We are living times when e-readers have started to dominate the reading market. For example, Kobo, the Canadian company is considered to be the next huge competitor for Barnes & Noble and Amazon.
But, e-readers are not the only devices that this company is building. It seems the Kobo has managed to enter the low-cost tablet for readers market. This is probably an experiment to see what the big players did well and what they got wrong. So, we present you the Kobo Arc.
This is a 200 dollars tablet. We must say that this is the same exact price that customers could also pay for the Kindle Fire HD and Nook HD. Moreover, the new Kobo Arc also has the mission to serve the same purpose: delivering a tablet experience for Kobo e-readers customers.
But, we must say that this tablet has the power to go further than that. For example, instead of keeping users to Kobo-only books, apps and media, customers should also know that it runs Android without blocks or limitations.
This means that besides buying more Kobo books, users will also have the possibility to access the Google Play Store and all the Google core apps. This is a smart approach for Kobo, because customers are most likely not buying a tablet just for reading or purchasing new books.
Let’s talk about its design a little bit. Kobo’s new tablet looks a lot like its e-readers, which means that it doesn’t come with something special or new. As an example, we could say that The Arc looks exactly like the Kobo Touch, but with an LCD instead of an E in screen.
We must say that we like the soft touch back, which tapers to the edges for a comfortable hold. Kobo’s design measures 7.4 x 4.7 x 0.5 inches and weighs approximately 12.7 ounces.
This is a very good size and weight for a tablet that comes with a 7-inch screen. As we mentioned earlier, the Kobo Arc runs Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, which means that it has all the goodies that Android has to offer.
An interesting fact about this tablet is that it comes with no buttons beyond a Volume toggle situated on the upper right side and the Power buttons situated on top. As for the 7-inch screen, customers should know that it features 1280 x 800 pixel resolution IPS.
It seems that it doesn’t come with the pixel density found on the iPad 4 or Nook HD, but we must say that it has bright colors and a good contrast. Another interesting thing is that this tablet comes with two speaker grills situated under the display and face out. The sound quality is not so great because it sounds flat and lacks bass.
So, for a great sound experience, we recommend users to plug in a good pair of headphones to the jack placed on the upper right edge. By adding a pair of headphones, users will find the audio experience much more pleasant.
