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Review: black Pandigital Novel (US firmware)

Comparison

So how do the 2 compare? Well, I have to say that I like the physical appearance of the black Novel more than the white. The screen is easier to use and the black Novel is easier to hold (because of the backside). I didn’t hit the wrong button on the onscreen keyboard nearly as often, and the black Novel’s screen is just more responsive.

The black Novel has a few other nuanced differences.  For example, the black Novel has an in-book music menu. You can play MP3s and change them without closing the book. At east, you could do this if the menu worked.

One other interesting change is in the library. The black Novel doesn’t pull the ebook covers fom the same place as the with one, which is why so many of my ebooks don’t show a cover. The black Novel also has quite a few more sorting options. You can sort by title, author, and date, and you can also select (for example) an author sort for just Newspapers (and you’ll se just the newspapers on the screen).

I liked that on the Home screen the black Novel only showed the ebooks that I had opened previously.  It left big blank spots, which is good.

One thing I don’t like about the black Novel, though, is that every time I unplug it from my computer it reboots itself.

The Wifi works better on the black Novel; with the white Novel I had to wait quite a while for it to find a network (this was on an older firmware, though). I alos like that the black Novel has an actual hardware button; it lets me turn the Wifi on and off without leaving my current activity, going to the settings menu, and messign with the Wifi.

But, I think the white Novel is the batter tablet for 2 reasons. First, the black Novel has 2GB of Flash installed; the white Novel has an internal microSDHC card slot which you can upgrade to a 16GB card. I won’t ever need it but I can see the value.

My other reason for liking the white Novel is that it has been hacked. You can use it as a real tablet, and that’s important because I don’t like either Novel as an ereader.They make okay tablets, but as ereaders they are in dire need of page turn buttons. At the very least they need to have screen taps enabled as a page turn option. Swiping the screen is not adequate.

I have this theory about screen swipes. They’re only okay on devices that are either very large or very small. The device has to be either small enough that I can hold it in one hand (like my iPod Touch) or large enough that it can sit in my lap (the iPad, for example). It might sound nutty, but it makes sense to me. A screen swipe works on the iPod Touch because it is part of the natural motion of your thumb. And on a large device it is acceptable because it evokes the memory of turning the page of a large book. On any device between the 2 extremes a screen swipe is distracting. Having to move my hand to swipe the screen pulls me from the immersive reading experience.

Intro

Hacking & Apps

Opinion

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Comments


Pandigital Black PDN Review by The-Digital-Reader.com August 18, 2010 um 12:14 am

[…] Black PDN Review by The-Digital-Reader.com Review: black Pandigital Novel | The Digital Reader Hopefully people will get these in their hands soon and see how hack-able they are. […]


Casey August 18, 2010 um 12:35 am

Thanks for the review! Looks interesting, though I’m not sure why Pandigital would release a new piece of hardware that is so similar to the the white, which was released not so long ago.


Mike Cane August 18, 2010 um 7:15 am

Scratching my head over all of this. So, is it the actual *hardware* of the screen that’s better with the Black or does new firmware make a difference? If you still have the White, does the new firmware make its screen better now?

Nate the great August 18, 2010 um 7:21 am

I think it’s just the hardware that makes the black Novel more pleasant to use.


Review: black Pandigital Novel | The Digital Reader « Mike Cane's xBlog August 18, 2010 um 7:49 am

[…] Review: black Pandigital Novel | The Digital Reader Review: black Pandigital Novel | The Digital Reader […]


Beth August 18, 2010 um 8:14 am

Where can I get my hands on one of these? I have been following your reviews and I am very interested in trying one. I had the Sony ereader and really loved it!

Nate the great August 18, 2010 um 9:15 am

It won’t be in stores until next week.


Ryan August 18, 2010 um 9:04 am

While I would definitely like the reduced weight, until it is hacked, I won’t even consider it. If I could sell my white and get it for $10-$20 more, I’d probably be game. All of the responsiveness and firmware improvements likely can (and should) be included in FW updates to the white version, so in that the two models should be the same. Are we seriously thinking they used completely different touchscreen hardware after the white version only being on the market a month or so? I don’t buy it, it’s not like it was failing or breaking. More hardware buttons? Yeah, those would be nice, but I’ve gotten pretty good with the volume hack on my white.


Scott_T August 18, 2010 um 9:14 am

After having my white PDN for a while I concur that a tablet makes a bad ereader. Its ok in a pinch but just do yourself a favor and get a real ereader which has page turn buttons and is a lot lighter. PDN would be better if we could tap the screen for page turns and got rid of the page turning animations. The wifi switch is a great addition to the black, that’s a real pain on the white. So much that I rarely use it now just to save battery and hassle.


