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A water resistant device is not only what active travelers are looking for. Reading by a swimming pool or in a bathtub is a dream activity of many people. Well, the only problem is that water and electronic devices don’t go well together.
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Now, no waterproof case is needed to make sure not a single drop of water gets inside your e-reader.
In late August Kobo announced Kobo Aura H2O. According to the company, it’s “the world’s first premium waterproof e-ink e-reader.”
Michael Tamblyn, President and Chief Content Officer at Kobo, says:
When we asked our customers what held them back from reading more ebooks, many told us they love to read in the bath, by the pool, or on the beach, but believed that devices and water didn’t mix.
The company has surveyed their customers, and found out that 60% of users would love to be able to read near water without worry.
Kobo Aura H2O can be fully immersed in water up to 1 meter (3 feet) deep, for up to 30 minutes. In other words, it meets a prestigious IP67 standard.
All ports are placed in one panel on the bottom edge. The panel is covered with a waterproof flap. Make sure to always keep it closed to make the device 100% water resistant.
A device or case which is waterproof is also dustproof. You can take it to the beach, and keep it safe not only from water, but also sand. If Kobo Aura H2O “gets in touch” with the sand, you can clean it… with water.
The device is based on last year’s model Kobo Aura HD. It features a premium, extra large 6.8-inch Carta e-ink HD touch display. With a resolution of 1430 by 1080 pixels, and 265 ppi (pixels per inch), it offers a better e-reading experience than Kindle Paperwhite (6-inch, 212 ppi).
Kobo Aura H2O is available in black. The retail price is $179,99. It’s $10 more than the list price of Kobo Aura HD (which, by the way, is now discounted by $20 in a back-to-school promotion).
Compared to Kindle Paperwhite (WiFi only, without special offers), the price difference is $40. It’s roughly the amount of money you should consider spending on a good quality, rugged, waterproof case.
The device is available for pre-order since September 1 at select retailers in the US, UK, and Canada, as well as online on Kobo website.
Waterproof Kobo Aura H2O in pictures
Kobo Aura H2O
Kobo Aura H2O is the first premium eReader to have a waterproof and dustproof design that allows you to take it worry-free from the beach, to the bath, to your bed.
Plus, with up to 2 months of battery life, you have the freedom to keep reading, wherever you go. So if you drop it in the bath or accidentally spill a drink on it, your Kobo Aura H2O will still work like new. Just use the included drying cloth to dry the screen, so you can get back to reading.
| Waterproofing | IP certified, can be immersed for up to 30 minutes in up to 1 meter of water with port cover closed |
|---|---|
| Display | Extra-large 6.8” Carta E Ink HD touchscreen with high, tablet-grade resolution of 1430 x 1080, 265 dpi |
| Device Size | 179 x 129 x 9.7 mm |
| Weight | 233 g |
| Connectivity | Wi Fi 802.11 b/g/n and Micro USB |
| Processor | 1 GHz |
| Light | Built-in ComfortLight technology with micro-thin coating for durability and even light distribution |
| Buttons | Power on/off |
| Storage | 4 GB Option to expand up to 32 GB with a micro SD card |
| Battery | Up to 2 months* |
| Colors | Black |
| Content | 4 million of the best titles the world has to offer in books, comics and kids’ titles. |
| Reading Life | Kobo’s exclusive reading experience. Read. Collect. Discover. Share. |
| TypeGenius | 10 fonts, 24 sizes, exclusive weight and sharpness settings |
| Kobo Picks | Personal recommendations based on your feedback and interests |
| Advanced Reading | Notes, highlighting, dictionary, and bookmarks |
| Beyond the Book | Dive deeper into what you’re reading by tapping on highlighted words to discover related books, authors, articles, and more |
| Kobo Collections | Pre-curated bundles of related authors, eBooks, and articles based around a theme |
| Stats and awards | Learn more about yourself as a Reader and track your progress through books with reading stats. Enjoy spontaneous reading awards just for reading |
| Sharing | Share your favourite passages, quotes, and books to Facebook® Timeline |
| Games | Chess and Sudoku |
| Web browsing | Web browser |
| Supports file formats | eBooks: EPUB, EPUB3, PDF, and MOBI Images: JPEG, GIF, PNG, BMP and TIFF Text: TXT, HTML, XHTML, and RTF Comic Books: CBZ and CBR Supports ePub and Adobe DRM. Read books borrowed from your public library. |
| Kobo Apps | Free Kobo apps for Mac and PC, Apple®, Android™, Blackberry 10, Windows 8 smartphones, and tablets. Your Kobo eBooks are stored safely in the cloud; retrieve them at any time. Your bookmarks and more are seamlessly synced across all your Kobo eReading apps and devices. |
| Languages | English, French, German, Spanish, Dutch, Japanese, Italian and Portuguese |
| Setup | Set-up Kobo Aura H2O in just a few simple steps from your computer or directly from your Kobo Aura H2O using Wi Fi |
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