Pandigital, known for their digital photo frames and scanners, has decided to jump into the ereader fray with the Pandigital Novel, a 7-inch multipurpose ereader with an LCD touchscreen, Wi-Fi, and an Android operating system. All are designed to be ereaders and multimedia devices capable of browsing the web, playing music, sending email, and displaying videos and images on their x resolution screens. Update: This review was written right at the Pandigital Novel's release and since then the device has gotten some firmware updates to improve and expand its functionality.
I've updated the review in parts to make it more accurate to the Novel's current feature-set, but you may want to check the 9" Pandigital Novel review because both devices are very similar and that review is much more recent.
Also, the Pandigital Novels are now open to install 3rd-party Android apps, including the Kobo, Aldiko, and Amazon Kindle ereading apps, among many others. It can be a little hard to learn where to find apps in the beginning when first starting with Android, so check this article to learn how to find and install Android apps.
First off, the touchscreen takes some getting used to. The sensitivity and accuracy when using your fingers could be better. Once I started using a stylus I found the touchscreen works great, the quickness in which it responses still needs some improving but it works quite well, even tiny links are easy to activate when using the web browser. A long fingernail can get the job done too; it just requires a hard tap. The light seems to glitter, especially white; it's not solid color.
It looks better further away than close-up, or dimmed slightly. The Pandigital Novel's claim to ereading fame is its integration with Barnes and Noble's store for ebooks, magazines, and newspapers.
It also comes with a built-in email application, web browser, alarm clock, calendar, games, and dictionary. There's an orientation sensor, mini USB port, stereo speakers, headphone jack, and a battery that lasts up to six hours in reading mode. Now that Pandigital has opened up the Pandigital Novel to install apps, it is much more versatile and can do all kinds of things.
There's no app market for the Novel, but there is a hack to add it. Or you can install other app markets on it such as SlideMe, if you're not into hacking. The Novel's ebook reader offers some good features but lacks any customizing options, no way to set margins, change font type, or customize font or background color.
Hyperlinks in ebooks don't work. The brightness can only be adjusted in the main settings menu and tends to reset sporadically. There are some good features like adding notes, highlights, bookmarks, and accessing the dictionary. Since hyperlinks don't work in the book's TOC, there's one built-in to the bookmarks menu that works effectively.
A night reading mode turns the background black and the text white, and there are 4 font sizes. There's a second app for adding authorized Adobe DRM ebooks, and of course you can install other reading apps for more formats. You can even use the Overdrive Android app for borrowing library ebooks. A previous discount was extended to Amazon mothers as well, and there could be more discounts in the future at this point.
The arrangement works well and is amenable to taps from either hand. The use of e-ink also aids in avoiding the eyestrain of normal computer usage. The problem is that some of that technology can be really expensive. These hardware additions seem set to consolidate Amazon's leading by a country mile position in the UK ebook and ebook reader market. However, you have to keep in mind that this can potentially place limitations on your Kindle store access.
Antwan Lindley. Unlike the earlier models, this one has four extra hardware buttons below the screen for improved navigation. It comes with a stylus and stand as well. The white Pandigital Novel was released in June and was Pandigital's first model to hit the market. It quickly became very popular among hackers looking for an inexpensive Android tablet and continues to be one of the most proliferated and widely available color ereaders on the market, selling from a plethora of retails stores and websites.
Pandigital Novel Review ». It has a 6-inch touchscreen, WiFi, a web browser, g-sensor, email, some games, and other applications. It is the first ereader to reach the US market that uses a SiPix screen instead of the more widely used E Ink screens, and after seeing it in person the reason is obvious. Pandigital Novel Personal Review ». The general consensus is the white Pandigital Novel is a better choice than the black model for installing Android apps and overall usability.
The black Pandigital Novel runs Android 1. It's harder to find apps that will work with 1. It's best to avoid this model unless you just want to read ebooks. Pandigital released an updated version of this model with more memory that comes in different colors. Privacy Policy - Disclaimer. The eBook Reader. Pandigital Novel Tablets and eReaders Pandigital has released a number of Android tablets and ereaders over the past few years.
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