Tag Archives: New

Apple Seeks New Samsung Ban

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SEOUL (Reuters) – Apple Inc has asked for a court order for a permanent U.S. sales ban on Samsung Electronics products alleged to have violated its patents along with additional damages of $707 million on top of the billion-dollar verdict won by the iPhone maker last month.

Samsung has responded by asking for a new trial.

The world’s top two smartphone makers are locked in patent battles in 10 countries as they vie for top spot in the lucrative, fast-growing market.

Apple scored a legal victory over Samsung in late August when a U.S. jury found that the Korean firm had copied critical features of the iPhone and awarded the U.S. firm $1.05 billion in damages.

In a motion filed late Friday U.S. time, Apple sought a further $400 million damage award for design infringement by Samsung; $135 million for willful infringement of its utility patents; $121 million in supplemental damages based on Samsung’s product sales not covered in the jury’s deliberation; and $50 million of prejudgment interest on damages through December 31. The requests together come to $707 million.

Apple wants the injunction to cover “any of the infringing products or any other product with a feature or features not more than colorably different from any of the infringing feature or features in any of the Infringing Products.”

Such a wide-ranging sales ban could result in the extension of the injunction to cover Samsung’s brand-new Galaxy S III smartphone.

‘RECTANGLES WITH ROUNDED CORNERS’

Samsung, in a filing to the U.S. court, asked for a new trial to be held.

“The Court’s constraints on trial time, witnesses and exhibits were unprecedented for a patent case of this complexity and magnitude, and prevented Samsung from presenting a full and fair case in response to Apple’s many claims,” Samsung said.

“Samsung therefore respectfully requests that the Court grant a new trial enabling adequate time and even-handed treatment of the parties.”

In a separate statement, Samsung lamented the fact that patent rulings should cover issues such as the shape of the product in addition to technological points.

“It is unfortunate that patent law can be manipulated to give one company a monopoly over rectangles with rounded corners, or technology that is being improved every day by Samsung and other companies,” it said.

The Korean firm earlier this week said it plans to add Apple’s new iPhone 5 to the existing U.S. patent lawsuits, stepping up its legal challenge as the two companies seek to assert rights to key technologies.

Apple said it wanted the court to award it damages that reflect “a rational and fair effort to address Samsung’s willful misconduct that has and will impose lasting harm on Apple.”

The Korean firm was the world’s top smartphone maker in the second quarter of this year, shipping more than 50 million phones, nearly double Apple’s 26 million iPhone shipments.

Both companies are raising their marketing spending to promote their latest products ahead of the year-end shopping season.

(Reporting by Miyoung Kim and Sung-won Shim; Editing by Hugh Lawson)

New Military Binoculars Can See Brainwaves

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If we were to pick the hottest area of technology research so far in 2012, it would have to be brainwaves. We’ve already seen them being used to move robotic exoskeletons for stroke victims and pilot drone aircraft, and their applications just keep evolving. Case in point: A new battlefield binocular system that will let soldiers determine hostile activity from miles away by using their subconscious thoughts in conjunction with a computer.

Did Abe Lincoln Use Emoticons?

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Was Abraham Lincoln one of the first people to use the playful ;) emoticon?

Though the text symbol for “winking,” used in our emails, tweets, texts and instant messages, was officially introduced in 1982, the ;) appears in a copy of a speech President Lincoln delivered way back in 1862.

The New York Times wrote in 2009 that a newspaper specialist working for archival company Proquest had spotted a sideways “face” in one of Lincoln’s speech transcripts, printed in the Times on August 7, 1862. The symbol appeared after the word “laughter.”

The sentence in question reads thus:

“… but it is also true that there is no precedent for your being here yourselves, (applause and laughter ;) and I offer, in justification of myself and you, that I have found nothing in the Constitution against.”

(Visit the New York Times site to see a scanned copy of the speech containing the apparent emoticon.)

How is this possible? According to the Times, the “winky face” may have been the work of a typesetter, who would have been responsible for arranging the semicolon and single parenthesis bracket before the transcribed speech was printed. Experts found themselves split: Some suggested the semicolon could be attributed to grammar that was characteristic of the 1800s; others argued the use of a Linotype machine meant each key would have to be assembled, making it difficult to accidentally add extra characters and spaces.

