Kobo Inc., the Toronto-based e-reader and e-books firm owned by Tokyo-based Rakuten, announced three new Android tablets and a new e-ink reader last week.
The new e-ink reader, Kobo Aura, will launch Sept. 16. For readers who prefer the higher contrast screens offered by the e-ink screens, they will now be able to send articles from the Web to their devices thanks to a new Kobo partnership with Pocket. The service allows users to save articles they see on the Web or come by on Twitter, Pulse, Flipboard, and Zite for reading later on. The article is downloaded so there’s no need for an Internet connection.
The Android tablets, a 10-inch model and two seven-inch models. They will launch running Android Jelly Bean 4.2.2 and the user interface will hinge around Reading Life, Kobo’s content-discovery engine that suggests books to readers and connects them with other readers through social features like commenting and badges.
Here’s some more details on Kobo’s new gadgets and pictures:
Kobo Aura
- Six-inch e-ink screen with 212 dpi
- Includes ComfortLight, an even front-light for reading in the dark
- Pinch and zoom capabilities for FLEPubs and PDFs
- 4 GB of storage expandable up to 32 GB with a microSD card
- Two month battery life
- Being released Sept. 16 for $149.99
Kobo Arc 10HD
- Nvida Tegra 4 1.8 Ghz quad-core processor
- 2 GB of RAM
- 1.3 MP camera
- dual stereo speakers
- Miracast connectivity for WiFi media streaming
- 9.5 hours of battery life in tablet use, or more than 10 days in reading mode
- Available Oct. 16 for $399.99
Kobo Arc 7-inch tablets
- The Arc 7HD tablet has a Nvidia Tegra 3 1.7 Ghz quad-core processor, 1 GB of RAM, a 1.3 MP camera, 8-hour battery life and starts at $199.99 for the 16 GB model
- The Arc 7 tablet is scaled down to a MTK 8125 1.2 Ghz quad-core processor, 1 GB of RAM, with no camera, priced at $149.99 with 8 GB of storage.
- Both are available Oct. 16