Kobo, purveyors of fine e-book readers, has announced this afternoon that it is releasing an Android 4.0 tablet called, simply, the Arc.
The Kobo Arc 7-inch tablet will come in 8GB and 16Gb flavours for (RRP) $249 and $299, respectively. Instead of creating their own, custom build of Android, ala the Amazon Kindle Fire, the Arc will have a standard Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich build, with Kobo’s Tapestries widget installed to navigate the Kobo library of books.
Kobo says it doesn’t want to get in the way of updates for its Android device, and this is a great thing for lovers of a more pure Android experience.
The tablet ships with a dual-core 1.5Ghz Texas Instruments processor, an iPS LCD 1280×800 screen and a front-facing 720p 1.3 megapixel camera.
We look forward to reviewing the Arc for your reading pleasure. The Arc tablet is due to launch in Australia this November, and you can register your interest at Collins Books to secure yours.
Looks pretty decent – a smackdown with the Nexus 7 would be sweet. Too bad Amazon still doesn’t offer their ecosystem and devices here.