Kobo revs up its line of e-readers, unveils Kobo Arc 10 HD tablet

[RZetlin]

My excitement is muted with this line up.

Kobo has updated their site with the new eReader.

Let's look at the New Aura screen specs compared to the other eReaders:

Glo: 6" XGA Pearl E Ink touchscreen; 1024x768 resolution; 16-level grey scale
Aura HD: 6.8" WXGA+ Pearl E Ink Screen ClarityScreen+: 265 dpi, 1440 x 1080 resolution
Aura: 6" High-res Pearl E Ink ClarityScreen with low-flash waveform; 1014 x 758, 16 level grey scale

This is shocking, the Aura screen resolution is lower than the Glo. it seems to be step backwards. There is no point in getting the Aura if you have already have the Glo.

-------------

Kobo Arc 7: I don't know why this product exist. The specs are just poor compared to the other 7" tablets out there. You may has spend the extra $50 to get the Kobo Arc 7 HD.

Kobo Arc 7 HD: The specs are not too bad. But it has to fend off other 7" tablets like the Nexus 7 2013.

Kobo Arc 10 HD: At first I thought it was 10" e-Ink reader, but I was wrong. The tablet is too big to hold as a reader and I don't it has the image as an all purpose tablet compared to the Asus Transformer line or the Samsung tablets.

[meeera]

Originally Posted by RZetlin

My excitement is muted with this line up.

Kobo has updated their site with the new eReader.

Let's look at the New Aura screen specs compared to the other eReaders:

Glo: 6" XGA Pearl E Ink touchscreen; 1024x768 resolution; 16-level grey scale
Aura HD: 6.8" WXGA+ Pearl E Ink Screen ClarityScreen+: 265 dpi, 1440 x 1080 resolution
Aura: 6" High-res Pearl E Ink ClarityScreen with low-flash waveform; 1014 x 758, 16 level grey scale

This is shocking, the Aura screen resolution is lower than the Glo. it seems to be step backwards. There is no point in getting the Aura if you have already have the Glo.

The resolution difference is not enough to make any difference in reality. The Aura also has double the onboard storage, and a capacitative screen. There may well be light improvements - we'll have to wait for genuine photos & video to see if that's the case. And they've shaved off 11 grams with the new form factor, without reduction in battery life.

It's not quite enough for me to upgrade from my Glo, but it's enough to feel a little tempted (given that I have someone to hand the Glo down to). If they release a 6.8 reader along the same lines I'd be very tempted indeed.

[brudigia]

It does not appear on the site anymore, in the new lineup. Or at least I could not find it.
Does it mean it will quietly disappear ?

Maybe it is time to buy one, prices might go down shortly ?

EDIT : I found it, it is still there. Strangely enough, the first time I choose the ereader from the Kobo page, it only showed 4 readers, and not the Aura HD.

[uboot]

Capacitive touchscreen!!!!???

They hopefully will include a "Mirror"-App with the Aura - like there was on the Palm 3 - just turning the screen completely black such that you are able to shave your face or refresh your makeup....


I definitely prefer the old, fingerprint resistant, non-glaring matte screens.


ClarityScreen? GlarityScreen!

[Lbooker]

Originally Posted by Alexander Turcic

According to Financial Post, regarding the Kobo Aura (E Ink): it boasts a new screen technology that almost entirely eliminates ghosting and page refresh effects.

This is great news, since scientific research has showed that the screen flash reduces the accuracy of your memory of the previous page, the one you just read.
Personally I disabled the flash completely on my rooted reader, at the cost of rather ugly fonts. Though Times New Roman is OK. OK enough to not need a new, naturally flashless reader I guess.

Now if only they decided to sell a large reader, with a screen as large as a real life paper PDF ! Now that would be a great novelty for some people. I hope we do not have to wait another year for it. But I guess I will have to be very patient.

[Lbooker]

Originally Posted by uboot

Capacitive touchscreen!!!!???