Whether or not this ;) was meant to appear in Lincoln’s speech, it is generally accepted that the birthday of emoticons is September 19th, 1982. In a email sent at 11:44 a.m. on that date, Carnegie Mellon University Professor Scott Fahlman explained to his students how he wanted them to use the symbols to distinguish between sarcasm and serious comments in digital communications, according to The Independent.

“I propose the following character sequence for joke markers: :-) Read it sideways,” he wrote.

An excerpt from Fahlman’s 1982 email is below, taken from the Carnegie Mellon Computer Science Department page:

emoticon 30 birthday linclon

Professor Fahlman also spoke with the New York Times about his thoughts on Honest Abe’s possible emoticon. One explanation he came up with was that the typesetter was “having his own little joke.”

Fahlman has admitted he’s no fan of the new-fangled Emoji, or animated versions of emoticons. “I think they are ugly, and they ruin the challenge of trying to come up with a clever way to express emotions using standard keyboard characters,” he said in a recent interview. “But perhaps that’s just because I invented the other kind.”

Do you think an emoticon was purposely inserted into President Lincoln’s speech after the word “laughter”? Do you use Fahlman’s modern emoticons in digital conversation? Sound off in the comments section of tweet us [@HuffPostTech]. Then read up on what other languages call the @ symbol, or check out Skype’s integration of the emoticon’s more humanistic counterpart, the Humoticon.

Jim Kukral: Explainer Videos Are the New Infographics

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In the fast-paced world we live in nowadays, it’s harder than ever to keep a person’s attention. As content creators (authors, bloggers, podcasters, small business owners, etc…) we are in a constant battle to try and create new and fresh content that grabs our customer’s attention and also makes them seek it out, then share it.

But that’s really hard to do, even for the most seasoned content marketer. In recent years, we’ve seen an explosion of the infographic. An infographic is a web-based factoid image that contains stats and figures and charts and graphs pertaining to any particular topic.

There are infographics on social media. And infographics on crime. And even super-sexy infographics about sex. And thousands more all over the internet.

And they work too. Infographics are usually very interesting, which makes them shareable, which is the holy grail of every content marketer’s dreams. Smart marketers and content creators make branded infographics that contain links or calls to actions back to their websites. As those infographics get shared naturally, so does their brand message and the opportunity for viral growth.

But what infographics can’t do is entertain, or explain in a way that a video does. Videos have the unique ability to not only visualize a message, but also add entertaining motion effects and sound; creating a much more powerful effect on the message delivered.

The time has come to take the world of infographics to the next level: video. Or as some are calling them, explainer videos. Explainer videos are short, actionable and instructive videos that businesses use to quickly explain what it is they do, and how they can solve their customer’s biggest problems.

Here’s a sample explainer video of the “10 New 2012 Social Media Stats That Will Make You Say Wow!”.

This explainer video, made by FunnerVids.com, is an example of how any business or brand can take their important message and transform it into a video message that is much more engaging and effective, and of course, shareable.

Have you ever had an infographic made for your business? What about a Web video? It’s time to stop thinking in one-dimensional text and images and instead start thinking about the power of video put in front of your best potential customers who are waiting for your content.

HTC Unveils Super Slim New Windows Phones

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By Sinead Carew

(Reuters) – HTC Corp on Wednesday unveiled two smartphones running Microsoft Corp’s Windows Phone 8 software and said the devices would be available in November with several operators around the world.

The two brightly colored devices — the Windows Phone 8X and the Windows Phone 8S — will pitch HTC directly against Microsoft’s main partner Nokia, which also unveiled two phones based on the Windows software earlier this month.

However, while Nokia did not name any customers for its devices, HTC said theirs would go on sale at three of the top four U.S. mobile operators – Verizon Wireless, AT&T Inc and T-Mobile USA. It also said that several operators in Europe and Asia agreed to sell the devices.

HTC is under a lot of pressure to generate strong sales from its next round of smartphones as it has been losing ground to Samsung Electronics and Apple Inc.

Until now, HTC has been betting on its One series of phones but so far this year sales of those phones have failed to keep pace with the Apple’s iPhone and Samsung’s Galaxy range.

Until the second half of 2011, when it suffered a sharp decline in its fortunes, former contract smartphone maker HTC had build a strong brand around the world with phones based on Android software.

(Reporting By Sinead Carew; editing by Gunna Dickson)

FINALLY: New Apple Headphones

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Apple just introduced its latest line of earphones — and Apple, being Apple, couldn’t help but give them a clever new name: “EarPods.”