Casey August 18, 2010 um 12:48 pm

I’m wondering if the difference you felt in screen responsiveness was due to firmware updates. I know my white PDN is much more responsive with recent updates compared to what it was out of the box, or even with early hacks.

Nate the great August 18, 2010 um 1:09 pm

I think it’s the different technology.


Guiltyr1 August 18, 2010 um 2:52 pm

So, I thought I heard the black is running 2.1; can’t we copy all the stuff and run the white with 2.1?

Nate the great August 18, 2010 um 4:27 pm

It very likely won’t work. I bet the update is set to check for to make sure it’s being installed only on the correct device.


Josh C. August 18, 2010 um 10:01 pm

I picked up the white Novel last week at Kohl’s
for a mere $90 after the rebate and a 30% off promo on my Kohl’s charge card. I must say that for so little out of pocket I am quite impressed with the quality of the tablet. I own a iPhone and an iPod touch and wanted an iPad but wanted to wait a couple years until the next generation iPad is released as the first is lacking so much. I believe that if Pandigital can pull of the use of android marketplace apps on this unit in future software updates then I won’t be missing much and will love it even more! And the video capability with mp4 is not nearly as bad as people say it is. I use handbrake to make digital copies of my DVDs for portable use and these work quite well and look great on the 7″ Novel screen. I encourage everyone to dismiss the naysayers and decide for yourself with a minimal out of pocket cost!


Dee August 25, 2010 um 1:55 pm

Can the internal SD card on the black model be changed to a larger card?

Nate the great August 25, 2010 um 2:13 pm

The black model doesn’t have an internal microSD card.


Dee August 25, 2010 um 2:43 pm

Thanks, Nate. You may not be able to discuss it yet but is the difference in weight between the white and black models notably different in terms of comfort while holding the unit and reading?

Nate the great August 25, 2010 um 2:52 pm

I can actually.

I thought I mentioned in the review that the black Novel weighs less than the white one.


Dee August 25, 2010 um 2:56 pm

You did … but without having something in my hand it is a bit hard to determine if a few ounces really make a big change in comfort.

One final question … on the white model, do you know if anyone has successfully loaded the ereader app? I like the "tap" feature to turn the page as opposed to the finger swipe.


The Brief Guide To eReaders/Tablets Right Now « Mike Cane's xBlog September 13, 2010 um 11:12 am

[…] why) ECTACO jetBook Aluratek Librie Augen The Book Pandigital Novel (both models — white and black) Cruz Reader All the other crap coming […]


lmbchef November 6, 2010 um 10:26 pm

has anyone hacked the new blk pandigital?

Nate the great November 6, 2010 um 10:56 pm

I think Pandigital posted an open firmware:
http://www.pandigital.net/android

jennifer December 16, 2010 um 7:19 am

Does this download really work.? will i still be able to do the same things as it did in its out the box form?

Nate the great December 16, 2010 um 7:52 am

Does what download work? The firmware I review here is the one from the box. I don’t see how anything could change.

Nate the great November 6, 2010 um 11:09 pm

Have a look at this:


J November 20, 2010 um 11:59 am

I downloaded the open version of Android from the Pandigital.net website and installed it. This wiped the format of the ereader and then I installed Skyfire app by searching for the APK file online and downloading it. From there you can search for the apk files and install open home to change the home screen and you can watch videos through skyfire which automatically converts them down for the best format for viewing on the device. So far I’m pleased with it. I just wish we could get it rooted! That would be amazing. I also downloaded Astro File explorer app and I am able to download/install apps from the sd card.

Nate the great November 20, 2010 um 12:20 pm

What did you think of it?

tatuk December 8, 2010 um 3:59 pm

How did you install it?
It’s just *.dat file…

Nate the great December 8, 2010 um 4:26 pm

Copy it to the SD card.
Turn off the Novel.
When turning on the Novel, press and hold the up volume and power switch for 5 seconds.

tatuk December 8, 2010 um 8:36 pm

Thanks, Nate!
BTW, did u see that Slatedroid lost the whole http://www.slatedroid.com/pandigital-novel-android-tablet-discussion/ forum, including your link above?..

Nate the great December 8, 2010 um 8:45 pm

What, did they move everything _again_?

tatuk December 8, 2010 um 9:02 pm

No clue…
If u find out, please let all us know.


