The Kobo Vox is being sold as an e-reader, with WHSmith launching it today, for £169. But it’s basically an Android tablet running Android 2.3 on a 7″ 1024×600 capactive screen with multitouch support, plus an 800MHz processor, 512MB of RAM and 8GB of media storage space.
There’s no 3G or a camera, so it’s a bit on the “entry level” side of things, but if you’re in the market for a cheap tablet with pre-loaded e-reader software, this might be it.
It looks like Kobo has teamed up with GetJar to provide the apps marketplace, but other than that… looks OK. Here’s a press release:
WHSmith to launch new Kobo Vox colour WiFi eReader at just £169.99
23rd November 2011, United Kingdom: WHSmith has today announced the launch of the new Kobo Vox; a fully featured colour WiFi eReader that brings books to life with a vivid multimedia touch screen.
The Kobo Vox will complement the WiFi eReader and first widely available touch screen eReader in the UK, the Kobo Touch, which WHSmith launched in October.
At just £169.99, the Kobo Vox is set in a jet black surround, with the iconic Kobo quilted back for easy grip and comfortable reading. It has a 7-inch anti-glare screen making it easy to read in all lights – including outdoor reading. Its vivid colour screen, video and audio technology not only enhance eBook images and illustrations but make it perfect for listening to music, playing games and watching videos.
As the only official eReading partner to Facebook, Kobo has also equipped the Vox with a host of social media tools. Kobo Pulse connects users reading the same book. So, book reviews, comments and conversations can be shared in real-time with others on Facebook, Twitter or within the book itself.
As well as offering the ultimate reading experience, the Kobo Vox also boasts:
· Access to 2.2 million titles, including one million free eBooks
· Multimedia colour touch screen with extra-wide viewing angle
· Ability to play games, listen to music and watch videos – all in colour!
· Fast web browsing for access to Facebook, Twitter and email
· Full access to over 15,000 free apps for Android
· An expandable memory to hold up to 32,000 eBooks
· 42 adjustable font sizes
· Easy to hold, lightweight design with a comfortable quilted back
· Ability to personalise your eBooks with highlights and annotationsThe Kobo Vox will be available in over 650 WHSmith high street, airport and railway station stores from Wednesday 23 November as well as online at www.whsmith.co.uk/kobo.
Michael Serbinis, CEO, Kobo Inc. comments: “With the combination of a beautiful product, incredible video and audio functionality and now with the advent of social reading, the Kobo Vox is unlike any eReading product available in the UK today. As part of our mission to inspire people to spend more time reading, we’ve made reading with Vox a truly social experience – we’re excited Kobo is the first eReading platform to be integrated with Facebook Ticker and Timeline, to enable further reading discovery and entertainment enabling us to take eReading to the next level.”
Rachel Russell, Business Unit Director, Books, WHSmith said: “We’re really pleased with the way customers have responded to the Kobo eReaders and accessories in our stores and we’re delighted to be the first UK retailer to offer customers a product as innovative as the new Kobo Vox”.
Motorola’s latest flagship dual-core Android monster is a massive, original powerhouse, that’s a big improvement on previous MOTOBLUR mobiles – but still isn’t a total winner.
A slim and glamorous phone from Sony Ericsson, with the sharpest display around. It’s no powerhouse and the screen’s not the biggest out there, but we don’t mind. Because it’s cute.
LG’s first glasses-free 3D phone is a heavy, fat monster, with a clever 3D effect that works rather well. As a smartphone, though, it’s heavy and underwhelming.
A very shiny thing from Sony Ericsson, with a 3.7″ screen and Android 2.3.3 inside. But is it exciting enough to win fans in today’s spec-obsessed market? Can man live on one core alone?
INQ’s Android phone is an interesting “boutique” piece of hardware, packed with unique interface customisations that go far beyond the headline Facebook integration. We like it a lot.
Bod
/ November 24, 2011Interesting. Seems to be getting panned by the geekier sites and praised by the e-reader community, particularly in their home country of Canada as they, like us, don’t get the Amazon Fire and B&N Nook Colour/Tablet.
Strikes me as the “return of the netbook”. They’re cheap, plastic and slow, with a small screen and generally a bit crappy but for people who don’t wrap up their entire self-worth in the gadgets they buy, they’ll do nicely at that price.