding its hardware range with a new selection of e-readers and ebook-flavoured tablets, including the 10-inch Google-certified Kobo Arc 10HD. The Kindle competitor is also launching a dedicated kids' section and Pocket-integration which allows users to view website content offline.

The Kobo Aura HD is a new, limited-edition "luxury" ereader aimed squarely at high-volume readers. Boasting an enlarged 6.8-inch e-ink screen with 265 dpi, 4GB of inbuilt storage, oodles of premium features (including an inbuilt light) and a blatantly stylish finish, it's essentially the coffee table book of ereaders. Read on for our first impressions.

Dear Lifehacker, I was given a new ebook reader for Christmas and I'm wondering what fun stuff I can do with it besides buy and read books from the official store. Any suggestions on how I can get a little more out of it? Thanks, Booked In

When the Nexus 7 hit the market, we wondered if it would force other manufacturers to lower their prices without lowering the specs on new devices. We're going to find out later if Amazon has taken Google's warning shot on board, but in the meantime, the Kobo Arc tablet has just been announced and it's seriously impressive. Be afraid, Nexus 7: the Kobo is coming to ruin your Christmas.

Kobo's Pulse reading apps for iOS and Android are getting a really nifty Facebook social discussion feature where you can see what other people are saying -- not just for the current book you're reading -- but the current page.

The good news? Publishing giant Pearson has purchased the online operations of RedGroup Australia (collapsed owners of Borders and Angus & Robertson), which means that Kobo e-book owners can be assured their readers will continue to work and they'll get new local titles. The perhaps less good news? Amazon has purchased discount online book vendor The Book Depository, which might make it a less attractive destination for bargain book buying.

The news that both Borders in the US and local book giant RedGroup (which runs Borders and Angus & Robertson locally) have gone into administration is likely to have caused panic for anyone who purchased the Kobo e-book reader sold by both chains. But it seems that for the moment, your e-books are safe.

Until November 8, Kobo is offering 20% off all e-books. Given that there are Kobo reader clients available for Android, iOS, BlackBerry, Windows and Mac, that's a wide-ranging offer that might be worth taking advantage of. Just use nov5au20 as a discount code.