“They look like no earphone you’ve ever seen before,” said Jony Ive, senior VP of industrial design at Apple. “The shape of the EarPod is actually defined by the geometry of your ear, but they don’t create a seal the way other in-ear headphones do,” he stated, as reported by Engadget.

The company released information about many new products today, including details on the highly-anticipated iPhone 5, as well as upgrades to its line of iPods. The EarPods will automatically come with both of these new devices, or can be bought separately for $29.99.

TechCrunch reports on the technology behind Apple’s new headphones:

A port in the back is aimed at delivering better mid-tones, and there’s one in the stem and the primary one for delivering sound to the inside of your ear. It’s all aimed at delivering the best sound possible.

As with Apple’s last line of headphones, these Earpods will include a small remote and mic on the cord so that you’re able talk on the phone hands-free or quickly adjust volume.

Check out our rundown of everything else Apple announced, browse our gallery of gorgeous iPhone 5 photos and then take a look at our big news page for full coverage of the event.

New Version Of iTunes Announced

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The iPhone 5 isn’t the only thing Apple unveiled at its press event Wednesday in San Francisco.

The company revealed that iTunes is getting a major revamp. Sure enough, a redesign had been rumored for months. This is the most notable overhaul to iTunes since it launched in 2003, Bloomberg reported.

The new iTunes, which will be “dramatically simpler,” according to Apple SVP Eddy Cue, will feature a grid user interface. Users can change the order of upcoming tracks within a queue. Search has been upgraded with inline results: one click for information, double-click to play. There’s also iCloud integration, and users will be able to watch movies from iCloud.

In addition to the new features and improved UI, Apple is also promising “improved performance throughout,” per Engadget.

The redesigned iTunes 11 launches with iOS 6 for iPhone and iPad on Sept. 19, and it’ll be coming to desktop in October. Some minor updates in the form of iTunes 10.7 will be available today.

Apple CEO Tim Cook explained the rationale behind the iTunes refresh: “Apple loves creating music products. Music is deeply embedded in our DNA. This is the reason that we created iPod and iTunes, and these products have gone on to revolutionize the music industry.”

Apple also announced some major milestones for iTunes: 435 million accounts, 26 million songs, and 20 billion songs purchased since it launched nine years ago.

For more on what Apple announced at its big September event, click on over to our rundown of all the new products, browse our gallery of gorgeous iPhone 5 photos and then take a look at our big news page for full coverage of the event.

Apple: New iPad Mini Among Possible Surprises At iPhone 5 Reveal

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Do you hear that shimmer of guarded excitement on Twitter today? Did the bespectacled hipster on your commute seem unusually chipper? Did you iPhone’s battery just suspiciously fall apart in your hands?

That’s because today is Apple Day – when the Cupertino, California, company reveals its latest and greatest iPhone.

Apple’s event takes place in San Francisco at 6pm UK time, and HuffPost UK will be on hand to report every new device as it’s released – and hopefully get to play with one.

Among the expected announcements are a new iPhone and updates on iOS 6, the next-generation of Apple’s mobile operating system.

Possible surprises include a smaller iPad ‘Mini’, new Apple TV updates, a new iPod Touch and – there’s always hope – ‘one more thing’ that nobody expected.

Leaks of the new devices have been hitting the internet almost daily for about the last three months, with every blurry photo and supposed ‘factory leak’ leading to speculation that the new iPhone will be – outwardly at least – very similar to the old one.

Here’s the checklist of iPhone 5 features that may or may not be announced:

A larger screen – both physically (about 4-Inches?) and in terms of resolution (longer by about one row of home screen icons)
A two-tone, lighter design with a studier, aluminium back
4G LTE data connection – handy since the UK just got its first 4G network
A better camera (as ever)
Faster processor
Better battery
redesigned, smaller dock connector
Updates to Siri, Apple’s voice assistant feature

And here are a few we’ll just throw into the mix, with no basis in fact at all:

Near-field communications (NFC) for touch payments
Touch-sensitive backplate
Wireless charging
Bluetooth-enabled iWatch
… Jetpack?

Whatever happens make sure to check back here later for all the details, pictures and hands-on previews of the new devices.

The New Tumblr For Single Women: #myfriendsaremarried

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“My friends are getting married, and I’m just 25 and drunk.”

