MobileRead Forums
Register Guidelines E-Books Search Today's Posts Mark Forums Read

Go Back   MobileRead Forums > E-Book General > News
Reload this Page Kobo Launches New E-reader!

Notices

Reply
Page 1 of 5 1 2345
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread
Old 03-24-2010, 08:55 AM   #1
Nate the great
Sir Penguin of Edinburgh
Nate the great ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Nate the great ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Nate the great ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Nate the great ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Nate the great ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Nate the great ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Nate the great ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Nate the great ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Nate the great ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Nate the great ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Nate the great ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
Nate the great's Avatar
 
Posts: 10,055
Karma: 2784905
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: DC Metro area
Device: Shake a stick plus 1
Kobo Launches New E-reader!
crossposted from The Digital Reader

Kobo Books just announced their first ebook reader. It has a 6″ E-ink screen, Bluetooth (but not Wifi), Adobe DE support, and is going to be on sale this summer for $149.

At first I was really excited, but then I recognized the hardware design. The case is new, but inside the case is hardware that was designed by Netronix. we’re looking at a device based on a 4 years old design, one that wasn’t very good to start with. How disappointing.

press release
product page
__________________
The Digital Reader blog - www.the-digital-reader.com
Nate the great is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-24-2010, 08:58 AM   #2
zelda_pinwheel
zeldinha zippy zeldissima
zelda_pinwheel ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.zelda_pinwheel ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.zelda_pinwheel ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.zelda_pinwheel ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.zelda_pinwheel ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.zelda_pinwheel ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.zelda_pinwheel ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.zelda_pinwheel ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.zelda_pinwheel ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.zelda_pinwheel ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.zelda_pinwheel ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
zelda_pinwheel's Avatar
 
Posts: 27,828
Karma: 908606
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Paris, France
Device: eb1150 & is that a nook in her pocket, or she just happy to see you?
wow, it's the hardware that wouldn't die. i agree, i think that case has had a good long run, and it's time to move on, rather than continue slapping new coats of paint on the same old stuff. on the other hand, 149$ is quite cheap, so kobo is at least making these devices accessible, which is a step in the right direction.
__________________
blog.ex-elibris.fr : les liseuses, les ebooks, nos lectures, la technologie…

I don't want none of that mischief on my eels! - pdurrant

since i would never want to disappoint wde and vr, we are thrilled to present the next exciting avatar in zelda's wardrobe, by vivaldirules himself.
zelda_pinwheel is offline   Reply With Quote
 
Enthusiast
Old 03-24-2010, 08:59 AM   #3
Graham
Wizard
Graham ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Graham ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Graham ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Graham ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Graham ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Graham ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Graham ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Graham ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Graham ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Graham ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Graham ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
Posts: 2,003
Karma: 13929999
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: North Yorkshire, UK
Device: Sony PRS-650, Nexus 4, HP Touchpad, Nexus 7.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Nate the great View Post
At first I was really excited, but then I recognized the hardware design. The case is new, but inside the case is hardware that was designed by Netronix. we’re looking at a device based on a 4 years old design, one that wasn’t very good to start with. How disappointing.
It depends how good the firmware is. If it's realised as well as on the Cybook Gen3 then that's a good device at a great price, IMO.

Graham
Graham is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-24-2010, 09:01 AM   #4
luqmaninbmore
Da'i
luqmaninbmore ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.luqmaninbmore ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.luqmaninbmore ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.luqmaninbmore ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.luqmaninbmore ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.luqmaninbmore ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.luqmaninbmore ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.luqmaninbmore ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.luqmaninbmore ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.luqmaninbmore ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.luqmaninbmore ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
luqmaninbmore's Avatar
 
Posts: 1,143
Karma: 1217499
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: Baltimore
Device: Toshiba Thrive, Kobo Touch, Kindle 1, Aluratek Libre, T-Mobile Comet
Quote:
Originally Posted by Graham View Post
It depends how good the firmware is. If it's realised as well as on the Cybook Gen3 then that's a good device at a great price, IMO.

Graham
Yeah, or the Pocketbook 301. Any details as to how the bluetooth will work? Will it allow an internet connection or BT audio? Or is it just to push files to the device from a computer or cell phone?
luqmaninbmore is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-24-2010, 09:06 AM   #5
mtravellerh
book creator
mtravellerh ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.mtravellerh ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.mtravellerh ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.mtravellerh ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.mtravellerh ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.mtravellerh ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.mtravellerh ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.mtravellerh ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.mtravellerh ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.mtravellerh ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.mtravellerh ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
mtravellerh's Avatar
 
Posts: 9,608
Karma: 1324674
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: Luxembourg
Device: PB360°
Quote:
Originally Posted by luqmaninbmore View Post
Yeah, or the Pocketbook 301. Any details as to how the bluetooth will work? Will it allow an internet connection or BT audio? Or is it just to push files to the device from a computer or cell phone?
Just wondering about the Bluetooth thingie here. I am not sure how they're gonna realize that on this hardware. 149$? Nah!
Last edited by mtravellerh; 03-24-2010 at 09:08 AM.
mtravellerh is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-24-2010, 09:30 AM   #6
sorareader
Member
sorareader began at the beginning.
 
