

Kobo releases Vox e-reading tablet, based on Android 2.3 - sharkbot
http://blog.kobobooks.com/kobo-expands-ereader-family-announces-the-new-kobo-vox-with-vivid-color-display-the-world%e2%80%99s-first-social-ereader/

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typicalrunt
Too bad. There are no pictures. It's just a press release.

Since the press release is on the Kobo books website, I'd expect something to
entice me other than a page full of text, especially since they state that the
device is available for pre-order today.

$199 is a steep enough price for me to want some more details before I pre-
order. Hell, they didn't even put hyperlinks in the press release.

Here's a direct link to the Kobo Vox:

<http://www.kobobooks.com/kobovox>

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msh
The page don't work on a iPad... Fail.

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a-priori
If I'm not mistaken, this is the first non-eInk device that Kobo has released.
They've switched to an AFFS+ screen, an LCD technology, which means that
they're sacrificing battery life (they claim 7 hours, compared to weeks or
months on their prior devices) and passive illumination (which is easier on
the eyes in low light) for refresh time and colour gamut.

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mdaniel
I was previously unaware of "AFFS+" screens, and I didn't find a lot of
visuals on them. However, I did come across a Flickr set which claims to be a
set of photos of an AFFS+ screen outdoors (which is 50% of my interest; the
other is whether it is available in a matte display).

[http://www.flickr.com/photos/51608380@N05/sets/7215762661863...](http://www.flickr.com/photos/51608380@N05/sets/72157626618636999/)

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mcburton
now that the spec has been released and (somewhat) settled, I wonder if Kobo
will support epub3.

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troymc
I wonder the same thing.

In the "tech specs" page, it says the supported file formats are:

Books: ePUB, including fixed layout and enhanced ePUB. Images: JPG, PNG, GIF,
BMP Audio: MP3, AAC, .3gp, mp4, m4a, flac, ogg, wav, mid. Video Formats: 3gp,
mp4, webm

What does "enhanced ePUB" mean? Is it the same as EPUB 3?

The International Digital Publishing Forum (IDPF) recently voted to elevate
EPUB 3 to a final IDPF Recommended Specification.
<http://idpf.org/epub3-a-final-recommendation>

"Based on HTML5, EPUB 3 adds support for rich media (audio, video),
interactivity (JavaScript), global language support (including vertical
writing), styling and layout enhancements, SVG, embedded fonts, expanded
metadata facilities, MathML, and synchronization of audio with text and other
enhancements for accessibility."

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nobody314159
"rich media (audio, video), interactivity (JavaScript)" Great - an ebook
format that is going to require virus scanning everytime want to read a book.

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thrill
I wonder how well this type of screen would work with a stylus as a note
taking device.

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nobody314159
An Android tablet with more limited functionality for more money than other
Android tablets!