So goes the theme of #myfriendsaremarried, a recently launched Tumblr that addresses many of the unfortunate situations, cliched advice, inappropriate questions and harsh judgements that single women sometimes face.

Oh, and the aforementioned scenarios are all addressed through hilarious GIFS.

friends are married

Sure, this Tumblr may not be the first page to play around with the contrast between the lives of people getting married and those still enjoying singlehood — there was a similarly named Facebook group created a while back — but there’s plenty of material to go around when it comes to some of the issues that single women encounter, such as arriving at a party only to learn its all couples, for example.

The Tumblr pokes fun at not only the well-meaning words that married friends tend to pass on to their single friends — such as “you need to put yourself out there more” and “you’ll find love when you stop looking” — but also the subtle forms of admonishment that can come from those friends if you’re, say, going out a lot, ending a relationship that isn’t working, or having trouble moving on from an ex.

And in case the married friends of this Tumblr author have anything to say about her page, she already has a response: “Oh please. You guys love me. I keep it real and I’m hilarious.”

The New Tumblr For Single Women: #myfriendsaremarried

Leave a reply

“My friends are getting married, and I’m just 25 and drunk.”

So goes the theme of #myfriendsaremarried, a recently launched Tumblr that addresses many of the unfortunate situations, cliched advice, inappropriate questions and harsh judgements that single women sometimes face.

Oh, and the aforementioned scenarios are all addressed through hilarious GIFS.

friends are married

Sure, this Tumblr may not be the first page to play around with the contrast between the lives of people getting married and those still enjoying singlehood — there was a similarly named Facebook group created a while back — but there’s plenty of material to go around when it comes to some of the issues that single women encounter, such as arriving at a party only to learn its all couples, for example.

The Tumblr pokes fun at not only the well-meaning words that married friends tend to pass on to their single friends — such as “you need to put yourself out there more” and “you’ll find love when you stop looking” — but also the subtle forms of admonishment that can come from those friends if you’re, say, going out a lot, ending a relationship that isn’t working, or having trouble moving on from an ex.

And in case the married friends of this Tumblr author have anything to say about her page, she already has a response: “Oh please. You guys love me. I keep it real and I’m hilarious.”

WATCH: Is This Really A ‘Leaked’ iPhone 5 Commercial?

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A video that’s purported to be a “leaked” commercial for the highly-anticipated iPhone 5 is making the rounds on Twitter.

According to the video’s YouTube description, it was “leaked by an anonymous apple [sic] employee.”

While some features, such as the bigger screen, mini dock connector and 4G LTE capability, have a pretty good chance of being included in the new iPhone, it’s hard to believe this ad is legitimate.

WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE

The clip, which was uploaded to YouTube on Monday, features music, branding and overly detailed specs that seem inconsistent with something Apple would produce.

The iPhone 5, or New iPhone, or whatever it’s going to be called, is expected to be announced at an Apple event in San Francisco on Wednesday. If all goes according to plan, the phone is expected to go on sale the following week.

This certainly isn’t the first iPhone 5 “commercial” to hit the web. Check out this fantastic parody from last month as well as the concept video from Dakota Adney that went viral over the summer.

What do you think of the video? Let us know in the comments.

LOOK: iPhone 5 Rumor Roundup

WATCH: Is This Really A ‘Leaked’ iPhone 5 Commercial?

Leave a reply

A video that’s purported to be a “leaked” commercial for the highly-anticipated iPhone 5 is making the rounds on Twitter.

According to the video’s YouTube description, it was “leaked by an anonymous apple [sic] employee.”

While some features, such as the bigger screen, mini dock connector and 4G LTE capability, have a pretty good chance of being included in the new iPhone, it’s hard to believe this ad is legitimate.

WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE

The clip, which was uploaded to YouTube on Monday, features music, branding and overly detailed specs that seem inconsistent with something Apple would produce.

The iPhone 5, or New iPhone, or whatever it’s going to be called, is expected to be announced at an Apple event in San Francisco on Wednesday. If all goes according to plan, the phone is expected to go on sale the following week.

This certainly isn’t the first iPhone 5 “commercial” to hit the web. Check out this fantastic parody from last month as well as the concept video from Dakota Adney that went viral over the summer.

What do you think of the video? Let us know in the comments.

LOOK: iPhone 5 Rumor Roundup

How Nipples Got The New Yorker Banned From Facebook

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The New Yorker has a Facebook page for our cartoons, which a lot of you like, or maybe it’s just one person with a lot of time on their hands, liking the page over and over again. But in any case, it’s a whole lotta like. We like that.

