You already know that I thoroughly enjoy reading ebooks with the Kobo eReader Touch and now we see the Kobo is challenging Amazon’s upcoming Kindle Fire with the Kobo Vox eReader available now for pre-order for $199.99 with availability staring 28 October.
Like the Amazon Kindle, the Vox eReader is both an ebook reader and a tablet with a custom user interface built on Android. Social networking integration has been a focus with the Kobo ereaders and the Kobo Vox is inspired by Vox Populi, the voice of the people, with extensive social interaction. You will find Kobo integrates Facebook Ticker and Timeline to enable reading discovery and Pulse to find book recommendations.
Specifications and features of the Kobo Vox eReader include:
- 7 inch anti-glare color display at 1280×800 resolution
- Weight of 14.2 ounces
- 8GB internal memory for over 5,000 books with microSD storage option
- Battery of up to 7 hours
- Android 2.3 operating system with support for over 15,000 free apps
- Kobo and Facebook widgets on the home screen
- Web browser
- Full featured email client
- Unlimited music from RDIO
While I love the Kobo eReader Touch device, it is going to be a major challenge for Kobo to compete with the Amazon ecosystem and brand. Then again, they have shown before that they can make lovely hardware and compete in the dedicated ebook reader market.
