Kobo Arc Now Available at Indigo And Chapters Stores

^[1]Indigo ^[1] has announced the arrival of the Kobo Arc ^[2] on store shelves at all Indigo and Chapters ^[3] stores nationally as well as online. The Kobo Arc is a competitively featured Android 4.0 multimedia tablet that provides a new way to discover content – books, movies, TV shows, music, web pages and more. With a Kobo-developed interface called Tapestries, Kobo Arc gives consumers an exciting new way to discover content. It’s the only tablet that gets to know you, so you get more of what you love.

“At Indigo we’re excited that the Kobo Arc tablet is now in store,” said Heather Reisman, Indigo’s Chief Executive Officer. “The Kobo Arc is an amazing tablet experience at an affordable price—a gift that will delight the whole family. We look forward to the new suite of Kobo devices, the Kobo Arc, Glo and Mini, as well as our beautiful range of colourful accessories to be the “it” gift for the holiday season.”

Using an intelligent cross-media recommendations engine, Kobo’s unique Discovery Ribbon responds to the user’s “pinned” content in the Tapestries to recommend related videos, movies, books, webpages and other related content. The Kobo Arc makes it easy to discover new personal multimedia recommendations with little effort as the tablet learns what consumers love – and brings them more. The 7″ high-definition display delivers crisp, sharp text and with 16-million colours bring photos and videos to life.

Front facing speakers with SRS TruMedia sound, a built-in microphone and camera to take photos and connect with friends via Skype™, the Kobo Arc offers up to 10 hours of continuous reading or video play, and 2 weeks on standby. With Google® Play, Kobo Arc users have access to more than 600,000 apps and much-loved apps including Facebook®, Twitter®, Sesame Street, Skype, Rdio®, Zinio® and PressReader® come pre-loaded on the tablet. The Kobo Arc is available in Black and White with Blue and Purple interchangeable SnapBacks, and is priced at $199.99 (16G) and $249.99 (32G) and $299.99 (64GB). ^[4]

Kobo Arc Technical Specifications:

• Available Colours – Black and white
• Connectivity – Wi Fi 802.11 b/g/n and Micro USB cable
• Audio – Built-in dual front-facing speakers and universal 3.5 mm stereo headphone jack with SRS TruMedia™ sound
• Device size – 189 X 120 X 11.5 mm (7.4 x 4.7 x 0.5 in)
• Weight – 364 g. (12.8 oz)
• Diagonal display size – 7” multi-touch IPS display
• Screen qualities – 1280 x 800 HD resolution; 215 ppi; displays 16.4 million colours; clarity at extra wide viewing angles (+/-) 89 degrees
• Camera – 720p HD front-facing camera (1.3 MP). Autofocus. Face detection with Face Unlock. Skype™ Certified
• Navigation – Home, back, and menu touch sensors. Power and volume buttons
• Processor – 1.5 GHz dual core processor. 1 GB RAM
• Graphics and video – Dual-core graphics. Up to 1080p video playback. Support for 3D games
• Operating System – Open access to Android™ 4.0
• Storage – 16, 32, and 64 GB models
• Battery life – 10 hours of reading and 2 weeks of standby
• Content – Nearly 3 million books
• Social reading – Reading Life™, Kobo Pulse™, Facebook Timeline
• Fonts – TypeGenius, font tuning engine designed for the best readability. Choice of 7 font styles, 24 font sizes, adjustable font sizes, and weight
• Wireless display capability to stream to your TV with a compatible Wi Fi Direct A/V adaptor. Android customization features such as resizable widgets and Face Unlock. SRS TruMedia™ sound specifically tuned for tablets
• Software – Tapestries — Kobo’s exclusive interface for easy content discovery
• Multiple File Formats:
  • Books: ePUB, including fixed layout and enhanced ePUB, PDF, and MOBI
  • Images: JPG, PNG, GIF, BMP
  • Audio: MP#, AAC, AAC+, MP3,.3gp, mp4, m4a, flac, ogg, wav, mid
  • Video Formats: 3gp, mp4, webm, H.263, H.264, VP8
• Web browsing – Android 4.0 web browser
• Media – Music Player, Photo Gallery, Video Player. SRS TruMedia™ that provides a wider sound field, deeper bass, and natural stereo sound. 5.1 surround sound support over headphones
• Pre-loaded apps – Facebook, Twitter, and Skype. Stream music from Rdio, access your magazines and newspapers through Zinio and PressReader. Google apps: Google Play, Gmail, YouTube, Google Maps, Street View, Calendar, Contacts, Google+, and Google Chat
• In the box – Kobo Arc, AC power adapter, documentation