Sony to transition its Reader base to Kobo's ebook platform in 'late March'

With its eye firmly fixed on a return to profitability, Sony's been making extensive cuts to its business arms in recent days (bye bye, VAIO!). So it's no surprise the company would train that cost-cutting eye onto another underperforming unit -- its e-reader business. Sony announced today that it'll be shuttering its Reader store come "late March" and that all Reader accounts (including library content) would be moved to Kobo's platform around that same time. Existing users shouldn't have much to worry about though, as Sony claims the "migration process" should be painless and that it'll issue a how-to email to walk users through it. The deal will also see Kobo's app pre-installed on all future Xperia devices, which should give Kobo a significant boost in audience reach.