Kobo Aura HD
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 | |
| Manufacturer | Kobo Inc. |
|---|---|
| Product family | Kobo eReader |
| Type | E-book reader |
| Operating system | Kobo Firmware 3.12.1 |
| CPU | 1GHz Freescale i.MX507 |
| Storage | Internal MicroSD card, 4GB |
| Removable storage | MicroSD card slot; up to 32GB |
| Display | 6.8 in diagonal, 16-level grayscale 1440 × 1080 electronic paper |
| Input | zForce Touchscreen On-screen keyboard |
| Power | 3.7V, 1500mAh |
| Dimensions | 175.7 x 128.3 x 11.7 mm |
| Weight | 8.5 oz (240 g) |
The Kobo Aura HD (also called the Aura HD) is a limited-edition Kobo eReader device designed and marketed by Kobo Inc. It was revealed 15 April 2013 and allowed for preorders the next day at a price of 169.99 USD/CAD.[1] It arrived in stores in Canada and the United Kingdom on 25 April 2013.[2] The marketing slogan of the Kobo Aura HD was "The eReader, reimagined." In October 2014 the Kobo Aura H2O was launched, it has a similar screen resolution to the Kobo Aura HD but has a waterproof coating.[3] Kobo's CEO announced in March 2015 that the Kobo Aura HD was officially discontinued.[4]
The hallmark feature of this device was the display – at 6.8 inches (diagonal) it was larger than other popular e-book readers such as the Kobo Glo, Kindle Paperwhite, and Nook Simple Touch with Glowlight with screens of 6 inches. The screen offered by the Aura HD offered 30% more screen area than the 6-inch screens of competitors. It was also of a much higher resolution, with a WXGA+ 1440 × 1080 screen offering 265 ppi; with Pearl E ink technology, the screen allowed for a much improved text rendering.[1] This screen was marketed as the "ClarityScreen+" by Kobo.
The Aura HD shipped in three colours: espresso, ivory, and onyx. It was made of a new material; whereas previous Kobo eReaders used a soft touch matte plastic, the Aura HD's body was made of a harder, shinier, plastic. This was accompanied with an angular back design, resembling crumpled pages of a physical book, used for added grip.[5]
The CPU is 1 GHz Freescale i.MX507. Built-in memory totalled 4 GB, allowing 3,000 books to be stored on the device. This was expandable via microSD card slot; adding up to 32 GB of storage was possible.[6]
The ComfortLight introduced in the Kobo Glo was also present in the Kobo Aura, allowing a user to read in the dark. Battery life was estimated to be up to two months, assuming 30 minutes of reading a day and Wi-Fi turned off.[6]