Kobo lança seu “ereader premium”, o Kobo Aura

Na tarde desta segunda-feira, a Kobo anunciou em Londres o lançamento do seu mais novo eReader, o Kobo Aura HD. Com tela de 6.8 polegadas e 265 dpi de resolução, é a resposta da empresa ao Kindle Paperwhite. Segundo o release da Kobo enviado à imprensa, o Aura bate o Paperwhite neste quesito – o ereader da Amazon tem 212 dpi – por isso o “HD” ao final do nome. Um dos vice-presidentes da empresa descreve o aparelho como “o Porsche dos ereaders”.

O Kobo Aura virá equipado com Wi-Fi, 4GB de memória interna, expansíveis até 32GB, e processador de 1GHz – segundo a empresa, um avanço que promete deixar as viradas de página até 25% mais rápidas no aparelho. Assim como Kobo Glo e o Kindle Paperwhite, conta com iluminação na tela.

Para os consumidores norte-americanos, o Kobo Aura estará disponível a partir de 25 de abril (mas já em pré-venda a partir de amanhã). Internacionalmente, as vendas começam em maio. Para as vendas no Brasil, escrevemos para a assessoria da Livraria Cultura fazendo a pergunta – assim que tivermos a resposta, atualizamos aqui por enquanto, não há uma posição oficial para o início das vendas por aqui.

Nos EUA, o preço será de US$ 169,99. Mais detalhes sobre o aparelho podem ser vistos aqui.

Veja o release da Kobo:

Kobo Unveils Limited Edition Kobo Aura HD Reader Kobo creates new high-definition eReader for the passionate booklover
Kobo, a global leader in eReading, today announced its limited-edition Kobo Aura HD E Ink eReader. Designed for the world’s most passionate booklover, Kobo Aura HD delivers the best eReading experience with the highest resolution 6.8” E Ink display available on the market today. Its sophisticated, book-inspired design is available in Ivory, Espresso and Onyx. Starting tomorrow Kobo Aura HD will be available for pre-order at Kobo.com and select retailers. The device will retail for $169.99 (CAD/USD MSRP).

“From the beginning, Kobo has pushed the eReading industry to new heights and today is no exception,” said Michael Serbinis, CEO, Kobo. “Kobo Aura HD is designed for the most passionate booklovers – those who devour hundreds of stories each year – who asked us to create the ultimate eReading experience. Kobo Aura HD is our way of celebrating these customers.”

Kobo Aura HD offers the highest-resolution screen available in an eReader today. At 265 dpi, the spacious 6.8” Pearl E Ink touchscreen offers 30 percent more reading surface and the closest experience to print-on-paper – showcasing text and high-resolution images beautifully. The device’s 1GHz processor makes page turns fly and is the fastest eReader on the market – 25 percent faster. Kobo Aura HD has 4GB of storage (expandable up to 32GB) to easily store thousands of eBooks, and has a battery life of up to two months, making it the perfect eReader for people with a passion for the written word.

Complementing the sophisticated features of its design, Kobo developed a new user experience for Kobo Aura HD, harnessing its power, speed, and style for easy discovery of new content. The highly responsive eReader easily accesses the internet with a Wi Fi connection to browse the Kobo eBookstore. True to Kobo standards, each of its 10 fonts were perfected pixel-by-pixel to ensure that no matter which of the 24 adjustable font sizes is selected, Kobo Aura HD displays each letter with perfection. Reflecting the sophisticated nature of its design, the home screen also reflects a new, modern library display.

“To us, the Kobo Aura HD is the Porsche of eReaders and is designed for those in the driver’s seat of their eReading adventures,” said Wayne White, EVP and General Manager of Devices, Kobo. “It’s fast, powerful, and sleek and pushes the boundaries of eReading the same way our Readers do – together, they’ll know no bounds as they find their next great read.”

Kobo pioneered the affordable eReader in May 2010 and has since introduced its Family of eReaders, which includes the Kobo Arc 7” Android tablet, Kobo Mini, Kobo Glo and Kobo Touch™ E Ink eReaders, and is now introducing the limited-edition Kobo Aura HD. With more than 13-million users around the world, Kobo has experienced triple-digit growth year-over-year. The company is a driving force behind the adoption of eReading around the world with its award-winning eReaders and tablets, free apps for tablets, PCs and smartphones, and extensive network of booksellers and leading retailers.

Kobo Aura HD will be available for pre-order in North America starting April 16 at www.kobo.com and will be in-stores in Canada and the United Kingdom starting April 25. International availability will begin in May.
For more information about Kobo Aura HD and where to buy, visit www.kobo.com/koboauraHD.

About Kobo Inc.
Kobo Inc. is one of the world’s fastest-growing eReading services offering more than 3.2-million eBooks, magazines and newspapers to millions of customers in 190 countries. Believing that consumers should have the freedom to read any book on any device, Kobo provides consumers with a choice when reading. From its Family of eReaders, which includes the Kobo Touch™, Kobo Mini, Kobo Glo and Kobo Arc, to its free, top-ranked eReading applications for Apple®, BlackBerry®, Android®, and Windows® products, Kobo ensures the next great read is just a page-turn away. Headquartered in Toronto and owned by Tokyo-based Rakuten, Kobo eReaders can be found in major retail chains around the world. For more information, visit www.kobo.com.