Tablets have taken the world by storm as evidenced by Apples' overwhelming success with the iPad line but there is still a place for e-readers, or so Kobo would have you believe. Today Kobo announced the Limited Edition Aura HD Reader for $169.99. It is being refereed to as "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 doesn't seem to disappoint in the specs department with a 6.8-inch Pearl E Ink display at 1,440 x 1,080 pixels or 265ppi. Kobo says it offers "30 percent more reading surface and the closest experience to print-on-paper -- showcasing text and high-resolution images beautifully." This is in contrast to the Amazon Kindle Paperwhite whose screen has a 212ppi display.
The Aura HD offers a 1GHz Freescale i.MX507 processor with 4GB of storage and an expansion slot which accepts up to 32GB microSD cards. Battery life is rated up to two months on a single charge. The reader will also offer 10 different fonts available in 24 font sizes each of which are modifiable with weight and sharpness settings.
Kobo says the "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."
Whether or not the Aura HD will sell well to existing e-reader fans let alone attract new believers is unknown. Tablets keep getting cheaper while their screens increase in resolution. Kobo shouldn't be ruled out since it saw three times the sales in the 2012 holiday shopping period over 2011. This may be the perfect device for avid readers looking for something other than a tablet.