Pandigital has is offering a variant of its Novel eReader device, which is more than 30% lighter, has more memory and still costs $200. The new model is moving decidedly deeper into Kindle territory.
Pandigital Novel
The latest Novel also comes with a screen size of 7”, but comes in a black finish instead of the white model that was announced earlier this year. Compared to the first version, the black Novel does not feature edge-to-edge glass, uses a matte glass screen with a black plastic frame. As a result, the device drops its weight from 19 oz to 11.8 oz, which compares to 24 oz of the basic Wi-Fi iPad and 8.5 oz of the latest Wi-Fi Kindle.
The new Novel includes 2 GB of memory instead of the 1 GB space of the white model (upgradeable with SDHC cards up to 32 GB.) It also includes direct access to Barnes & Noble’s eBook store and enables users to surf the web, check emails and watch movies.
The 2GB of integrated memory lets you store hundreds of books and periodicals, movies, music and more, while the built-in SD/SDHC card reader accepts up to 32GB memory cards for access to a virtually unlimited number of files.
The color touchscreen display has a resolution of 800×600 pixels and can be used with a stylus that comes with the Novel. Pandigital describes the Novel as an eReader and may be offering an interesting color alternative to the Kindle, if a color display is important to you. The Novel is about the same size as the new Kindle (5.2”x7.2”x0.5” versus 4.8”x7.5”x0.335”) and could be perceived as more flexible due to the use of the Android operating system, as long as you are willing to compromise on the readability of ebooks on a color screen.
Price may be another issue: While the first Novel was seen as an alternative to the iPad, the new version is much more a compromise between the iPad and the Kindle. If the iPad is too heavy and too expensive for you, and the Kindle is too specialized, the Novel may be an interesting option. Like the iPad, however, the Novel offers only limited battery life – 6 hours. The price remains at $200, which is $60 above the Kindle, but $300 below the cheapest iPad.
We will take the Novel for a test drive as soon as it becomes available and compare it against the iPad and the Kindle.
