Kobo Vox: Now comes with Google Play and more

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It looks like the folks at Kobo have been busy....

With Google Play preloaded on the Kobo Vox eReader! For current obo Vox and Google PlayVox users, Google Play will be automatically included in the software update the next time they connect to the internet. With the new integration, Kobo Vox customers now have access to over 500,000 apps at their fingertips.

“Google Play is the perfect addition for the content-rich eReading environment of the Kobo Vox. This is another big step in our ability to give people an open and compelling multimedia device that can be customized to suit their needs. Having access to the thousands of games, apps and tools offered by Google Play makes the Kobo Vox an eReader and so much more.”
- Dan Leibu, CTO, Kobo Inc.

more...

The closest competitor is the Nook Color and for only $11 more you get the Google Play store and a host of Google apps. You can now use your vox to read Kindle, B&N, Google, Adobe, etc.. without having to fiddle with rooting or side-loading.


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[covfam]

Problem is for a cheap & 7 inch readher, the Galaxy tab 2 7.0at $249 (seen sales as low as $229) it's CPU is nearly 3 times faster, has a better GPU, Access to all the samsung Hubs much better UI with samsungs Touchwiz 4, Android 4.0 , built in ir blaster for controll of your tv/dvr/dvd players, bigger battery. not to mention access to the google play store.

saving a lil longer to get the galaxy tab 2 7.0 will get you a much better ereader/media consumption device than the Vox

[taming]

Interestingly enough, the Vox was never marketed by Kobo as a tablet. I think most of us who bought it are very glad to have access to Google Play and use the tablet abilities it does have. At $179 it's great for everything I need out of a 7 inch device. There will always be something newer, faster, more full featured, but as a reader with enhanced abilities, it's pretty remarkable. And the price makes it the kind of thing I can gift to young grandchildren without it breaking the bank.

For what it's worth, there are reasons to buy a $180 tablet instead of a significantly better $230 tablet. These are disposable devices. Since they are being carried around a lot, they will probably break. I use it in public spaces a lot, so there is a chance of it being stolen. Even if bad luck doesn't befall the device, it is only designed to last for a limited amount of time (e.g. the battery will likely fail after 2 or 3 years). So some of us don't want to spend extra money for features that we don't even need.

[HarryT]

They will probably break? I've been carrying around a wide assortment of PDA's, laptops, bookreaders, tablets, etc, for well over 25 years now and haven't broken one yet. Would you regard yourself as a particularly clumsy person when it comes to electronic devices? I'm curious about why you think that your devices will probably break!

[Conor]

My Vox fell down a flight of stairs some months ago. Totally undamaged.

[taming]

but will it blend...

[HarryT]

Blend with what? I don't understand the question, I'm afraid.

[taming]

There is a series of videos on YouTube in which the manufacturer of a very powerful blender puts various things in his blender to see what happens--including iPhones, marbles, all sorts of things. Here is the iPAD one: http://youtu.be/lAl28d6tbko

[HarryT]

Thanks. This kind of thing make me feel a little sick. It's wanton destruction for the sake of it. Capitalism gone mad.

[taming]

I'm guessing that the fellow that does this has sold a whole lot of blenders this way. A marketing cost for him, I suppose.

[SensualPoet]

Not lost, I hope, in the announcement that the $180 Kobo Vox now has full Google Play access is that everyone who has bought one since launch now has access to Google Play without spending another nickel. In other words, magically, the device does considerably more than it promised to do when purchased.

And, it still delivers a pretty well-rounded experience -- reading, basic email, Facebook, surfing, radio, music, and other distractions like games and YouTube -- in a convenient package.

[soondai]

While they won't break, BWinmill makes a very good point that these devises are disposable. Almost none come with user replaceable batteries. And for most there is no battery replacement policy.

Apple will replace your battery (really swap your device for a refurb with a new battery) for a set fee designated on their site. Whatever problems they have, I sure appreciate that policy.

Amazon does not have a policy for the Fire-- maybe they will somewhere down the road when these batteries are starting to die, but I just don't understand why they have not set it up now. And I'm even more baffled why no one gives a crap.

The economy is in the sh*tter, and we're still being trained to throw away things that work just fine.

[Ankh]

Originally Posted by SensualPoet

Not lost, I hope, in the announcement that the $180 Kobo Vox now has full Google Play access is that everyone who has bought one since launch now has access to Google Play without spending another nickel. In other words, magically, the device does considerably more than it promised to do when purchased.

That's very interesting way of putting it. One could argue that Kobo's little scheme to use Android software base but cripple the device with lack of access to Google Play had backfired. I think that it became obvious to Kobo that they have two options:

1. Either bite the bullet, fix the software, and stay away from the "Pinky & the Brain" schemes in the future, or
2. Wait for the device to be hacked and irritate their existing customers.

Be it as it may, everything that undermines idiotic notion that fighting your own customer base is viable business strategy is welcome, and this is definitely a move in the right direction.

It's quite possible that there was no Pinky-and-the-Brain scheme involved here. The Google Apps are just that: Google's apps. Unlike the open source portions of Android, they are distributed under Google's terms. Maybe Kobo didn't feel like living up to them at first.

I bring that option up because the Vox is a very open device. It may not have offered Google Play, but side-loading Apps was easy and they even provided root access through ADB (i.e. no rooting required). They don't have to provide either, but they did. While I have yet to own an Android device that prevents side-loading, I have seen plenty where root access isn't the norm.

As for breakage, accidents happen. Since I'm always on the move and always reading on the move, accidents are more likely to happen in my case (i.e. you don't have to be clumsy to break something). I've had a Kindle break for no apparent reason, airport security drop my laptop, and I've personally dropped my Vox. The laptop and Vox survived with cosmetic damage, but that won't always be the case.