Sure,
Pandigital's Novel may be delayed until next month because of some
firmware issues -- and we haven't heard
the most positive things about the 7-inch LCD based e-reader / tablet -- but we had to check it out for ourselves. At $179.99
$149, the all-plastic reader isn't going to win any build quality awards (it's also rather heavy for what it is), but the Android 2.1-powered gadget does have a pretty attractive user interface. In use, however, the resistive screen had to be pressed quite firmly to make selections and the software was noticeably sluggish. Surprisingly, the device did play a standard definition video smoothly and it has an accelerometer -- which is more than the
Archos 7 Home Tablet can brag. Barnes & Noble's eBookstore will be preloaded, and it also has a skinned Android browser of some sort. We've got a short hands-on video after the break, but you've got the picture here: the Novel isn't what we'd call
novel, you just get what you pay for.
posted June 25th 2010 12:48AM
Full size sd card slot ftw
32gb cards for cheap :√)
@DefPoet I hope it's not just yet another vaporware!
@DefPoet Please not be vaporware. Please let at least ONE Android or at least one DECENT non-iPad tablet not be Vaporware. I want DECENT competition!
@bo3of
The Novel is already for sale at JC Penny. Unless they've recalled all of em.
How about trying it with a stylus? (No I'm not joking :P)
And Please Joanna let us know if you can sync apps through DoubleTwist. :)
I thought that was the Droid X for a sec
I would seriously consider buying this tablet if it wasn't for the resistive screen. Well maybe that and if the casing wasn't so ugly.
i will keep my cheap ass Apad for now , (well till a MeeGo tablet comes out ! )
Price point is attractive indeed. How is the battery life?
@kyphem
i think i heard its about 5 hours (maybe a little more if you are using it light)
Uggh, more (ugly) tablets. What a bore.
For the price, not too bad. Just give it time, the market will continue to improve tablets, and I'm sure all of us will reap the benefits. Especially those who can tether those tablets to their cellphone and view them youtube vids on the go. =3
Pandigital has disappointed me for the way they handle their CS department, telling a few of it's customers lies just to get them off the phone. I have a raincheck for two of the black devices from Kohl's once they come back out, but I will not be collecting on these that's for sure.
A e-reader without e ink? No think you.
@PhaseDMA Exactly. I stopped reading at "LCD based e-reader".
If you read two magazines per month, or if the last book you read was some John Grisham novel that you picked up in the airport three years ago, then sure, go ahead and buy an LCD "e-book reader".
@FitFan
Or if E-Ink is too slow for you.
I think the high-horse of E-Ink enthusiasts is laughable.
@BubbaJ
Of course, the device in this post is just as bad, if not worse, than most E-Ink devices in terms of speed.
This is mighty tempting. I don't really care much about watching movies on the thing, and all I really want is a decent sized color screen to read comics (and the occasional book).
B&W devices just don't cut it for comics.
Sounds like a pretty great deal for the price. I don't think there's another non-1.6 Android tablet out for $150 right now.
That being said, I'm still waiting for a real Android-based tablet to be released.
Speaking of vaporware - yesterday was the latest release date for the Plastic Logic Que e-reader! Not even a MENTION on their site of yet another missed release date?
Hes holding it wrong. :)
Kind of a perfect device for couch surfing and travelling with. Except one monstrous defect in Android up to now: no Bluetooth profile for keyboards. When that works, I'm going to have two or three of these pads lying around for the kids, for taking on the train, games, videos, and my next great novel.
Anybody else realize that the video doesn't even work?
Hellooooooooo the video is not working......
I am waiting for this to come out. All I want is a tablet to browse.I hope this will at least serve that purpose.
Plastic+Android are my two favorite words that fit so well together in every context very closely describing the truth.
Think the white looks a little better!
I've seen worse resistive touch screens than that.....
I have a raincheck on one @ Kohl's for under $130.....not sure if this short review does it justice.
@Johnny15
How'd you get it that cheap?
My hope is that some developer will put some time into cooking a rom for this to speed up the interface. Call the next Cyanogen into the batter's box!
@KyleLipp
30% off on my catalog. Ordered it the first week it was out. They cancelled my order an promised to give me the same price once it was back in stock.
CoPyKatZ.
I guess no one cares about the very obvious and unbearable lag when selecting or scrolling? I've yet to see anyone getting the UI as responsive as the iPad. The page sticks to your finger like a magnet when scrolling, which it should.
@dave95 Oh, I care. That horrific lag is the deal-killer as far as I'm concerned. Two seconds or more to turn a page?!
I don't know how they've managed to make it that slow. My Android phone doesn't have those problems.
you're holding it the wrong way.
I picked up the "new version" Novel from Kohl's this past Friday and played with it most of Saturday. This will be a gift for my nieces 15th birthday and I have to say I am pleased. After following the easy set up instructions and calibrating the touch portion I found that everything worked smoothly. The only delay I had was about a 5 second delay when switching from holding the unit portrait to landscape. The WiFi connection was good ( I am on a satellite connection so that is saying alot) and the pages turned smoothly. I think this is going to be a device that she will get a ton of use out of and the price was perfect!
sticking with my Kindle for now