They hopefully will include a "Mirror"-App with the Aura - like there was on the Palm 3 - just turning the screen completely black such that you are able to shave your face or refresh your makeup....


I definitely prefer the old, fingerprint resistant, non-glaring matte screens.


ClarityScreen? GlarityScreen!

I did not see any glare on their video :
http://www.engadget.com/2013/08/27/kobo-aura-hands-on/

[samhy]

Regarding the Aura series, what I like is now we have the choice: an infrared screen or a capacitive one, a 6" device or a bigger one. And (hopefully) with the nice even Aura HD light.

Why change everything when the previous hardware is quite good as is? Maybe it's not much to those who already have an Aura HD, but IMO this is good news to those who were hesitating, waiting or considering to upgrade the Glo

[Gilmartin]

W H Smith have the Aura HD listed on their site as the Kobo Aura.
Somebody needs to enlighten the clueless ninnies

[meeera]

Originally Posted by samhy

Regarding the Aura series, what I like is now we have the choice: an infrared screen or a capacitive one, a 6" device or a bigger one. And (hopefully) with the nice even Aura HD light.

Why change everything when the previous hardware is quite good as is?

More accurate highlighting would be a huge help to some people.

[taming]

The review of the 10 inch arc on goodereader is up. Michael Kozlowski has been hands on with the device. I don't see myself using a 10 inch tablet for reading, but if I had kids at home to read to, I might feel differently.

http://goodereader.com/blog/electron...obo-aura-10-hd

The wrap up:

The Kobo 10 HD is the most polished, highest resolution tablet I have ever used. I was the only person allowed at the entire launch event to get hands on with the lead of Kobo Hardware. This trounces the iPad and any current generation Android device. This was designed by readers, for readers.

A 10 inch tablet is the perfect size for reading newspapers, magazines, eBooks and kids books. More content can fit on the screen at any given time and it provides a larger area to view content.

The big draw about the Arc 10 HD, is that it is not a vanilla experience and doesn’t make me say “ho hum, another tablet.” Readers Mode, the Kids Store, Magazines, Beyond the Book, and other software elements make it a game changer.

In talking with Kobo they emphasized their core focus on a software experience. Launching new things no one else is, getting patents and appealing to readers. The Kobo Arc 10 is a culmination of the companies entire tablet experiences for the last 4 years, and delivers the best Tablet in the world.

[Apache]

Originally Posted by Solicitous

Seems to me the Arc 7 is a step back from the original Arc (ok SD slot and faster processor, but screen res and battery life is worse).

Where do you see that is has an SD slot? I looked at the specs and do not see one listed.
Apache

[dmacmart]

Originally Posted by Apache

Where do you see that is has an SD slot? I looked at the specs and do not see one listed.
Apache

On this site (I'm in Canada):

http://www.kobo.com/koboarc7#techspecs
Storage: 8 GB (Available storage space 5.8 GB), expandable up to 32GB with a microSD card

[samhy]

Originally Posted by meeera

More accurate highlighting would be a huge help to some people.

Completely agree! Actually, that's why I only mentioned the hardware
I wonder if the infrared vs. capacitive screen can change something regarding highlighting Or is it on the software side?
When I want to highlight anything longer than one word, it's clearly hit-and-miss.

[uboot]

Originally Posted by Lbooker

I did not see any glare on their video :
http://www.engadget.com/2013/08/27/kobo-aura-hands-on/

I can't help, but I do - starting on 0:28 When he turns around the device at 0:35, I even see a mirror image of the speaker's hands!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?featur...&v=kK3HeU2ztUA

[evanft]

Originally Posted by taming

The review of the 10 inch arc on goodereader is up. Michael Kozlowski has been hands on with the device. I don't see myself using a 10 inch tablet for reading, but if I had kids at home to read to, I might feel differently.

http://goodereader.com/blog/electron...obo-aura-10-hd

The wrap up:

I take their reviews about as seriously as I take gizmodo's, which is to say not at all.