Kobo Aura Announced, Comes In Black And Pink Shades

Kobo Aura Announced, Comes In Black And Pink ShadesI am not quite sure how to say this, but where does one draw the line between a smartphone with a really large screen, or a tablet with a really small display? Just how “elastic” is the band of this new category known as “phablets” can stretch? It really depends on the hardware manufacturer, and according to Kobo, they claim that their 6” Kobo Aura eReader is a tablet, although we have seen some smartphones/phablets that have surpassed that screen size already (the Samsung Galaxy Mega 6.3 comes into mind). The new 6” Kobo Aura eReader has been described to be “a beautifully designed, front-lit E Ink eReader.”

It will arrive in a shade of black as well as pink, depending on which color you prefer more, and the Kobo Aura will boast of a high-resolution 6”, edge-to-edge display, an even front-lit ComfortLight technology, all wrapped within a contemporary aesthetic that ensures you will not find yourself embarrassed to pull this out from your messenger bag and read an electronic tome or two. It boasts of a 212 dpi and a Pearl E Ink screen, ensuring that your eyes will not grow tired easily, while boasting pinch-and-zoom capabilities for FLePubs/PDFs to deliver a great print-on-paper reading experience. You will get 4GB of internal memory which can be further expanded by another 32GB thanks to a microSD memory card slot. The Kobo Aura will burn a $149.99 hole in your pocket if you are interested. [Press Release]

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  • Kobo Aura Announced, Comes In Black And Pink Shades original content from Ubergizmo.

        



    Kobo shows off its Aura e-reader, we go hands-on (video)

    Remember that new e-reader from Kobo we told you about, not all that many minutes ago? Say hello to the Aura. The successor to the Glo owes more than just its name to the recently introduced Aura HD — the device has also brought over the high-end specs and a bit of the device language from that Cadillac of e-readers. When the company handed off the reader, the first thing we noticed was that best in class front lighting. Kobo mastered that back with the Glo and has naturally trotted it out on subsequent devices.

    Also immediately apparent is the size of the thing. The Aura appears smaller than other six-inch readers. Hold it up against the Paperwhite and it’s clear that there’s considerably less bezel. Also, the bezel lays flush with the display — Kobo’s dumped the old infrared touch for a capacitive screen, so there’s no need for a gap. The device is impressively thin and light compared to past Kobo readers — and the rest of the market, for that matter. This really is an impressive piece of hardware, though even with that in mind, the $150 price tag may be tough for all but the most hardcore readers to swallow. Around the back, you’ll notice that Kobo brought a bit of the crooked design from the HD, though it’s a lot more subtle than on that reader. As an homage to past Kobo readers, the criss cross diamond design is back, though it’s also far more subtle and smaller this time out.

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    Kobo unveils the Aura, a mid-size luxury e-reader

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    It was around this time year that Amazon showed off the Paperwhite at an event in a Santa Monica airplane hangar, debuting a front-lit display technology that would blow the months-old Nook Simple Touch with GlowLight out of the water. A few weeks later, Kobo introduced the Glo, which featured illumination that put both of the aforementioned readers to shame. Back in April, the company added another member to the family, a — get this — luxury e-reader. Kobo made it very clear that the nearly 7-inch device was a limited time only deal — that is, unless the thing actually sold. Four months later, the Aura HD comprises nearly a quarter of the company’s global e-reader sales. So, naturally, the product is sticking around. It’s also serving as the inspiration for the Glo’s successor (the Glo, too, will stick around — though there’s no word on price cuts to that device just yet).

    The Kobo Aura is, as its name implies, a smaller sibling to the Aura HD, with a standard-sized 6-inch E Ink display. And as ever, the company’s also including that best-in-class front light technology here. CEO Michael Serbinis tells us that his company has also worked directly with E Ink this time out to greatly reduce those full-page refreshes that we’ve been accustom to seeing once every six pages or so amongst the last few generations of readers. The Aura is also the thinnest and lightest 6-incher Kobo’s offered, at 0.32 inch thick and 6.1 ounces (compare that to the Glo’s 0.39 inches and 6.5 ounces) — a qualifier the company no doubt added to acknowledge the existence of the five-inch Mini.

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