Kobo plans to launch a new eReader with a high-resolution E Ink display and a water and dust-proof case. It’s called the Kobo Aura H2O, and it recently passed through the FCC.
Now German eBook blog Alles Book has found a spec sheet, picture, and alleged price and launch date.
If the leaked info is accurate, the Kobo Aura H2O is coming September 1st for $179.
The device is said to be IP67 certified, which means you can submerge it in up to a meter of water for up to a half hour as long as the USB port cover is closed.
That’s not the Kobo Aura H2O’s only unusual feature though. It also reportedly has a 6.8 inch E Ink Carta display. That’s a brand new 1430 x 1080 pixel display which should have a higher screen refresh rate than other E Ink displays.
Other specs include a 1 GHz processor, 4GB of storage, a microSD card reader, 802.11b/g/n WiFi, and 2 months of battery life (if you read for about a half hour a day). The eReader also has an illuminated display.
It measures 7″ x 5.1″ x 0.4″ and weighs 8.2 ounces.
Priced at $179, the Kobo Aura H2O will be more expensive than a NOOK Glowlight or Amazon Kindle Paperwhite. But it has a larger, higher-resolution display and waterproof case which could help some shoppers justify the higher price.
will one be able to read with it in bright tropical sunlight without the screen go white and the unit crash ?.
good for kobo. solid innovation in reader arena.
They must not have closed the USB port tightly enough.
Information on waterproof e-reader was leaked?