Posts: 17
Karma: 10
Join Date: Oct 2008
Device: Hanlin V3
149 $ seems like too good to be true to me... In the web page, with regards to price, it says "TBC" which I guess means "to be confirmed". I don´t think it will be so inexpensive...
sorareader is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-24-2010, 09:38 AM   #7
Graham
Wizard
Graham ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Graham ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Graham ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Graham ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Graham ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Graham ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Graham ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Graham ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Graham ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Graham ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Graham ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
Posts: 2,003
Karma: 13929999
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: North Yorkshire, UK
Device: Sony PRS-650, Nexus 4, HP Touchpad, Nexus 7.
Ah, yes. The press release says "for a limited time" at $149...
Graham is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-24-2010, 09:40 AM   #8
ficbot
Wizard
ficbot ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.ficbot ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.ficbot ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.ficbot ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.ficbot ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.ficbot ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.ficbot ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.ficbot ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.ficbot ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.ficbot ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.ficbot ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
Posts: 2,350
Karma: 4054142
Join Date: Sep 2008
Device: Kobo Glo, iPad/iPhone
The website is very slick and has screenshots of how the library will look. It looks like the bluetooth is only to update your library of books you bought from their store. It does not look like you can buy books directly on the device. It has a shelf view which other readers don't have. And it's lighter than the Kindle and Nook. I think it might compete in Canada with the Sony Pocket Reader; their comparison chart sure makes it sound like a better option. If I can snag a review copy since I write for Teleread, I'll go for it. And I am sure I'll play in the store with one when they hit retail since there is an Indigo right down the street from me. But it doesn't seem like this is adding any features my Kindle doesn't have. I didn't see anything in there about a dictionary or text to speech, and the options for font, displaying the list of books by author/title/date etc. look pretty standard.
__________________
I blog at Teleread and review at Goodreads. Come read with me!
ficbot is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-24-2010, 10:21 AM   #9
kacir
Wizard
kacir ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.kacir ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.kacir ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.kacir ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.kacir ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.kacir ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.kacir ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.kacir ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.kacir ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.kacir ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.kacir ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
kacir's Avatar
 
Posts: 2,568
Karma: 2652441
Join Date: May 2006
Device: PocketBook 360, before it was Sony Reader, cassiopeia A-20
Quote:
Originally Posted by ficbot View Post
I didn't see anything ... and the options for font,
Five sizes.
Two styles -- Serif and Sanserif. It looks like it will have quite large margins in books judging from screenshots.
Other sellers of DRMed books do not let you choose font style at all, do they?

The device supports pdf and epub - nothing else, according to the specification.

The only nice feature I see is that when you switch off the device the cover of the most recently read book is displayed. Nice idea but I would make it optional. Especially or Harlequin readers ;-)
Another unique feature that they brag about is that they display how many pages are to the end of the chapter.

It looks like interesting device for a totally non-technical user. The kind of user that can not even read SMS received on his mobile phone (hi mom! ).
kacir is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-24-2010, 10:50 AM   #10
nboshart
Connoisseur
nboshart has a complete set of Star Wars action figures.nboshart has a complete set of Star Wars action figures.nboshart has a complete set of Star Wars action figures.nboshart has a complete set of Star Wars action figures.nboshart has a complete set of Star Wars action figures.
 
Posts: 65
Karma: 456
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Toronto
Device: Kobo
Apparently Kobo will be bringing them to BNC Tech Forum tomorrow, so if I get to use one I'll report back. (And not like my TOC reporting back, sorry about that!)
nboshart is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-24-2010, 02:36 PM   #11
Cyberman tM
Addict
Cyberman tM ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Cyberman tM ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Cyberman tM ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Cyberman tM ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Cyberman tM ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Cyberman tM ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Cyberman tM ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Cyberman tM ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Cyberman tM ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Cyberman tM ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Cyberman tM ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
Cyberman tM's Avatar
 
Posts: 277
Karma: 1101584
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: Austria
Device: Elonex EB600 Cool-Er; Kobo Wifi
Quote:
Originally Posted by Nate the great View Post
At first I was really excited, but then I recognized the hardware design. The case is new, but inside the case is hardware that was designed by Netronix. we’re looking at a device based on a 4 years old design, one that wasn’t very good to start with. How disappointing.
At the risk of going off-topic - why is the Netronix hardware bad? Or do you mean it's not as good as others are, i.e. could be a lot better?

I thought the hardware is rather neat, if cheap.

If the price stays or remains close, I might recommend that device to people who ask me. Aside from the software I have no quarrels with my EB600.

