Kobo has already taken the covers off their Arc lineup but to sweeten the deal a little but further, they've now gone ahead and added a brand new 64GB version to the mix. If you recall, the Kobo Arc will come running fully Google certified Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich with a custom skin Kobo has dubbed Tapestries. The concept being that you have all your info being right there, in front of you in easy to consume chunks. Overall, it's a content focused UI designed for tablet use.
The Arc series is packing a 1.5GHz dual-core TI OMAP processor, and 1GB of RAM. In addition to that, the 7-inch screen is a 1280x800 IPS panel with a reasonable PPI of 215 as well as a front facing 720p HD 1.3MP camera and a microphone. Of course, specs are not the real highlight here -- it's the prices Kobo has set that may grab some folks.
The Kobo Arc will be available for £159.99 (16GB), £189.99 (32GB) and now, the freshly announced £229.99 (64GB) with preorders starting ahead of availability in November. Something to consider for the holidays as a gift? Full press release is below for everyone.
Kobo Amps Up Storage on Kobo Arc Tablet Hitting Stores this November
Giving More Choice to Consumers, Kobo Arc Now Ranges from 16GB to 64GB, Starting at the Affordable Low Price of £159.99
TORONTO –18th September 2012 – Kobo, a global leader in eReading, today announced that the Kobo Arc 7” Android 4.0 tablet will be hitting stores in November with 16GB, 32GB and 64GB options. Taking a new and innovative approach to tablet design, Kobo designed the Kobo Arc to transform the traditional tablet experience from searching within apps to an immersive content platform with its unique interface Tapestries. People now have more choice in how they explore, save and experience the music, movies, eBooks, and webpages they love with the Kobo Arc – and with more storage available the possibilities are endless.
“We designed the Kobo Arc to let people focus on the music, eBooks, movies, website and applications they love rather than on the hardware they hold in their hand – though that is amazingly designed as well,” said Wayne White, General Manager of Devices, Kobo. “We’ve accomplished this by offering consumers more – more storage, more customisation, more choice – all in the powerful, attractive and vivid Android 4.0 Kobo Arc.”
Based on the content people “pin” to their Tapestries – from webpages, news articles, eBooks, movies, or pictures – the intelligent recommendations engine suggests additional content in the first-of-its-kind, Discovery Ribbon. The Kobo Arc is the only tablet that learns about the interests of its user, rather than tracking payment and browsing history, to suggest more of the content they love. Beyond the Tapestries interface which is designed to reflect the personal tastes of its user, consumers can also personalise their Kobo Arc experience through more eReading options, selecting from black or white models, as well as colourful SnapBacks in blue and purple.
The highly responsive Kobo Arc is driven by a 1.5GHz OMAP 4470 dual-core processor to deliver more processing power while retaining more than 10 hours of battery life in a single charge, giving consumers a highly responsive and long-lasting multimedia experience. Its 7” high-definition display with 178 degree viewing angles, 215 pixels/inch and 1280x800 resolution with 16-million colours bring video and pictures to life. In Kobo’s laboratory drop-tests, the Kobo Arc’s ultra-durable glass proved more resistant to damage than any other tablet currently available in the market. At only 364 grams, the Kobo Arc is also one of the lightest 7” tablets available and with the new storage configurations, consumers will relish in their ability to store as many songs, movies, eBooks, and pictures as they desire.
Comfortable to hold and optimised for reading outdoors, the Kobo Arc has front-facing stereo speakers with SRS TruMedia® sound to bring music to life as well as a 1.3 MegaPixel front-facing camera, built-in microphone, and 802.11 WiFi to easily connect to the web without an expensive data plan. The fully customizable Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) operating system allows consumers to configure and modify the Kobo Arc. The company has already begun its development plans for Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean). The Kobo Arc comes with Google Play to provide hours of entertainment through the Google Play Store’s 600,000 apps including Gmail and YouTube in addition to pre-loaded apps like Facebook®, Twitter®, Rdio®, Zinio® and PressReader®.
With the Kobo Arc, Kobo continues to build on its Read Freely philosophy which encourages more people to read anytime, anyplace and on any device they choose. The company’s eReading platform automatically syncs people’s libraries across devices from the Kobo Arc, to its E Ink eReaders, to the free apps for virtually any desktop, tablet, eReader or smartphone. With more than 10-million users across 190 countries, Kobo offers more choice than ever before with its new Family of eReaders, growing catalogue of more than 3-million eBooks, and content in 60 languages.
The Kobo Arc will be available for £159.99 (16GB), £189.99 (32GB) and £229.99 (64GB). Pre-orders will be available this fall in advance of its in-store availability this November.
