Kobo has announced Aura H2O, its waterproof e-book reader, which will allow readers to read while taking a bath or even while relaxing on the beach without any fear of damaging the device in water.
Claimed to be world’s first premium waterproof eReader, the Aura H2O is IP67 certified which means it will let readers to use the device for up to 30 minutes in one meter of water with the device port cover closed, the Canada-based company said.
Kobo Auro H20, which is thinner and lighter than its predecessor Aura HD eReader launched last year, features a 6.8-inch touchscreen Carta E-Ink display with 1,430 x 1,080 pixel resolution and 265 dpi, 1GHz processor and 4GB of onboard storage expandable up to 32GB via a microSD card. The new Auro H2O weighs 233 grams and is rated with a battery life of up to two months.
Announcing the launch, Michael Tamblyn, president and chief content officer of Kobo, in a statement said when the company conducted a consumer survey to find what held consumers from reading more ebooks, it found that 60 percent of people said they would love to be able to read near the water without worry.
He said the company has designed its latest premium eReader, the Kobo Aura H2O, to make ebooks as common at the beach or in the bath as they are on the bus or in bed.
Available in black, the Kobo Aura H20 will be available for pre-orders starting August 27 at select retailers and at on Kobo.com. The device will be available in stores in Canada, the US, the UK, France, Spain, the Netherlands, Italy, and Germany on October 1.
