Hasta La Gadget!

There’s nothing like a good underdog story. Aside from last year’s failed Vox tablet, Kobo has made some quality devices, but has still failed to make a huge dent in the e-reader market — a space dominated by Amazon and Barnes & Noble. In the case of the Glo front-lit e-reader ($129), Kobo might just be hampered by unfortunate timing. Though the company managed to get a jump on things in the last round with the Kobo Touch, the Glo comes on the heels of similar devices, the Nook Simple Touch with GlowLight and the Amazon Kindle Paperwhite. But, could this reader have what it takes to convince Kindle and Nook owners to take a leap of faith? Find out after the break.

Continue reading Kobo Glo review: another illuminated e-reader lights up the market

Kobo Glo review: another illuminated e-reader lights up the market originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 02 Nov 2012 15:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Earlier today we had a nice sit-down with Kobo, where we got some quality hands-on time with the company’s Arc Android tablet. As you can imagine, that was the marquee product on display, but we also had the chance to handle the outfit’s newest e-readers: the Glo ComfortLight, which has built-in frontlighting, and the Mini, which is exactly what it sounds like. Both will be available October 1st, with the 6-inch Glo going for $129 and the 5-inch Mini priced at $79. Neither will have ads, which might be one of the biggest differentiators between these and some of Amazon’s offerings. If you’re short on time, we’ve got some hands-on photos below, but if you’ve got a few minutes to spare, a walk-through video awaits after the break.

Continue reading Hands-on with Kobo’s Glo and Mini e-readers (video)

Hands-on with Kobo’s Glo and Mini e-readers (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 19 Sep 2012 17:36:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Hasty, no? Merely hours after being announced to the world, Garmin’s GLO Portable GPS and GLONASS receiver have touched down in the FCC’s database. Per usual, that’s a fairly solid indicator that the devices will be available for sale on US shores within a few weeks, and if you’re curious, there’s even a draft user guide tucked in the source link below. Truth be told, there’s not a ton here that wasn’t already made public — it’s obviously “Made for iPod / iPhone / iPad,” and Garmin asserts that the included battery will take three hours to charge but 12 hours to deplete. The manual also asserts that Android users “may need to use an application to allow the sensor to properly communication over Bluetooth,” and just in case you’re thinking of getting wet and wild, the outer casing is said to be “rugged, but not water-resistant.” For shame — we were totally looking forward to geotagging our next romp down the Gauley.

Filed under: GPS

Garmin GLO Portable GPS and GLONASS receiver hit the FCC, get torn down for good measure originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 14 Jul 2012 07:43:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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If you think that the GPS on your phone sucks and you’re looking for a way to improve it, Garmin might just have the solution for you. Called the GLO portable GPS and GLONASS receiver, this handy little device can connect to your smartphone via Bluetooth and provide it with a stronger, more reliable GPS connection for you to use with any of your location-based apps i.e. Google Maps.

It has the ability to receive signals from both the US GPS satellite network and Russia’s GLONASS satellite networks which means you’ll get “the most comprehensive satellite coverage available”. The GLO is said to be approximately 20% faster than using GPS alone and it is also supposed to be more reliable in challenging environments such as deep canyons or urban environments where a large portion of the sky is blocked by solid objects. The GLO will feature a battery life of up to 12 hours and functions at an update rate of up to 10 times per second (though it may be limited by the host device).

The Garmin GLO is expected to be available in August with a suggested retail price of $99, while the GLO Aviation (a version for pilots) is available now for $129. Find out more from the Garmin website.

[Press Release]

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Garmin Approach S3 Touchscreen GPS Golf Watch, Garmin StreetPilot sees price drop and new features,