Kobo Vox: Now comes with Google Play and more

[tubemonkey]

Originally Posted by taming

but will it blend...

you bet it will.

Tom's great, isn't he?

[Cdesja5]

Originally Posted by BWinmill

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.

But the Vox's battery is very accessible (right next to the reset button under the removable back cover, ) so I would imagine that it will eventually be possible to change the battery when it's needed....China will make a compatible model eventually if it's not already done so I think it is more the new software developments vs hardware limitations that will cause it to be replaced by its owners rather than the life of the battery...

[JD Gumby]

Originally Posted by Ankh

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.

Er, Kobo would have had little choice in the matter, given the hardware - it's completely up to Google whether or not a device is (officially) allowed into the Android Market/Google Play. As far as I can remember from reading the design requirements for an Android 2.3 device to be allowed into the official store, the Kobo Vox only barely qualifies, and even then only if the person dealing with Kobo's application is feeling generous and decides to give them breaks on the various features a device "should" have.

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.

Users are just as likely to run into dodgy APKs on Google Play as they are on GetJar. Most problems in that area, though, are from users just tech savvy enough to install APKs from random sites on the 'Net.

[taming]

Originally Posted by JD Gumby

As far as I can remember from reading the design requirements for an Android 2.3 device to be allowed into the official store, the Kobo Vox only barely qualifies, and even then only if the person dealing with Kobo's application is feeling generous and decides to give them breaks on the various features a device "should" have.

The suspicious pessimistic part of me (it's very small, but there) thinks that somewhere in the googleplex, a person with a calculator decided that it was better to give the Vox Play access than to lose more sales to Amazon's 7 inch Fire.

With Play on the Vox, people have the option of Google music, google movies, and google books--the whole ecosystem that they are establishing.

[SensualPoet]

Giving Kobo Vox access to Google Play ALSO gives the Kobo Vox ebook customer access to the Google Play ebookstore. Google might believe that Kobo's growing customer base is worth having access to.

[Ankh]

Originally Posted by BWinmill

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.

Sigh... Of course you are right. If it wasn't for that little loophole leading us to the situation where quite a few entities have tried to close up the doors and create their own walled garden around (yet another) app store.

I am fed up with that fragmentation, and believe that we have reached point where inclusion of "straight" Google Play (or a click-away method to install it) is almost a must for any Android device. Having another app store in addition to Google Play is acceptable, lack of living link to "the rest" of Android world is ... well, cheating.

Something needs to be done about that fragmentation, and, more importantly, what is and what isn't labelled as Android device.

The malware is an issue, and I believe that sooner or latter Google will have to introduce a positive identification (a one time $1 credit card charge for "developer" status would suffice) that will allow courts and authorities to find and prosecute offenders.

Originally Posted by Ankh

I am fed up with that fragmentation, and believe that we have reached point where inclusion of "straight" Google Play (or a click-away method to install it) is almost a must for any Android device.

I agree with you on the notion of fragmentation, albeit not on Google Play.

A far greater concern, in my opinion, is the fragmentation of the market due to anticompetitive practices like vendor lock-in. This would be things like Amazon vs. ePub and the proprietary versions of ePub (i.e. the different DRM). Kobo is okay on this front at the moment since they provide ePubs with Adobe's DRM, but who knows if this will continue in the future.

With respect to Google Play, well, this isn't exactly the iOS walled garden. Android vendors do have the option to use different marketplaces, including their own website), so it is actually the vendors making the decisions here. I don't always agree with those decisions, such as Amazon making it difficult to access the Kindle app outside of Google Play and their own marketplace, but it is Amazon who will potentially suffer from that decision.

Alas, it is too easy to treat a company's actions in both respects cynically because there is too much vendor lock-in going on. As an example: did Kobo originally neglect the Google marketplace because it didn't meet the requirements, or because they didn't want people to buy their device to use the Amazon, B&N, or Sony book stores?

[Dcslz]

I think google play hates me.
It screws up most of my deals. Grrr...
So, can't really say that am happy to hear it's inclusion in Kobo Vox.

[tomsem]

Originally Posted by SensualPoet

Giving Kobo Vox access to Google Play ALSO gives the Kobo Vox ebook customer access to the Google Play ebookstore. Google might believe that Kobo's growing customer base is worth having access to.

Have you tried it? Does it actually include Google bookstore? Kobo web site makes no mention of the bookstore, at least in the bullet points:

"Enjoy Web, email, music, videos, over 500,000 apps, music and movies on Google Play™!"

It would really be weird to install a competing bookstore with the update.

[taming]

Originally Posted by tomsem

Have you tried it? Does it actually include Google bookstore? Kobo web site makes no mention of the bookstore, at least in the bullet points:

"Enjoy Web, email, music, videos, over 500,000 apps, music and movies on Google Play™!"

It would really be weird to install a competing bookstore with the update.

The Google Play bookstore works just fine for purchasing via the Play app. You can also buy Kindle books using the Kindle app.

[tomsem]

Originally Posted by taming

The Google Play bookstore works just fine via the Play app. You can also buy Kindle books using the Kindle app.

I'm not referring to the reading apps (which presumably you have to find and install yourself), but rather the Google Play Store app itself. Does it have the 'Books' link?

[taming]

Yes, it has the books link. I just bought their book of the week on my Vox.

Added: And then I went to Play in my computer browser, downloaded the file from the Play site, and transferred the book onto my Kobo Touch via Calibre, which I use to manage my books.

[tomsem]

Originally Posted by taming

Yes, it has the books link. I just bought their book of the week on my Vox.

Added: And then I went to Play in my computer browser, downloaded the file from the Play site, and transferred the book onto my Kobo Touch via Calibre, which I use to manage my books.

Google must be giving Kobo a cut of sales made from Kobo Tablet?

I would actually prefer purchasing from Google where PDF format is bundled.

The Play Books app was installed on my Vox by default. I guess one of the perks of the Vox is that you can buy from anyone, even using their competitors app. Now if only Kobo would update tje integrated reader so that customers don't feel compelled to shop elsewhere.

[kevinp]

If only Barnes & Noble would unlock the Nook Tablet. Then I wouldn't have to root it. I might be compelled to buy more books from them...