IQ vs white Pandigital Novel

soondai · 11-26-2010, 04:36 PM

I'd really been looking forward to the IQ, but was a little turned off by several factors: the pre-installed adware, reports of the vaunted Pocketbook software not working, bad functionality on several of the sellers' web sites, and the 10 dollar price hike.

Add to that the discovery that the IQ CPU is not an upgrade from the PDN as reported (the Pandigital is the same Samsung and clocked at 800mhz since the July firmware update)

Just to let those who may be similarly on the fence, excited by the possibility of an open and inexpensive Android tablet with good reader ability, but wary of some of the bugs of the rollout.

A white Pandigital novel seems to be the exact same machine minus the buttons and metal case. It also has a one year warranty instead of 2.

But it can also be hacked in approximately 10 minutes to stable open firmware developed by the slatedroid community. And it is cheaper.

I got mine for 100 dollars (effectively) plus tax today. (140 dollars minus a 15% coupon and 20 dollars in Kohls bucks).

I hope Pocketbooks does iron out the kinks soon, but from what I have seen so far I've thrown my lot in with the PDN. Same device, better price, better firmware, and I suspect better prospects of 2.2.

Here's their wiki on PDN with links describing the various firmware available:
http://www.slatedroid.com/wiki/index...ndigital_Novel

canadave · 11-27-2010, 06:37 PM

I'm totally looking forward to getting my Pocketbook. I think early criticisms are groundless seeing as it hasn't even been on the market for 2 weeks yet...what problems I've heard of so far, I would chalk up to the newness of Android and the open source nature of all the software that it's built on...if you want cheap/free software, you have to expect that it's not going to be tested by professionals, it's going to be tested by the community.

I'm kind of wondering if Mr soondai above works for Pandigital...his review seems a little astroturfy.

soondai · 11-27-2010, 07:01 PM

canadave, I think if there's a ringer it probably is not the guy with 170 posts.

I'm not here as a shill for Pandigital, Kohls, or slatedroid, or to make any claims that the PDN is a superior version of what is, essentially, the exact same machine.

All things being equal, I would prefer the buttons, the metal case, and the extra year of warranty (actually, I guess, any warranty-- since I am voiding mine by hacking).

I just did not judge things as equal for the reasons I gave. And I wanted anyone else that may have been on the fence and shared my concerns to realize there are other options.

Good luck to everyone here with their machines and happy reading (and surfing)!

katzki · 11-27-2010, 07:46 PM

Soondai,
it seems that you have chosen PDNW based on its price and the hackability.

Personally, I would never make such decision. Yes, it's cheap and it looks cheap.
Hackability. Yes, but IQ will be hackable someday soon, too. More importantly I don't need to hack on IQ. IMO, as an ereader, IQ has a higher potential than PDNW as IQ's reading app is fully supported by Pocketbook and will be upgraded constantly. I also like the fact that IQ's OS will be upgraded to Anroid 2.2 in December.

Except for the price, IQ dominates PDNW in every aspect. I weigh the quality difference more than the price difference. I know that for someone price is a more important factor. For you, PDNW might be the best decision, I understand it.

BTW, IQ will have a newly updated firmware by next Monday. To me, it's a surprise that you made a choice based on the "incomplete version" of IQ's firmware. As far as I remember, PDNW was stated as "horrible" when it came out first as its software was not optimized at all...

fjtorres · 11-27-2010, 08:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by katzki

Hackability. Yes, but IQ will be hackable someday soon, too. More importantly I don't need to hack on IQ.

What would hacking the IQ achieve? You can already install any app you want, no?
Would different firmware enable... what?
Just asking.

katzki · 11-27-2010, 08:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fjtorres

What would hacking the IQ achieve? You can already install any app you want, no?
Would different firmware enable... what?
Just asking.

I would not hack my IQ in any case... I just mentioned the hackability of IQ for the access to the Google Market, but I also know that I can access to the Market even using my PC to extract apks. No problem to me. However, I can also guess that someone might try to hack IQ to get a direct access to the Market. That's possible, too.

soondai · 11-27-2010, 08:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by katzki

Soondai,
it seems that you have chosen PDNW based on its price and the hackability.

Price and ability to do what I need.

Quote:

Originally Posted by katzki

Personally, I would never make such decision. Yes, it's cheap and it looks cheap.

Same machine/CPU. Different priorities, me/you.

I'm really not trying to flame the IQ. I believe it is a good machine for the price range and that's why a bought a version of it.

Enjoy your new readers/tablets

/thread (for me at least)

Icewyng · 11-28-2010, 09:54 AM

Well, to each their own. I have an IQ that is on the way and I am curious to see how it will work out.

