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Kobo’s Arc 7 tablet shows up in NYC, we kind of go hands-on

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So we've already spent some hands-on time with Kobo's Aura e-reader and the Arc 10HD. That leaves two more devices, right? Well, here's the thing -- as much as the 10-inch tablet wasn't ready in time for tonight's event, the company at least managed to trot it out. As for the seven-inchers, well, the Arc 7HD didn't show, and while the Arc 7 was here, the slate was running a constant demo, meaning we couldn't take it through its paces. As for the hardware? On the face of it, the tablet looks a fair bit like the original Kindle Fire and a number of other seven-inch rectangular tablets. On the top is the standard red Kobo power button, on the right side of the device is a volume rocker and on the left are the headphone jack, micro-HDMI and microUSB ports.

Like its bigger brother, the soft touch rear of the device has borrowed some of the angular design language from the Aura HD around the corners. On the bottom, you'll find a single speaker grille. All three of Kobo's new tablets are set to launch on October 16th -- we're sure we'll be able to spend a bit more time with this guy before then. When it does land, it'll run you $150, with its HD sibling starting at $200.%Gallery-slideshow73876%

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Kobo unveils three reading-focused Arc tablets

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We suspect that Kobo won't be too thrilled about us mentioning the Vox tablet in the introduction to its latest product announcement. All companies have their share of misfires, but that one left us seriously questioning whether the e-reader manufacturer really belonged in the tablet space in the first place. The company set things right with the Kobo Arc, scrapping the Vox line and starting anew. At the end end of the day, however, that seven-inch device left us wondering precisely what void the slate intended to fill in a market overrun with budget tablets. The company thinks it has the answer this time around, building a tablet aimed specifically at its user base of hardcore readers. In fact, the company is so confident in that potential space that it's created not one but three new devices to cater to that need.

It's certainly not something Amazon's Fire line has sought to address, with devices that are more interested in the broader multimedia experience. And while Barnes & Noble has put some effort into reading on its Nook Tablet line, the future of those devices are in question. Kobo would no doubt be among the first to admit that, for those truly hardcore readers out there, a tablet just can't match the experience of a devoted E Ink device, but the company has taken some great pains here to offer the best possible experience on this class of device. For starters, that means limiting distractions -- a refreshing move in a world of infinite displays, we'll admit. CEO Michael Serbinis suggested that (aside from the fact that tablets are less forgiving on the eye than e-readers), the reason people aren't reading as much on the devices is due in part to the many other things (movies, music, web browsing, et cetera) we can be doing on them.

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