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Daily Roundup: Portable Audio buyer's guide, Nexus 4 price drop, Nintendo 2DS, and more!
You might say the day is never really done in consumer technology news. Your workday, however, hopefully draws to a close at some point. This is the Daily Roundup on Engadget, a quick peek back at the top headlines for the past 24 hours -- all handpicked by the editors here at the site. Click on through the break, and enjoy.
Kobo's Arc 7 tablet shows up in NYC, we kind of go hands-on
So we've already spent some hands-on time with Kobo's Aura e-reader and the Arc 10HD. That leaves two more devices, right? Well, here's the thing -- as much as the 10-inch tablet wasn't ready in time for tonight's event, the company at least managed to trot it out. As for the seven-inchers, well, the Arc 7HD didn't show, and while the Arc 7 was here, the slate was running a constant demo, meaning we couldn't take it through its paces. As for the hardware? On the face of it, the tablet looks a fair bit like the original Kindle Fire and a number of other seven-inch rectangular tablets. On the top is the standard red Kobo power button, on the right side of the device is a volume rocker and on the left are the headphone jack, micro-HDMI and microUSB ports. Like its bigger brother, the soft touch rear of the device has borrowed some of the angular design language from the Aura HD around the corners. On the bottom, you'll find a single speaker grille. All three of Kobo's new tablets are set to launch on October 16th -- we're sure we'll be able to spend a bit more time with this guy before then. When it does land, it'll run you $150, with its HD sibling starting at $200.
Kobo goes for the top of the line with 10-inch Arc 10HD tablet, we go hands-on (video)
Love the Kobo ecosystem, but hoping for a tablet that's a little... higher end than what the Arc line currently offers? Boy have we got some news for you. The company introduced a grand total of three new tablets at today's event in New York City, and here's the crown jewel, the 10-inch Arc 10HD. Compared to the offerings we've seen from other e-reader makers, this thing really is a beast. It's also a pretty nice piece of hardware with a solid build. The front of the slate is all screen, plus a glossy, flush bezel that also houses the device's one webcam, a 1.3-megapixel offering that can also shoot 720p. On the top of the fairly thin and light device, you'll find Kobo's standard red power button. On the right side is a volume rocker and along the left is a headphone jack, micro-HDMI and micro USB ports. On the back are two speaker grills, which didn't put out enough power to be heard over the event's music. There's also some subtle angular design language borrowed from the Aura HD on the sides of the otherwise flat soft touch back.
Kobo finally makes its e-readers available through its own site
Strange, but until now, if you were aching for a Kobo reader, the company's site would redirect you to a third-party like Best Buy or select independent booksellers. The tablet / e-reader maker has finally opened up direct sales of devices like the Kobo Glo, Mini and Arc through its site to interested parties in Canada and the US. Of course, if you're so inclined, you can still buy those products and a number of accessories through the aforementioned partner sites. There's a press release after the break to help you decide.
Kobo Arc review: another 7-inch Android tablet steps into the ring
More Info Kobo Arc tablet hands-on Kobo Vox review Kobo Glo review: another illuminated e-reader lights up the market Perhaps there's something to be said for setting the bar low -- at the very least, it leaves you with ample room to shine in the next round. That's where Kobo, the Canadian-turned-Japanese company, was when the Arc ($200 and up) landed on our desk, and we'll tell you right now that the 7-inch tablet mops the floor with its predecessor. In the time since that device was released, however, the rest of the budget tablet market has stepped up its game, with Google's Nexus 7, Amazon's Kindle Fire HD and Barnes & Noble's Nook HD running neck and neck. Has Kobo sufficiently cleared the bar this time out? You're gonna have to click on through for the answer to that one.
Kobo Arc available today in Canada and UK, coming to France on Monday
Kobo's Arc tablet is hitting stores for the first time in Canada and the UK today, leaving eager punters in the US of A wondering if they've been forgotten. In America's hat, the 7-inch competitor to the Kindle Fire HD and Nexus 7 is showing price tags of 200, 250 and 300 Canadian dollars for the 16GB, 32GB and 64GB versions, respectively. A WHSmith exclusive in the UK, £160 and £190 is what you'll need for the lesser two options, and we can't see a 64GB listing online just yet. French store Fnac will keep customers waiting til Monday, when they'll be able to swap €200 for an Arc avec 16 gigs -- its listings show no other sizes right now, barring a non-existent 8GB variant. Kobo hid a surprise for us in the announcement PR, too: it's already working on a Jelly Bean 4.1 update for the ICS tablet. If you're American and bummed you're not reading this on your own shiny new Arc, it's already passed inspection, so should be shipping before you know it.
Kobo Arc tablet hits the FCC, just in time for stocking-stuffing
It looks like the Kobo Arc (Model K107) has hit the FCC just in time for its November launch. Not much else is gleaned from the filing, but judging from our earlier hands-on, the Arc is not to be ignored. The 7-inch ICS tablet brings a 1.5GHz TI OMAP 4470 processor to the table, along with 10-12 hour rated battery life, a 1,280 x 800 resolution IPS display, a 1.3-megapixel front camera (sorry, no lens on the rear) and a custom UI that the company hopes will elevate it above the increasingly crowded tablet space. Starting at $199, it'll face stiff competition from the likes of the Nexus 7 and the Kindle Fire HD, but maybe the Arc's combination of a low price point and Google certification will win it a few add-to-cart clicks.
Kobo Arc tablet hands-on (video)
When Kobo released the Vox, its first tablet, Engadget had just recently abolished review scores. In retrospect, that was a good thing for the company, as we didn't have very many nice things to say about it. The product suffered from short battery life, for one, along with sluggish performance and WiFi connectivity issues. It's no wonder, then, that Kobo is loathe to call its new Arc tablet a "follow-up" to the Vox so much as a "re-thinking." The tablet, which will go on sale in mid-November starting at $199, brings a faster 1.5GHz TI processor, a battery rated for 10 to 12 hours of runtime and a re-tooled software experience built on Ice Cream Sandwich. Is that enough to unseat the new Kindle Fire HD or the Nexus 7? That, friends, is a question best answered in our forthcoming review, but after a few minutes of hands-on time we can at least say that we're pleasantly surprised. Meet us past the break to find out why.
Kobo cuts 8GB Arc tablet in favor of larger models, pricing still starts at $200
It's only been a couple of weeks since Kobo took the wraps off of its new lineup of readers and tablets, but someone must have told the company spacier Arcs were in need. Today, the outfit announced it's bringing a fresh pair of 32 and 64GB models to its Ice Cream Sandwich slate, opening the door to those who thought the 8 and 16GB flavors simply didn't offer enough storage space. Kobo's pricing the 32GB Arc at a decent $250, while the larger 64GB unit will carry a $300 tag -- both are set to be up for grabs in November alongside that entry-level 16GB model, with the 8GB getting the boot altogether.
Kobo announces three new readers: one glows, one's small, one runs Ice Cream Sandwich
As the saying goes, it's all in the timing. But look at it this way: Kobo could have announced its new line of devices the day after Amazon's big reveal. Instead, the outfit's looking to take some wind out of Amazon's sails a few hours before its big event. And while the chances are extremely slim that the company will manage to undercut the looming Kindle news, there's no question that it's coming out of the gate swinging, with the announcement of not one, but three new readers: one glowing, one mini and one slathered in Ice Cream Sandwich. The mini and glowing Glo Comfortlight will arrive in October, with the Android-based Arc arriving in November. All told, they'll range in price from $80 for the Kobo Mini to $250 for the top-end tablet. That's the short version, but if you follow past the break we've got a full rundown of the specs, along with additional photos.