@soondai: I think you have raised a good point by comparing the IQ with the Velocity Cruz and the PDN. From what I can tell, they all have the same hardware specs. The thing I am wondering about is if we can use the various tricks and software for the PDN and make it work on the IQ?

Could be interesting since it could open quite a few possibilities to it.

asjogren · 11-28-2010, 11:27 AM

Before Android 2.2, is the limit on installing applications the 2GB internal SD Card? With 2.2, I believe, applications can reside on the external SD Card.

There is a blog that describes taking the cover off the Pandigital Novel and that replacing the internal SD Card is easy.

1) What would be gained by replacing with higher capacity?
2) Can we get better performance by replacing with a faster SD Card?
3) What should be used to copy the contents of the existing internal SD Card?

Icewyng · 11-28-2010, 11:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by asjogren

Before Android 2.2, is the limit on installing applications the 2GB internal SD Card? With 2.2, I believe, applications can reside on the external SD Card.

There is a blog that describes taking the cover off the Pandigital Novel and that replacing the internal SD Card is easy.

1) What would be gained by replacing with higher capacity?
2) Can we get better performance by replacing with a faster SD Card?
3) What should be used to copy the contents of the existing internal SD Card?

That sounds quite interesting... I guess it depends on the kind of hardware that is in the IQ. Someone willing to take one apart and look inside?

I guess if you backup all the stuff on the SD card, copying on the new one and put it inside, it should theoretically work. If not, would different kind of firmwares from "sister" tablets make it work?

Also, it would be nice to know the Class type of the internal SD card as well. Faster class = faster app speed?

Xanthe · 11-29-2010, 03:28 PM

This is interesting information. I'll have to research this changing-the internal-card idea.

JimMcLaren · 11-30-2010, 12:53 PM

I bought the PDNW and am very happy with it, after hacking it. The list price is higher than the IQ but after discounts and rebates I paid a little less than I would for the IQ.

I'd have to assume that Pocketbook's reading is well integrated and able to read all formats in one application. With the PDN I have to go find the application that has the book I want. The IQ's reading app would be a huge plus. I've downloaded a handful of reading apps for my PDN but still can't read quite as many formats as the IQ does. One plus for the PDN is the Barnes and Noble store is built in.

The hacking community on Slatedroid is very active and helpful. The firmware is easy to install and getting Android apps to install after that is trivial. I feel like I have pretty good support for the PDN. If you're waiting for Pocketbook to release the next firmware to make your reader everything it should be, good luck. I'm still waiting for the updated firmware for my PB 602.

Personally, I think the PDN is only a passable reader. It's got a short battery life (about 6 hours) and is heavy (more than 1 lb.). I would expect the IQ to have the same problems. But it's a reasonably good tablet. It does all I need for a tablet. If I need a reader I'll read on my PB 602.

11-26-2010, 04:36 PM	#1
soondai Guru Posts: 672 Karma: 1109784 Join Date: Aug 2010 Device: Paperwhite	IQ vs white Pandigital Novel I'd really been looking forward to the IQ, but was a little turned off by several factors: the pre-installed adware, reports of the vaunted Pocketbook software not working, bad functionality on several of the sellers' web sites, and the 10 dollar price hike. Add to that the discovery that the IQ CPU is not an upgrade from the PDN as reported (the Pandigital is the same Samsung and clocked at 800mhz since the July firmware update) Just to let those who may be similarly on the fence, excited by the possibility of an open and inexpensive Android tablet with good reader ability, but wary of some of the bugs of the rollout. A white Pandigital novel seems to be the exact same machine minus the buttons and metal case. It also has a one year warranty instead of 2. But it can also be hacked in approximately 10 minutes to stable open firmware developed by the slatedroid community. And it is cheaper. I got mine for 100 dollars (effectively) plus tax today. (140 dollars minus a 15% coupon and 20 dollars in Kohls bucks). I hope Pocketbooks does iron out the kinks soon, but from what I have seen so far I've thrown my lot in with the PDN. Same device, better price, better firmware, and I suspect better prospects of 2.2. Here's their wiki on PDN with links describing the various firmware available: http://www.slatedroid.com/wiki/index...ndigital_Novel

11-27-2010, 06:37 PM	#2
canadave Junior Member Posts: 1 Karma: 10 Join Date: Nov 2010 Device: Pocketbook IQ 701	Ordered my Pocketbook IQ 701! I'm totally looking forward to getting my Pocketbook. I think early criticisms are groundless seeing as it hasn't even been on the market for 2 weeks yet...what problems I've heard of so far, I would chalk up to the newness of Android and the open source nature of all the software that it's built on...if you want cheap/free software, you have to expect that it's not going to be tested by professionals, it's going to be tested by the community. I'm kind of wondering if Mr soondai above works for Pandigital...his review seems a little astroturfy.

