Kobo Elipsa Combines The Function Of An E-Reader And Notebook In One Device

The Kobo Elipsa is a new e-reader with many features that are uncommon in the segment. The Elipsa works with accessories, including the Kobo Stylus combining a digital reading and writing experience in a single device. Designers say they looked beyond the standard E-reader experience to create a reading and writing package bridging the gap between print and e-books and between reading and creating.

Elipsa has a 10.3-inch E Ink Carta 1200 glare-free screen. The screen also has ComfortLight adjustable brightness, 32 gigabytes of integrated storage, a stylus, and a SleepCover. It's offered in midnight blue with the stylus in black and the SleepCover in Slate Blue. Designers behind the product say that the Elipsa allows people who read every day to interact with the book by marking notes, highlighting, and writing in the margins of their digital book.

The digital reader also acts as a digital notebook. Rakuten Kobo CEO Michael Tamblyn says the new e-reader merges the bookstore, book, and notebook, allowing people to capture all the ideas that come from books and writing. The product sounds very much like another digital notebook called the reMarkable 2.

The Kobo Elipsa Pack comes with the Elipsa E-reader, Kobo Stylus, and the SleepCover. It's available for preorder now at $399.99 in the US or $499.99 Canadian. Preorders begin today, and the Elipsa will be in stores and online on June 24. While pricing for the US and Canada has been offered, Elipsa will be available in most of Europe and Asia.

It's worth noting that while it has a similar feature set compared to the reMarkable 2, and a similar price, the reMarkable 2 doesn't include the stylus or folio cover. That potentially makes the Elipsa more appealing than the computing offering. However, it's unclear if the Elipsa can turn handwritten notes into digital notes.