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Video Review: Kobo Arc 10HD Android Tablet

Still wondering Arc 10 HDif Kobo’s 10″ tablet is for you? This video should help make up your mind.

K T Bradford (she writes for Liliputing and other blogs) posted this video review a few days ago which takes you through the basic abilities of the Arc 10HD. She starts with the custom interface which Kobo designed for this $400 tablet and works her way through the reading experience, hardware design, and included software.

I happen to disagree with a few of the points she raises (I want a rear camera on a $400 tablet), but I can’t argue with her opinion on the lack of a microSD card slot.

She notes in the conclusion that this tablet’s hardware specs aren’t much better than the competition, but if you’re into reading then this tablet is worth considering.

Her nuanced opinion that this tablet is better for reading magazines than books. The larger screen does wonders for magazine style content (I bet content like cookbooks would also look great), but a reader of books might be better served by Kobo’s 7″ tablets.

If you ask me, I think the $500 iPad Air is the better buy than the Arc 10HD. Yes, it’s $100 more, but it weighs less and has better battery life, cameras and a more capable CPU. I don’t think Kobo’s improved reading experience outweighs the much better hardware on Apple’s latest tablet.

Specs

  • 1.8 GHz Nvidia Tegra 4 quad-core CPU
  • Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean
  • 10.1″ 2560 x 1600 Display, Capacitive touchscreen with 10-point multi-touch
  • 2 GB RAM
  • Front-facing 1.3 MP camera
  • Dual stereo speakers, microphone, universal 3.5mm headphone jack with in-line microphone support
  • 16GB Flash storage
  • Wifi, Bluetooth
  • Micro USB port, Micro HDMI port
  • Battery life: Up to 9.5 hours
  • Price: $399
  • Kobo Arc 10HD

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Comments


JD Ogre January 5, 2014 um 3:31 am

As with the original Arc, Kobo has again created a horrible launcher that would need to be instantly replaced by Nova or GO or whatever in order to be at all useful. (And why would anyone want a photo of themselves taking up so much space on the dock? Yeesh!)

Nate Hoffelder January 6, 2014 um 5:57 pm

Oh, I wouldn’t go that far. I would love to try out this interface; it has some interesting ideas on how I might arrange content. The real downside is that it’s only available on overpriced hardware and not freely availy as an app.

And anyway, the Nook HD has a worse home screen design. The launcher shown above is beautiful in comparison.


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