Purpose of the vox

Solicitous · 01-19-2012, 06:35 AM

Hi all. Being a little bit of a gadget freak I keep my eye open for new toys to buy. One thing that has got me a little baffled is the purpose/intended market for the vox? I see the Amazon Fire has not only web surfing and book access, but also a tie in with a whole streaming multi media platform such as movies and TV shows.

From what I see of the vox is it is a 7" tablet, and not offering anything really more than that. Am I wrong? Is there more to the vox than just that?

Secondly what is the kobo app like? Is it the same as the android app or is there more integration and functionality? I see on the kobo page all this talk of Facebook integration and sharing etc.

Tia

hpulley · 01-19-2012, 12:51 PM

You can watch TV shows on the Vox too with Netflix or similar apps. The Vox and Kindle Fire have similar purposes really, both 7" tablets which are book readers, media tablets and web browsers, game players, etc. Kindle Fire uses Cloud storage, Kobo does too but also sideloads microSD cards. They both hope you'll buy things from their store but you don't have to.

The Kobo reader on the Vox is quite different than the Android app with support for the color free form epub books that are Vox only in be Kobo store and the reading life and Pulse integrations and Facebook.

GJSmith · 01-19-2012, 06:05 PM

Solicitous the Vox is and ereader first with some extras like web access and email. They do not even term it a "tablet"
It's most unique feature which has been written up in every review is it's social feature..Pulse.
While reading a book if Pulse is turned on you can see who else is reading the book and share comments.

Laridae · 01-19-2012, 07:16 PM

The Vox is primarily an eReader with the ability to run some Android apps as well.

It's not really comparable to a full-fledged tablet because it has a slower processor, no camera, no GPS, no microphone, no bluetooth, and no telephone. But for what it does, it's well worth the $200.

The Vox is fairly "open" in the sense that while you can buy books from the Kobo bookstore if you want, you are not locked-in to their ecosystem. With a little fiddling you can download 3rd party software enabling you to read free library books. And you can play movies from other sources.

The Kindle Fire and the Nook readers are really only usable by US residents right now. For Canadians the Vox is really our only option for an eReader right now. I'd imagine this would be true for Australians, such as yourself, as well.

BWinmill · 01-19-2012, 08:26 PM

Isn't Kobo's line, the Vox is an ereader with benefits? I think that's because it is a fairly generic Android tablet, but it is considered underpowered by many. Still, I haven't had performance issues with it. Then again, I have been using computers for nearly 30 years and have more realistic expectations than some people.

hpulley · 01-19-2012, 10:43 PM

The iMX51 has an analog 720p output but it is not hooked up on the Vox. Not sure if it could be wired to HDMI without additional circuitry. There is an add-on video board available.

It has an unused audio line in/mic and camera inputs (light sensor? ).

01-19-2012, 06:35 AM	#1
Solicitous Wizard Posts: 1,434 Karma: 1525776 Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: TAS, Australia Device: Astak Pocket Pro (Black), 2 x Kindle WiFi (Graphite), iPod Touch 4G	Purpose of the vox Hi all. Being a little bit of a gadget freak I keep my eye open for new toys to buy. One thing that has got me a little baffled is the purpose/intended market for the vox? I see the Amazon Fire has not only web surfing and book access, but also a tie in with a whole streaming multi media platform such as movies and TV shows. From what I see of the vox is it is a 7" tablet, and not offering anything really more than that. Am I wrong? Is there more to the vox than just that? Secondly what is the kobo app like? Is it the same as the android app or is there more integration and functionality? I see on the kobo page all this talk of Facebook integration and sharing etc. Tia

01-19-2012, 07:16 PM	#4
Laridae Addict Posts: 208 Karma: 1203096 Join Date: Dec 2011 Location: Ontario, Canada Device: Nexus 7, Blackberry PlayBook, Nexus 4, ChromeBook	The Vox is primarily an eReader with the ability to run some Android apps as well. It's not really comparable to a full-fledged tablet because it has a slower processor, no camera, no GPS, no microphone, no bluetooth, and no telephone. But for what it does, it's well worth the $200. The Vox is fairly "open" in the sense that while you can buy books from the Kobo bookstore if you want, you are not locked-in to their ecosystem. With a little fiddling you can download 3rd party software enabling you to read free library books. And you can play movies from other sources. The Kindle Fire and the Nook readers are really only usable by US residents right now. For Canadians the Vox is really our only option for an eReader right now. I'd imagine this would be true for Australians, such as yourself, as well. Last edited by Laridae; 01-19-2012 at 07:27 PM.

01-19-2012, 10:43 PM	#6
hpulley Addict Posts: 288 Karma: 29760 Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: Ontario, Canada Device: Kobo Vox, Playbook32	The iMX51 has an analog 720p output but it is not hooked up on the Vox. Not sure if it could be wired to HDMI without additional circuitry. There is an add-on video board available. It has an unused audio line in/mic and camera inputs (light sensor? ). Last edited by hpulley; 01-19-2012 at 10:58 PM.

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01-19-2012, 12:51 PM	#2
hpulley Addict Posts: 288 Karma: 29760 Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: Ontario, Canada Device: Kobo Vox, Playbook32	You can watch TV shows on the Vox too with Netflix or similar apps. The Vox and Kindle Fire have similar purposes really, both 7" tablets which are book readers, media tablets and web browsers, game players, etc. Kindle Fire uses Cloud storage, Kobo does too but also sideloads microSD cards. They both hope you'll buy things from their store but you don't have to. The Kobo reader on the Vox is quite different than the Android app with support for the color free form epub books that are Vox only in be Kobo store and the reading life and Pulse integrations and Facebook.

01-19-2012, 06:05 PM	#3
GJSmith Connoisseur Posts: 87 Karma: 2000 Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: Barry's Bay Ontario Canada Device: Kobo Vox	Solicitous the Vox is and ereader first with some extras like web access and email. They do not even term it a "tablet" It's most unique feature which has been written up in every review is it's social feature..Pulse. While reading a book if Pulse is turned on you can see who else is reading the book and share comments.

01-19-2012, 08:26 PM	#5
BWinmill Nameless Being	Isn't Kobo's line, the Vox is an ereader with benefits? I think that's because it is a fairly generic Android tablet, but it is considered underpowered by many. Still, I haven't had performance issues with it. Then again, I have been using computers for nearly 30 years and have more realistic expectations than some people.

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