11-27-2010, 07:46 PM	#4
katzki Zealot Posts: 103 Karma: 736 Join Date: Oct 2010 Device: sony prs 650	Soondai, it seems that you have chosen PDNW based on its price and the hackability. Personally, I would never make such decision. Yes, it's cheap and it looks cheap. Hackability. Yes, but IQ will be hackable someday soon, too. More importantly I don't need to hack on IQ. IMO, as an ereader, IQ has a higher potential than PDNW as IQ's reading app is fully supported by Pocketbook and will be upgraded constantly. I also like the fact that IQ's OS will be upgraded to Anroid 2.2 in December. Except for the price, IQ dominates PDNW in every aspect. I weigh the quality difference more than the price difference. I know that for someone price is a more important factor. For you, PDNW might be the best decision, I understand it. BTW, IQ will have a newly updated firmware by next Monday. To me, it's a surprise that you made a choice based on the "incomplete version" of IQ's firmware. As far as I remember, PDNW was stated as "horrible" when it came out first as its software was not optimized at all... Last edited by katzki; 11-27-2010 at 07:59 PM.

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11-27-2010, 07:01 PM	#3
soondai Guru Posts: 672 Karma: 1109784 Join Date: Aug 2010 Device: Paperwhite	canadave, I think if there's a ringer it probably is not the guy with 170 posts. I'm not here as a shill for Pandigital, Kohls, or slatedroid, or to make any claims that the PDN is a superior version of what is, essentially, the exact same machine. All things being equal, I would prefer the buttons, the metal case, and the extra year of warranty (actually, I guess, any warranty-- since I am voiding mine by hacking). I just did not judge things as equal for the reasons I gave. And I wanted anyone else that may have been on the fence and shared my concerns to realize there are other options. Good luck to everyone here with their machines and happy reading (and surfing)!

11-28-2010, 09:54 AM	#8
Icewyng Addict Posts: 238 Karma: 4039 Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: Quebec, Canada Device: Pocketbook 301+, Pocketbook IQ	Well, to each their own. I have an IQ that is on the way and I am curious to see how it will work out. @soondai: I think you have raised a good point by comparing the IQ with the Velocity Cruz and the PDN. From what I can tell, they all have the same hardware specs. The thing I am wondering about is if we can use the various tricks and software for the PDN and make it work on the IQ? Could be interesting since it could open quite a few possibilities to it.

11-28-2010, 11:27 AM	#9
asjogren Addict Posts: 266 Karma: 1378 Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Seattle / San Carlos, Sonora, Mexico Device: Kindle & WiFi Nook & PocketBook IQ	Before Android 2.2, is the limit on installing applications the 2GB internal SD Card? With 2.2, I believe, applications can reside on the external SD Card. There is a blog that describes taking the cover off the Pandigital Novel and that replacing the internal SD Card is easy. 1) What would be gained by replacing with higher capacity? 2) Can we get better performance by replacing with a faster SD Card? 3) What should be used to copy the contents of the existing internal SD Card?

11-29-2010, 03:28 PM	#11
Xanthe Plan B Is Now In Force Posts: 1,894 Karma: 8086979 Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Surebleak Device: Aluratek,Sony 350/T1,Pandigital,eBM 911,Nook HD/HD+,Fire HDX 7/8.9,PW2	This is interesting information. I'll have to research this changing-the internal-card idea.

11-30-2010, 12:53 PM	#12
JimMcLaren Addict Posts: 260 Karma: 1014230 Join Date: Jan 2010 Device: Onyx Boox T68, Kobo Aura HD, Pocketbook 302, Pocketbook 912, Nook HD+	I bought the PDNW and am very happy with it, after hacking it. The list price is higher than the IQ but after discounts and rebates I paid a little less than I would for the IQ. I'd have to assume that Pocketbook's reading is well integrated and able to read all formats in one application. With the PDN I have to go find the application that has the book I want. The IQ's reading app would be a huge plus. I've downloaded a handful of reading apps for my PDN but still can't read quite as many formats as the IQ does. One plus for the PDN is the Barnes and Noble store is built in. The hacking community on Slatedroid is very active and helpful. The firmware is easy to install and getting Android apps to install after that is trivial. I feel like I have pretty good support for the PDN. If you're waiting for Pocketbook to release the next firmware to make your reader everything it should be, good luck. I'm still waiting for the updated firmware for my PB 602. Personally, I think the PDN is only a passable reader. It's got a short battery life (about 6 hours) and is heavy (more than 1 lb.). I would expect the IQ to have the same problems. But it's a reasonably good tablet. It does all I need for a tablet. If I need a reader I'll read on my PB 602.

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