Pandigital Novel -- not that great, is it?

[afa]

So the Pandigital Novel which we kept hearing about has been reviewed, and it's disappointing to say the least.

Here's the review from CNET:
http://reviews.cnet.com/e-book-reade...contentBody;1r
They gave it only two stars (out of five).

And this is from Engadget:
http://www.engadget.com/2010/08/20/p...-novel-review/

Their conclusion -

The poor touchscreen, sluggish processor and sometimes confusing interface cripple the device to the point where it can't even manage its main task of turning pages and providing a comfortable reading experience. There's no beating around the bush on this one -- those looking for a cheap e-reader will be better suited by the WiFi-equipped $149 Nook or $139 Kindle.

[gastan]

I completely disagree.

First of all, did either reviewer bother upgrading the firmware or hack the device? If so they didn't mention it. I admit that the Novel, out of the box, is limited. Upgrading firmware on any newly purchased device is so obvious that any reviewer that ignores it is suspect, IMO. Hacking the Novel is so easy that a 3rd grader could probably do it in about 15 minutes.

Both reviews mention an unresponsive touch screen. The Cnet one even goes so far as to compare it to the iPad. What??? Resistive compared to capacitive. What in the world did he expect? The Engadget reviewer complained about the screen not responding to her "finger". Here is a perfect example of RTFM, lady. It tells you, point blank, not to use your finger but your fingernail or a stylus. She had trouble with the interface? Maybe she's a moron. As one poster at Slatedroid said, his 15 yr old figured out the eReader interface in about 2 seconds. And lastly, she has outright mistakes in her article. Android 1.5? No, no. Android 2.0. 533Mhz processor? No, no, no. On my Novel it came with a 633Mhz processor but the speed was bumped to 800Mhz with a firmware update.

The Cnet review rated the Novel only 2 stars but you don't mention that the USERS gave it 3.5 stars. That reviewer didn't like the 6 hour battery life, complaining that the Kindle or Nook can go weeks between charges. WTH?? Two completely different devices with two completely known characteristics ... LCD drains batteries much faster than e-ink. He says, "the rechargeable lithium ion battery is sealed and nonremovable." Poppycock. I had the back off my Novel in about 2 minutes and the battery out in another 2. He also complained about the screen and mentioned that the accelerometer is too sensitive and sometimes switches orientation when not wanted. ??? The Engadget reviewer complained that the accelerometer was not responsive enough.

Both disliked the speed, UI, and screen. All items fixable with firmware upgrades and an easy hack. If you dislike the UI or OEM apps, load whatever you like onto it after you hack it. Among others, I have Adobe Reader, Office Suite Pro, Google Maps, FBReader, and Aldiko loaded on mine.

As you can tell, I'm extremely happy with my $116 Novel. I don't expect to keep it forever but it is a great interim device while waiting for the Adam's, Papyrus's/Lattice's, Mirasol's, Pixel Qi's, et al, to appear. But then I'm not the type to buy a KIA and then complain when I don't get the Rolls Royce experience from it.

[SensualPoet]

Originally Posted by gastan

First of all, did either reviewer bother upgrading the firmware or hack the device? If so they didn't mention it. I admit that the Novel, out of the box, is limited. Upgrading firmware on any newly purchased device is so obvious that any reviewer that ignores it is suspect, IMO. Hacking the Novel is so easy that a 3rd grader could probably do it in about 15 minutes.

I admire your enthusiasm for the device and pleased it works for you.

For the typical consumer -- not the hobbyist or mobileread participant -- the barrier of having to upgrade the firmware to make it work well out of the box is a very poor experience. If the next level to make it into something really useful is to "hack it", then the true usefulness for the rest of us plummets.

I don't buy anything that requires me to retool it before using it. Most of consumers want the darned thing to work, up to its potential, as is. That is, after all, what we're paying for, isn't it? If the CNET and Engadget reviews reflect accurately what Pandigital delivers as is, then the company deserves leaving a poor impression.

[kjk]

I agree-glad you are happy with yours, but expecting reviewers to "hack the device" to give it a fair review seems a bit much.

However, if there is updated firmware, hopefully both publications will do a followup if the updates make significant improvements to the faults they noted.

[vaughnmr]

Originally Posted by gastan

As you can tell, I'm extremely happy with my $116 Novel.

Where did you buy it for $116? It's marked at $170 everywhere I looked.

[SameOldStory]

Yes and No.

CNET and Engadget being "Tech" publishers should have checked out any updates.

That most people are, probably, afraid to risk turning their new toy into a brick, I can understand.

A few months ago I bought a new GPS device. It was so horrible I was about to return it. After checking on the manufacturers web site I had it working like a charm.

Who ever sent it out of the factory like that should be fired. It really was unusable.

Perhaps the manufacturers should put an opaque layer on all screens telling the buyer to check their web site for update/upgrades. And NO I'm not being facetious.

