Kobo launches a 7 inch Android tablet as it tries to piggyback on Amazon's buzz

Riding the buzz generated by Amazon's multi-tablet announcement on Thursday, eReader manufacturer Kobo unwrapped its first Android tablet, the Kobo Arc. The tablet was one of four products announced by Kobo including the Kobo Mini, the lightest and smallest full-featured eReader, the Kobo Glo which uses CoverLight technology to allow users to read in comfort day or night, and the Kobo Touch which is the industry's first touchscreen eReader.

The Kobo Arc 7 inch tablet

With its 7 inch screen and $199.99 price tag for 8GB of storage and $249.99 for 16GB, the Kobo Arc has been designed to go up against the newest crop of low-priced 7 inch Android tablets like the ASUS built Google Nexus 7 ($199.00 for 8GB and $249.00 for 16GB) and the just introduced entry-level Amazon Kindle Fire 2 for $159 and the Amazon Kindle Fire HD. The latter offers a HD 1280 x 800 resolution 7 inch screen and 16GB of storage for $199.

The Kobo Arc comes installed with Android 4.0 with a Kobo developed skin called Tapestries running on top of it. A 1.3MP camera is on board along with front-facing speakers. Unlike the Amazon Kindle Fire devices, Google applications are available on the Kobo Arc, including the Google Play Store. Pre-installed on the tablet is Facebook, Twitter, Skype and PressReader. The latter is an app that gives you 2,000 full-content newspapers from 95 countries. Launching in November, the Kobo Arc will be available in Black and White with Blue and Purple SnapBacks that can be interchanged.

This product looks fabulous. The technical specs are up there with what is being offered by others in the category. But Kobos store sells you a more open product then amazon or others do. You are free to take your books elsewhere if you choose and not risk losing them. It's not locked down at all. That's better. I want this tablet as I am using an older kobo reader and would like to upgrade.

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