What we don’t like is that we got temporarily banned from Facebook for violating their community standards on “Nudity and Sex.”

How Nipples Got The New Yorker Banned From Facebook

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The New Yorker has a Facebook page for our cartoons, which a lot of you like, or maybe it’s just one person with a lot of time on their hands, liking the page over and over again. But in any case, it’s a whole lotta like. We like that.

What we don’t like is that we got temporarily banned from Facebook for violating their community standards on “Nudity and Sex.”

Andy Plesser: Akamai Has New Video Diagnostic Tools to Analytics Offering

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AMSTERDAM — Akamai is gearing up to roll out a new suite of analytics in the next few weeks to help media companies analyze video viewing behavior in greater depth.

We caught up with Noreen Hafez, Senior Product Marketing Manager, at the IBC Show in Amsterdam for details.

Already, Akamai relies on its Media Analytics offering to track user behavior and also quality of service for media companies so they can assess and optimize the performance of their broadband video. Later this month or in early October, the company will roll out Viewer Diagnostics that will offer a deep dive into how viewers behave with specific videos, from the devices used to the geographic location to completion rate for different types of ads, Hafez explains in this video interview.

“[Media companies] can automate these reports, help figure out how to market, how to customize content, what their audience is interested in,” she tells us.

One Of Amazon’s New Tablets Doesn’t Even Have FCC Approval Yet

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By Alistair Barr and Sinead Carew

(Reuters) – Amazon.com Inc trumpeted cutting-edge wireless technology as a key selling point for the fanciest of the new Kindle devices introduced by CEO Jeff Bezos on Thursday. There’s just one problem: the devices have not yet been approved for sale by the Federal Communications Commission.

FCC approval is required for wireless communications products, to assure that they operate safely and won’t improperly interfere with other signals.

A pre-order confirmation email sent by Amazon late on Thursday, September 6, for the $499 Kindle Fire HD 8.9-inch 4G tablet included the following note: “We will send you an email asking you to confirm your pre-order of Kindle Fire when it is approved for sale by the Federal Communications Commission.”

Amazon is accepting pre-orders now and plans to ship the 4G devices on November 20. A company spokeswoman said Amazon expects to receive FCC approval before November 20.

Attorneys and analysts familiar with FCC compliance procedures agreed that the FCC is unlikely to reject the Amazon devices out of hand, or prolong the approval process past its ship date.

But they say it’s very unusual for a company to announce major new products without first getting the sign-off from the agency.

“I can’t think of an instance where a device has been offered by a U.S. carrier or an independent retailer that has not had FCC approval yet,” said John Jackson, a wireless analyst at CCS Insight.

An FCC spokesman declined to comment.

The 4G Kindle Fire tablets are a crucial part of Amazon’s attempt to challenge Apple Inc’s iPad at the premium end of the booming tablet market.

The lack of FCC approval at this stage is likely a result of Amazon’s lack of experience with wireless hardware, according to Charles Golvin, a wireless analyst at Forrester Research.

Lazarus said Apple Inc, Motorola, now owned by Google, Samsung and Microsoft have never had such issues.

“These companies have dedicated staff whose job it is to ensure FCC compliance and they do their job very well,” Lazarus added.

Sprint Nextel, a leading wireless carrier, does not release phones for pre-order unless they have already been FCC approved.

“In the vast majority of cases, we will not accept a phone into our formal lab process that has not already received FCC approval,” said Sprint spokeswoman Michelle Leff Mermelstein.

A spokeswoman for AT&T, which is providing the 4G data plan for the new Kindle Fire wireless tablets, declined to comment.

FCC rules bar marketing of devices that are not approved for sale by the FCC. However, there is an exception that permits advertising as long as a disclaimer is included in the promotion, according to Mitchell Lazarus, a partner at law firm Fletcher, Heald & Hildreth, who has 27 years of experience obtaining FCC approvals for new technology, including wireless devices.

Amazon’s press release announcing the devices and the product description pages on the company’s website include disclaimers saying “The 4G device has not been authorized as required by the rules of the Federal Communications Commission. This device is not, and may not be, offered for sale or lease, or sold or leased, until authorization is obtained.”

“Most companies try to get the FCC work done before they announce new products, so they don’t have to make these awkward disclaimers,” said Lazarus.