[kevinp]

Originally Posted by vaughnmr

Where did you buy it for $116? It's marked at $170 everywhere I looked.

I'd be interested to know as well. Walgreens has it in their flier this week for $150.

[GeoffC]

No 'normal' user should have to upgrade firmware on a newly purchased product in order to get it to work properly !!!!

I've not upgraded the firmware on my camera because the manufacturer states very firmly that to do so is entirely at my own risk - as it works as is, I leave well alone [except when I drop it !!!!] !!!!!!

[cfrizz]

Originally Posted by SensualPoet

I admire your enthusiasm for the device and pleased it works for you.

For the typical consumer -- not the hobbyist or mobileread participant -- the barrier of having to upgrade the firmware to make it work well out of the box is a very poor experience. If the next level to make it into something really useful is to "hack it", then the true usefulness for the rest of us plummets.

I don't buy anything that requires me to retool it before using it. Most of consumers want the darned thing to work, up to its potential, as is. That is, after all, what we're paying for, isn't it? If the CNET and Engadget reviews reflect accurately what Pandigital delivers as is, then the company deserves leaving a poor impression.

Thank you!

Some of you more hardcore tech geeks simply ASSUME that everyone else is/should be like you.

When I get new gear, the most I might do is look on the companies website for an update to the firmware. However, quite frankly I EXPECT it to be as up to date as it can be since I'm purchasing it brand new. So I would turn it on & expect it to work flawlessly.

Neither I or regular Joe/Josephine public have the slightest interest in hacking into anything! If we have to hack into it to get it to work, it is a piece of trash not to be bought at all.

This is why I am NEVER one of the first ones on the block to get new technology. I've lived long enough to know, that these companies use US as ginea pigs to spend a lot of money to test their crap. I will wait until they have all the bugs worked out before I make my purchase.

[GeoffC]

I wonder how many readers end up in the back of the cupboard in disgust, or returned, purely because the firmware is still 'buggy' ?

[Donnageddon]

Actually I have been using the PD Novel for a couple of weeks, using only the official updates.

I find it to be a nice backlit, color ereader, although a little heavier than I would like. The only other bothersome aspect is the teeny tab at the bottom of the screen which sometimes covers words at the bottom of the page.

Keep in mind, I only use it for reading, and occasionally for web surfing. Web surfing is not a pleasant experience on the novel, but doable in a pinch.

[basschick]

i guess you have to define "normal user". there are cameras out there where the first thing you should do it upgrade the firmware, and they're not off-brands; at least one is an olympus. i expect the kind of person one might refer to here as a normal user will just buy a kindle or just maybe a nook.

[Donnageddon]

I would actually prefer using Augen's The Book, but it's firmware is still very lacking, and buggy. I am not confident that Augen will deal with TB's obvious flaws. So the Novel works better for my needs.

[SameOldStory]

Originally Posted by GeoffC

I wonder how many readers end up in the back of the cupboard in disgust, or returned, purely because the firmware is still 'buggy' ?

When I got that GPS (Magellan 1470 4.7-Inch) , I was mad as hell. I'm quite sure that most people did return it.

There are a lot of manufacturers out there that put out hardware with real software problems. The nook was one of the readers that I tried when it first became available to play with in the store. It stunk. Now I guess it's pretty good, but I never tried it again.

Stuff is being rushed out hoping to gain some market share. More often the people who buy it will just return it, and never buy from that manufacturer again. I view this as an error on the CEO/CFO. Surely the people below must know how bad it is. But they want to keep their job, so out it goes.

[gastan]

Originally Posted by vaughnmr

Where did you buy it for $116? It's marked at $170 everywhere I looked.

Bed Bath & Beyond hands out 20% off coupons like they were candy. I get them in the mail regularly. If push comes to shove you can sign up on their website for e-mail notices and the first thing they'll do is e-mail you a 20% off coupon. The $20 mail in rebate was good 7-1-2010 thru 8-15-2010. You need to be a good shopper and wait for sales and such. MR even has a sub-forum called "Deals, Freebies, and Resources".

I don't understand the sentiments against firmware updates or hacks. Okay, I can sort of understand the anti-hack sentiment but, honestly, if you can read you can hack the Novel. To me, saying that you don't want to do a simple hack that will turn a crippled device into a acceptable, useable device is like saying you don't want to be bothered fixing your car so it runs better.

Anti-firmware feelings leave me completely flummoxed. First gen hardware is ALWAYS buggy. It ALWAYS needs firmware fixes. Old hardware is OFTEN updated with new firmware. I have never read any manual (remember RTFM) that didn't tell me to check often for firmware updates for problem fixes and performance improvements.
Heck, there is a thread about a firmware update on this forum right now for the Sony PRS-500. I see threads here about firmware updates all the time.