Perhaps often forgotten thanks to Amazon’s dominance of the e-reader market, Kobo is attempting to make its mark on the Android tablet market, today launching its Kobo Arc device in the UK and Canada.
Kobo’s Arc tablet — which features a 7-inch 1280 x 800 HD display, 1.5GHz OMAP 4470 dual-core processor, 1GB RAM and comes with 16GB, 32GB and 64GB storage configurations — is available at 550 high street WH Smith stores in the UK and at Indigo-Chapters, Best Buy, and Future Shop in Canada.
The device will also go on sale in France on Monday (November 19) at Fnac Booksellers, with pricing starting at $199.99 (16GB), $249.99 (32GB) and $299.99 (64GB).
The Kobo Arc is said to offer 10 hours of battery life and runs Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) in a package that weighs just 364 grams. With access to Google Play, Kobo Arc users have access to a complete range of Android apps and Kobo says that it is already working to roll out an upgrade to Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean).
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In October, Kobo announced it had signed an agreement to acquire Aquafadas, to utilise the company’s digital publishing software and platforms to boost its rich media offering on Kobo e-readers and tablets.
The company says that it will bring an expanded selection of rich media, including magazines, academic publications, comics and kids’ books to its Kobo e-readers, helping it not only expand its selection of digital downloads, but position its self-publishing services as a real alternative to Amazon’s Kindle and Apple’s iBookStore and Newsstand offerings.
It’s a tough market for Kobo, which launches its Android devices after Amazon’s Kindle Fire tablets have already gone on sale and Barnes & Noble’s NOOK devices available for preorder. If competition from its bookselling rivals wasn’t enough, Google is on a charge, having recently refreshed its Nexus 7 lineup and added the Nexus 10 to its Play Store (although the retail launch was a complete mess).
All of this competition can only benefit the consumer – there’s now a very wide range of handheld tablets available to choose from, including Apple’s new iPad mini.
➤ Kobo Arc
Image Credit: AFP/Getty
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