Got this email from reader Vicki Fox Smith:
If there was one big complaint about the Kobo Vox, it was that the device was not certified by Google and thus, Vox users could not download from what was then Google Market, and is now Google Play.
Today, that has changed, with updates to the software downloading and Google Play access (yum all those Android Apps) a reality!
Vicki
This is good news. Now Kobo has to upgrade the Vox to Android 4.0 and change the processor etc. Then I will buy one again.
Yippee! It’s not so much adding capability to the Kobo Vox — it’s a modestly powered Android 2.3.3 OS device — but this eases a number of operational things, particularly updating apps. The Kobo Vox is a terrific 7″ tablet-style e-reader. It allows me to access Kobo, Kindle and public libary content easily; provides basic web functionality; quick access to Facebook and Gmail on the go. And, of course, prime content extends beyond US markets where competitors like Nook Color and Kindle Fire do not exist.
For $179, it’s hard to beat it.
So does this mean it can do Kindle and Netflix? If I could have those two apps on this size device, at this price, it might be the bedtime solution for me. I despise the Kobo reading software; I’d need to be able to move it aside and use the Kindle app.
Yes–it can do Kindle and Netflix and all the things most tablets can do that do NOT require microphones, GPS, or resources in excess of its specs.
Realistically, the Kobo Vox is a “tablet-style” e-reader. If your *prime* reason for acquiring it is to do video and more elaborate tablet things, you may be headed for disappointment. Hopefully not lost in this is that this is a significant upgrade for existing users: Kobo Vox was consciously sold from Day One as NOT having Android Market (now Google Play) access. And, the Android platform is morphing so rapidly, if one is looking for dual-core, video-conferencing capable, voice-command driven unit running Ice Cream Sandwich or Jelly Bean, this is clearly not the place to look. But in today’s market, for what it does, it delivers very nicely at the price point.