Kobo Aura H2O Officially Announced

[tnforpaul45]

Cool

Tech Specs:
http://www.kobo.com/koboaurah2o#techspecs

Ongoing Discussion:
MobileRead

More Details:
The Digital Reader

[booklover6]

I can't help wanting one...it's only a matter of time.

[tnforpaul45]

Specs:

223g weight.
1 GHz Processor
4GB Storage (matching the recent paperwhite upgrades)
Submersion in water for up to 30 minutes in 1 meter depth (Great for those Scuba Dives where you just have to catch up on Game of Thrones!)
6.8" Carta E Ink HD Screen... 1430x1080 265 DPI

Not a bad lil machine!

[Canuck_in_Japan]

Originally Posted by tnforpaul45

Specs:

223g weight.
1 GHz Processor
4GB Storage (matching the recent paperwhite upgrades)

Technically, Amazon is matching Kobo. The Aura HD started out with 4GB storage in April 2013.
I don't like the look of that back. It looks very smooth and glossy, like the previous version which was too slippery to hold. I would prefer something textured like the Aura.

[Canuck_in_Japan]

Review from Goodereader. I don't particularly like these guys but they do get their stuff done promptly.
http://goodereader.com/blog/electron...-kobo-aura-h20

[robko]

Originally Posted by Canuck_in_Japan

I don't like the look of that back. It looks very smooth and glossy, like the previous version which was too slippery to hold. I would prefer something textured like the Aura.

One of reported websites reporting leaks about the H2O talked about a textured back on it so hopefully it won't be smooth and hard. I'd still love if they went back to a quilted back like the originals.

[GeoffR]

Is the touch system infrared or capacitive? The goodereader review says infrared with no pinch/zoom support, but Kobo specs say it has a multi-touch screen. (I hope it really is infrared.)

The specs say it has a power button, but don't mention a light button. I wonder if it is still possible to turn the light completely off?

[RobertJSawyer]

I was a guest at the Kobo Aura H2O launch party in Toronto (where Kobo is headquartered) this evening, and have now held the device in my hands. Beautiful machine, very similar in form to the Kobo Aura HD, which it replaces. The launch party was held poolside, with a synchronized-swimming team going in and out of the water with H2O units.

Shipping October 1; Canadian retail price of $179. Only one physical switch (power); light on/off is now done by running a finger up the far left-hand side of the screen (from 0%, or off, at the bottom to 100% at the top).

The new Carta screen does noticeably whiter whites and blacker blacks than the screen on the HD.

The micro-SD slot and micro-USB connector are on the bottom, and, to maintain the waterproof seal, there's a hatch cover that goes over them.

The multitouch screen can detect when it has numerous points of contact simultaneously; the device interprets that circumstance as it being under water, or dappled with water spots, and can show a screen message to that effect (which can be disabled).

Case is slightly smaller and thinner than on the Aura HD, but the texture of the bezel and back is pretty much the same, as is the shape of the back. The H2O will come only in black (no espresso, no white), although it's really a very deep charcoal, not a solid black.

The Kobo logo is unobtrusively done in gloss finish against the matte bezel in dark type, centered at the bottom; it looks classier than on the HD.

The unit I held had firmware 3.7.0 installed (3.5.0 is the current public firmware for the Aura and Aura HD).

Terrific device, and I'm very glad to see it'll be in stores in time for Christmas.

All best wishes.

Rob

[Nate the great]

Originally Posted by GeoffR

Is the touch system infrared or capacitive? The goodereader review says infrared with no pinch/zoom support, but Kobo specs say it has a multi-touch screen. (I hope it really is infrared.)

The specs say it has a power button, but don't mention a light button. I wonder if it is still possible to turn the light completely off?

Infrared.

[nickart]

Originally Posted by Canuck_in_Japan

Review from Goodereader. I don't particularly like these guys but they do get their stuff done promptly.
http://goodereader.com/blog/electron...-kobo-aura-h20

Quote from the review: "The Aura H20 was designed to excel at reading the two most popular electronic book formats, PDF and EPUB"

Can we conclude from this that pdf's will, in fact, be readable on the H20?

Because they're certainly not on the HD.

[FizzyWater]

Do you suppose this is for those folks who have complained about not being able to read on their ereaders in the bath tub?

I can't imagine that many people who really ever wanted to read *in* the pool (as opposed to poolside).

I can remember pre-touch, however, slipping my Sony into a zippered plastic bag so I could soak in the tub with a good book. (Requires physical page turn buttons and best with a non-touch screen).

[Canuck_in_Japan]

As expected, that review is full of Kobo sycophantisim. I guess that's how they get their hands on the reader so quickly.

[Nate the great]

Originally Posted by Canuck_in_Japan

As expected, that review is full of Kobo sycophantisim. I guess that's how they get their hands on the reader so quickly.

I snickered when I saw that the IP67 standard described as "prestigious."

[tnforpaul45]

Originally Posted by RobertJSawyer

I was a guest at the Kobo Aura H2O launch party in Toronto (where Kobo is headquartered) this evening, and have now held the device in my hands. Beautiful machine, very similar in form to the Kobo Aura HD, which it replaces. The launch party was held poolside, with a synchronized-swimming team going in and out of the water with H2O units.

Shipping October 1; Canadian retail price of $179. Only one physical switch (power); light on/off is now done by running a finger up the far left-hand side of the screen (from 0%, or off, at the bottom to 100% at the top).

The new Carta screen does noticeably whiter whites and blacker blacks than the screen on the HD.

The micro-SD slot and micro-USB connector are on the bottom, and, to maintain the waterproof seal, there's a hatch cover that goes over them.

The multitouch screen can detect when it has numerous points of contact simultaneously; the device interprets that circumstance as it being under water, or dappled with water spots, and can show a screen message to that effect (which can be disabled).

Case is slightly smaller and thinner than on the Aura HD, but the texture of the bezel and back is pretty much the same, as is the shape of the back. The H2O will come only in black (no espresso, no white), although it's really a very deep charcoal, not a solid black.

The Kobo logo is unobtrusively done in gloss finish against the matte bezel in dark type, centered at the bottom; it looks classier than on the HD.

The unit I held had firmware 3.7.0 installed (3.5.0 is the current public firmware for the Aura and Aura HD).

Terrific device, and I'm very glad to see it'll be in stores in time for Christmas.

All best wishes.

Rob

That's great! I saw Kobo's pic on facebook of the pool. Thanks for sharing!

[Nate the great]

Originally Posted by RobertJSawyer

I was a guest at the Kobo Aura H2O launch party in Toronto (where Kobo is headquartered) this evening, and have now held the device in my hands. Beautiful machine, very similar in form to the Kobo Aura HD, which it replaces. The launch party was held poolside, with a synchronized-swimming team going in and out of the water with H2O units.

Cool! Thanks for the first hand report.