According to latest research by Google “Only 5% of devices activated daily are Tablets” but I see market filled with 7 inch Android Tablets of all kind and varied price. Right now, There are some big turns going in the Tablet market. Nexus 7 is taking big chunks and thus seems to be taking the title of “Fastest and most selling Tablet” from Kindle Fire. But Amazon is not too far behind they have launched the all new Kindle Fire HD. We recently reviewed Novo 7 Crystal which is another budget priced tablet available in the market. Kobo is another Chinese manufacturer that is launching ICS powered tablets. there are many variants available in the market. Kobo recently launched Kobo Arc to tackle Nexus 7 and Kindle Fire.
Kobo Arc Specs and features:
- 7inch capacitive IPS touch screen display
- 1280 x800 IPS panel
- 1.5Ghz Dual core TI OMAP 4470 processor with Mali 400 graphics
- Android 4.0 IceCream Sandwich
- 1GB RAM, 8Gb/16GB Storage
- upto 10 hours of reading/ video/ music with Wi-Fi Off. 6 hours with Wi-Fi Internet browsing
- 720P HD 1.3 MP camera
- 120mm x 11.5mm X 189mm, 364 Gms
- Available in colors black, white, Blue, purple
Kobo Arc looks more rivaling to Kindle Fire as there marketing is highlighting on the e-reader function. Kobo has priced the tablet very strategically. The 8Gb version will be available for $149.99 and 16GB for 199.99. Kobo will be selling the tablet through retail partner. They have also launched the e-ink readers Kobo Glo for $129.99 and Kobo Mini for $79.99. This looks an interesting fix where the first company is trying the capture the Amazon e-reader market with so many products.
Kobo Arc Pros and Cons:
Pros
- Budget Priced: $149.99 for 8GB and $199.99 for 16GB
- Dual core processor with Mali GPU
- Google Play store support
- e-reader
- light weight and good battery life
- 1280×800 pixel HD display
- 720P video recording with front camera
Cons:
- Other Tablets are running Jelly Bean and Arc is on ICS [ Novo 7 Crystal and Nexus 7 have JB firmware]
- Low battery life with Wi-Fi
- Screen is not that good for videos. But nice for browsing and reading
It seems like Kobo has done a detailed study about the Amazon’s Tablet market and they are fully targeting on them. But there will be lot more tablets affected by these budget priced tablet. There are few more companies set to release Jelly Bean Tablets just before the festive season. We expect the Barnes and Nook, Coby and few more will be in the Jelly Bean budget tablet line ups very soon.