I suppose ignorance IS bliss, after all... (as I have no way to compare it with other models.)
Cyberman tM is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-24-2010, 02:49 PM   #12
mtravellerh
book creator
mtravellerh ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.mtravellerh ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.mtravellerh ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.mtravellerh ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.mtravellerh ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.mtravellerh ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.mtravellerh ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.mtravellerh ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.mtravellerh ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.mtravellerh ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.mtravellerh ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
mtravellerh's Avatar
 
Posts: 9,608
Karma: 1324674
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: Luxembourg
Device: PB360°
Quote:
Originally Posted by Cyberman tM View Post
At the risk of going off-topic - why is the Netronix hardware bad? Or do you mean it's not as good as others are, i.e. could be a lot better?

I thought the hardware is rather neat, if cheap.

If the price stays or remains close, I might recommend that device to people who ask me. Aside from the software I have no quarrels with my EB600.

I suppose ignorance IS bliss, after all... (as I have no way to compare it with other models.)
It's the first I have heard about the Netronix hardware being not good. Maybe it's Nate's opinion that comes into account here. I think there may be faster hardware around now but with the right software, this still really rocks.

I have not found any evidence that this is Netronix hardware, by the way, and I should know.
mtravellerh is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-24-2010, 03:09 PM   #13
Nate the great
Sir Penguin of Edinburgh
Nate the great ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Nate the great ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Nate the great ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Nate the great ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Nate the great ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Nate the great ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Nate the great ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Nate the great ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Nate the great ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Nate the great ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Nate the great ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
Nate the great's Avatar
 
Posts: 10,055
Karma: 2784905
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: DC Metro area
Device: Shake a stick plus 1
Quote:
Originally Posted by mtravellerh View Post
I have not found any evidence that this is Netronix hardware, by the way, and I should know.
It has the 4 buttons on the side just like the Eb600/PB301/Cybook, and the d-pad is in the same place. If it's not a Netronix design then this developer made the same bad decisions as Netronix.

Why don't I like it? The 4 buttons on the side are difficult to see, much less press. I have to turn the device sideways to see which one I'm touching. The d-pad is too low on the device for me to have my thumb on it when holding the device with one hand.

Yes, Pocketbook has put some great software on it, and so has Bookeen. But both have moved on to better designs, haven't they? And besides, the Kobo e-reader is going to have the stock firmware.
__________________
The Digital Reader blog - www.the-digital-reader.com
Last edited by Nate the great; 03-24-2010 at 03:26 PM.
Nate the great is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-24-2010, 03:21 PM   #14
Dulin's Books
Wizard
Dulin's Books ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Dulin's Books ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Dulin's Books ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Dulin's Books ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Dulin's Books ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Dulin's Books ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Dulin's Books ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Dulin's Books ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Dulin's Books ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Dulin's Books ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Dulin's Books ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
Posts: 2,689
Karma: 12474916
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: Portland, OR
Device: Boox PB360 etc etc etc
they acknowledge the side button issues by having them labeled on the front
__________________
www.dulinsbooks.com

Formerly an Authorized retailer of Onyx and PocketBook ebook readers

Currently employed at Microsoft as a Product Advisor
Dulin's Books is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-24-2010, 03:24 PM   #15
MaggieScratch
Has got to the black veil
MaggieScratch knows the square root of minus one.MaggieScratch knows the square root of minus one.MaggieScratch knows the square root of minus one.MaggieScratch knows the square root of minus one.MaggieScratch knows the square root of minus one.MaggieScratch knows the square root of minus one.MaggieScratch knows the square root of minus one.MaggieScratch knows the square root of minus one.MaggieScratch knows the square root of minus one.MaggieScratch knows the square root of minus one.MaggieScratch knows the square root of minus one.
 
MaggieScratch's Avatar
 
Posts: 537
Karma: 7960
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: Southeastern Pennsylvania
Device: Nook Color, Nook Simple Touch
Is it the Netronix firmware? Looks like they've spiffed it up some:

http://www.koboereader.com/experience.html

Looks pretty slick, actually; aesthetically, it's very nice-looking, almost (dare I say) Apple-like. If I didn't already have two ebook readers, I'd be tempted; especially as there is a Kobo app for my smartphone. It would make a nice ecosystem.
__________________
'You speak like a heroine,' said Montoni, contemptuously; 'we shall see whether you can suffer like one.' – The Mysteries of Udolpho by Ann Radcliffe, Volume III, Chapter V
Last edited by MaggieScratch; 03-24-2010 at 03:27 PM.
MaggieScratch is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply
Page 1 of 5 1 2345

« Previous Thread | Next Thread »
Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search

Forum Jump

Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Over trying to manage Kobo reader with Kobo desktop. Some help with Calibre? digital_steve Calibre 14 09-18-2010 01:12 AM
Over trying to manage Kobo reader with Kobo desktop. Some help with Calibre? digital_steve Kobo Reader 11 08-02-2010 10:31 PM
The Green Reader UK launches new e-reader jules_july News 19 06-16-2010 11:50 AM
Zinio Launches new Reader Nate the great News 13 04-10-2010 07:31 AM
Pocketbook Global launches new reader at CEBIT Forkosigan PocketBook 21 02-22-2010 01:34 AM


All times are GMT -4. The time now is 07:04 PM.

Contact Us - FAQ - Guidelines - Privacy - Archive - Top

MobileRead.com is a privately owned, operated and funded community.