Kobo is the first company to integrate Pocket, the leading save-for-later service, in its new range of ebook readers and tablets.
Pocket save-for-later service will be built into the new range of Kobo devices.Pocket was set up in 2007 by Nate Weiner. It lets users save web content to read later on a variety of devices.
Kobo CEO Michael Serbinis says, “Pocket understands that reading is a passion. Through our partnership, we are able to help our readers curate content from almost any source to read later.”
Kobo claims ebook readers are five times more popular than apps for reading books and over 90% of Kobo customers read every week, with the majority reading every day. Pocket users read the equivalent of three books’ worth of content a month saved from across the web.
“This is the first time we’ve partnered directly with a manufacturer to bring Pocket to a native e-reading device,” says Pocket CEO Nate Weiner.
Kobo’s Pocket integration includes the following features:
- Always in Sync: Your list stays up to date and new items appear automatically on the device when they’re saved.
- Archive, Favorite and Delete: Manage and organise your list like you would in any Pocket app.
- Offline Access to Saved articles: Articles that appear on your Kobo will be available even without an Internet connection.
- Beautiful reading view: Articles displayed in Kobo’s reader look fantastic, and you’ll be able to adjust fonts, sizing, and adjust the experience to suit your needs.
Kobo’s new range shows its ambition to challenge market-leader Amazon. The devices include include the Aura 6-inch E Ink eReader and the Arc 10HD, Kobo Arc 7HD and Kobo Arc 7 tablets.
The company claims the Aura uses a new low-flash screen technology to virtually eliminate ghosting and page refresh. It holds up to 3,000 books and lasts more than two months on a single charge. Its retail price is $149.99.
Kobo Arc 10HD features Kobo’s Reading Life platform as part of the user interface. The 10-inch multimedia tablet has an NVIDIA Tegra 4 1.8GHz quad-core processor and 2Gb of RAM. It features a 2560 x 1600 high-definition display with up to 1080p video playback, and a front-facing 1.3 megapixel HD camera and dual stereo speakers. With reading mode, the battery life is extended from 9.5 hours to over 10 days. Available in black, the Kobo Arc 10HD retails for $399.99.
The Kobo Arc 7HD tablet is powered by the NVIDIA Tegra 3 1.7GHz quad-core processor and 1920×1200 display with up to 1080p video. The HD tablet has 1Gb of RAM, a front-facing 1.3 megapixel HD camera and its battery lasts up to 8 hours. the Kobo Arc 7HD retails for $199.99 MSRP with 16Gb and $249.99 with 32Gb.
The Arc 7 is claimed to be suitable for first-time users. It has a 1024 x 600 display, MTK 8125 1.2GHz quad-core processor and 1Gb of RAM. It retails for $149.99 for the 8Gb model.