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Kobo introduces 7-inch, Android 4.0 ‘Arc’ tablet

Posted Sep 6 2012 by Scott Webster in  with 16 Comments



Kobo, in what seems like a preemptive attack on Amazon and their next Kindle Fire, has announced a new 7-inch Android-based tablet.  Called the Kobo Arc, it is the $200 successor to the Kobo Vox.

Details for the device are pretty decent when compared to other products in the price range and include a 1.5GHz dual-core processor, 1GB RAM, a 7-inch 1280 x 800 HD IPS display, 720p HD front facing camera (2-megapixel), microUSB, and Wi-Fi connectivity.  The Kobo Arc comes preloaded with the full Google Play experience, something that neither the Nook Tablet nor Kindle Fire can claim.  Additional apps include Facebook, Twitter, Skype, Rdio, Zinio, and PressReader.

Powered by Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, Kobo advises that it will receive Android 4.1 Jelly Bean “within a few months time”. Look for the Kobo Arc in either black or white color options and a choice of 8GB ($199) and 16GB ($349) storage capacities.

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About the Author

Scott WebsterScott founded AndroidGuys on November 5, 2007 and has been hooked ever since. His other mobile efforts can be found on AndroidAtlas (CNET) where he covers Google's mobile platform. When not obsessing over phones and tablets, Scott can be found listening to house music, watching the Green Bay Packers, or catching the latest movie.View all posts by Scott Webster →

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  • http://twitter.com/teeemoy Tim Albano

    What?! Why the big price difference?

  • http://www.facebook.com/discoman69 Don McCall

    They just killed it with the pricing. The specs for the 8GB version are close, but not quite equal to the Nexus 7, and the Nexus 7 doesn’t have to say “we’ll upgrade it to the latest and greatest…in a few month’s time. We promise.” The 16GB version is waaaay overpriced compared to the Nexus 7, making it an even worse buy. Why would someone even bother? Just go Google!

  • Larry Jenkins

    I think its a typo they mean 249?

  • http://www.facebook.com/scott.calibraxis Scott Edward Calibraxis

    Why bother when the Nexus 7 is out there? What is this tab offering that the Nexus doesn’t do for the same price? I second the question re: price difference 8gb vs 1gb – is this a typo?

  • Karen E

    This tab has expandability which Nexus 7 doesn’t – biggest drawback of Nexus 7. Plus e-reading friendly settings/screen which Nexus 7 doesn’t have either. It’s supposed to also allow you to pin web pages, apps, pics, music etc. within folders which should allow better organization of anyone’s interests/style/usage. The 16 GB is supposed to be $250. The things it doesn’t seem to have is Microphone, GPS, accelerometer, magnetometer and gyroscope which Nexus 7 has. Those are useful for many apps incl games. Plus it doesn’t appear to have things like HDMI and other useful connections, but these are missing on Nexus, Samsung and many other tabs. Kobo is mostly competing with ebook tabs on this one, with a more open platform of apps and customizability than Amazon’s current offerings, but since there are new ones on the way, we’ll have to see how they compare.

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  • Anonymous

    I wouldn’t even call this an attack. (1) There’s no way Arc’s screen is as tough as Fire HD’s “Child Play” screen. (2) The Dual-band, Dual-antenna Wi-Fi will make a huge difference in terms of surfing on the Internet. If anything, Apple should be watching out from behind its back, because the turtle is slowly creeping up on the hare! (3) Arc will be 2 months behind in sales. Try catching up to Kindle Fire HD now! And then out of nowhere pops the iPad Mini (which have yet to be announced by Apple). Good luck, Kobo. For the money, your best bet is on the Kindle Fire HD right now for the holidays.

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