Amazon may be waiting longer for FCC approval because the company engineered its own 4G wireless modem to be thin enough to slip inside the new Fire tablets, Forrester’s Golvin said.

Bezos highlighted the new modem during his presentation on Thursday, noting it was 2.2 millimeters thick.

Most wireless devices have modems that have been used in other gadgets that have already been approved by the FCC, smoothing the process, Golvin said.

The other new Fire tablets unveiled by Amazon on Thursday only have Wi-Fi and those devices do not have the FCC disclaimer.

“That would indicate that this is related to the new 4G LTE modem,” Golvin said.

Lazarus said companies cannot accept orders and payments from consumers and they cannot ship devices until they are approved. They can accept wholesale orders, but they are not allowed to ship products to retailers until they get FCC approval, Lazarus added.

(Reporting by Alistair Barr in San Francisco, Sinead Carew in New Yorki; Editing by Jonathan Weber, Gary Hill)

How Amazon’s New Tablet Stacks Up Against The Competition

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Amazon.com Inc. unveiled new Kindle Fire models on Thursday. They are the latest challengers to the iPad and come amid expectations that Apple will start selling a mini iPad soon.

Here’s a look at the key differences between a mid-range model closest to the iPad, along with the original Kindle Fire, the iPad and other leading competitors.

Quora: With a Possible New Kindle Fire Launching This Week, What’s the Latest Calculus in Deciding Whether To Use a Fire or an iPad?

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This question originally appeared on Quora.
2012-09-06-mmee.jpeg
By Mike Mee, Co-Founder – A Gamz, FindBigMail.com

The Kindle Fire is a cheap personal media device that is well integrated with Amazon. The iPad is far more expensive, but can be used for many more tasks and outside of USA.

Although there will likely be a new Fire announced this week, I very much doubt this calculus will change. The Fire exists as a portal to Amazon. The iPad has bigger targets in its sights.

Some details of the pros (and hence cons):

Why Own a Kindle Fire?
cheap pricegreat for reading books, watching movies, listening to musicintegrates well with Amazonhas lots of apps from the Android world, many of which work well enoughgood enough for occasional web browsing & email
Why Own an iPad?
available worldwidebig screen makes this a better device for “work”wide range of high quality appsintegrates well enough with Amazongreat for reading books & watching movies, though sometimes a little largeexcellent for web browsing & email
There are many great articles around that highlight the differences of these devices and other similar tables (like the Nook Color and Nexus 7). What is best for you will depend on what you need and how much you can afford to spend.

More questions on the Kindle:Which is better for reading ebooks: Kindle or iPad? Which overall reading experience is better? How do the experiences compare?How has bundling Pulse with the Kindle Fire by default affected Pulse’s user growth?Are the Kindle and iPad good substitutes for paper books?

Kobo Reveals New E-Readers And ‘Arc’ Tablet Ahead Of Amazon Event

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E-reader makers Kobo have unveiled a slate of new devices ahead of a major announcement by competitors Amazon on Thursday.

Kobo unveiled three new readers, including what it claimed was the smallest reader on the market.

The Kobo Glo is a six-inch, e-Ink reader with an illuminated ‘ComfortLight’ backlight.

Retailing for £99.99, the company told the Huffington Post UK they believe the device to be more durable and more customisable than competing products. It is available in black, pink, blue and silver.

glodevices_web

Above: the Kobo Glo

The Kobo Mini is described as the “smallest e-reader on the market” and has a five-inch display, 2GB of storage and a smaller battery. It is available in black or white and will sell for £59.99.

kobo mini family

Above: Kobo Mini

Finally Kobo announced the Kobo Arc, a full-featured Android tablet with a seven-inch screen.

Priced to compete with Google’s Nexus 7 tablet (the 8GB Arc will cost £159 and the 16GB will cost £189) the device has 1.5GHZ Texas Instruments OMAP 4470 processor and 1GB of RAM.

The Arc runs Android Ice Cream Sandwich, and has access to the Google Play store and its Apps, Movies, TV and Music.

arc family jpeg

Above: Kobo Arc

The company, whose partnership with WH Smith in the UK has seen it recently declare the e-reader market to be a “two horse race”.

But the company will have new competition soon, after Barnes and Noble revealed it will bring its own Nook line of e-readers and tablets to the UK with the help of John Lewis, Argos and Blackwell’s.