WILLIAM December 24, 2010 um 8:47 pm

my son got the black pd novel and downloaded the wrong update now it wont do anything where can i get firm wear

Nate the great December 24, 2010 um 9:15 pm

If it won’t do anything then he should box it up and take it back.

person December 25, 2010 um 7:23 pm

thats what I am gonna do 🙁 I got dissapointed with mine 🙁

tatuk December 29, 2010 um 2:41 pm

You are still able to fix it using the firmware from the site: http://www.pandigital.net/downloads
It worked for me.

Carole December 25, 2010 um 9:20 pm

aLL YOU HAVE TO DO IS DOWNLOAD THE RIGHT FIRMWARE AND INSTALL IT. BEEN THERE DONE THAT WORKED FOR ME,.


Jeff December 25, 2010 um 11:49 pm

OK. Got the black model for Christmas. I heard it has less RAM than the White, although the Black has 2 gigs versus 1 gig on the White. So, the question is two fold 1) should I keep the Black if I want to run android apps and 2) is the link on the pandigital site worth using to run android apps? Thanks for helping.

Nate the great December 26, 2010 um 12:06 am

If you want to run apps then you’ll have to install the CA firmware. But I think you’d be better off with the white or 9″ Novel.

Jeff December 26, 2010 um 12:12 am

Thanks. When you say better off with White is that because of the extra RAM, Operating System, or something else?

Nate the great December 26, 2010 um 12:17 am

The black Novel is based on Android v1.5. Most apps won’t run on it because it’s too old. The white Novel is based on v2.0, so once you’ve hacked it you’ll be able to successfully install more apps.


Jeff December 26, 2010 um 12:21 am

Final question – sorry to be a pain! The Pandigital site has a firmware update, I assume that is not an upgrade in operating system? Therefore, your White model recommendation stands?

Nate the great December 26, 2010 um 12:39 am

Correct.


mia December 26, 2010 um 9:45 pm

How can I get more apps. On the black pandigital novel?

Nate the great December 26, 2010 um 9:51 pm

First, switch to the CA firmware. Next, go look for a couple sites called SlideMe and Freeware Lovers.


Deborah December 28, 2010 um 7:13 pm

I have the white pdr and I want to know how long does it takes to download a book


Johnny Yo December 29, 2010 um 11:04 am

Thanks Nate for being engaged and for your help. ALL: #1. This is not an iPad, lets move on. #2. ftp://www.pandigital.net works and is browsable. So quit trying to download through http. #3. The upgrader.exe sucks. After failing it stopped discovering my correct serial number, then kept populating the SN field with a incorrect (white) number. #4. I saved a cap of the right file when it was failing to download, and navagated through ftp and pulled down the build. S64N_SLSB_PDUI_PD_2010_11_23. Works great and still has B&N and Import SD…slick looking.

Johnny Yo December 31, 2010 um 9:44 am

Update: Still love the platform, appears I have the 4GB version, at least that what the "about" tool says. Loaded a bunch of apps, just searched for cupcake version .apk(s) and transferred to download via USB. Solitare, Jewels, and Bonsai success . Notable fails: skymap(crash), Nine Hole Golf Trial(crash), Labyrinth(ball moves three tilt axis only), TalkingTom(crash), Mario-Jump(not sensitive to tilt control), MiniSpaceWar(crash).

Skyfire 2.3.3 loads and browes, but does not render video (main goal – crud!)

Eddie January 1, 2011 um 7:35 pm

Any idea which of the files on the ftp site is the "original" firmware file for the Black Novel, 2GB model? THANKS for your postings!

Nate the great January 2, 2011 um 8:01 am

Pandigital have taken down the update files. All that’s left is the executable.

Johnny Yo January 4, 2011 um 12:46 am

Nate please double check me.

ftp is still open, on the default port, with anonymous access. The executable which validated my serial number said the source path was public.pandigital.net:8080/Support/FW/Novel/S64N_SLSB_PDUI_PD/polaris_update.dat.

I just retrieved the file in the same path via ftp (bin)

The file is still there.

I placed the polaris_update.dat in the root directory of an attached USB Pandigital. Did a maintenance boot(caution: full wipe!), and then off I went.

This version does have B&N and I was able to download books for free. (do a find on all Nookbooks with a $0.00 criteria)

Other working apps on my pandigital:
baseball
braingame
Invadriod

Note on Skyfire: Though can’t get flash to work, facebook looks like PC version, not weird stripped down version.

Eddie January 11, 2011 um 3:37 pm

I just tried to update my 7 black from QVC with 2GB internal memory, and the latest updater at Pandigital installed the Android for QVC 4GB. It looks pretty neat, but I have no idea how to install some of the applications mentioned here. So I absolutely have to use the SDK Manager and install of that just to get an app into my Novel? Is there a way to go straight to the "Market" using the ES Explorer or something? THANKS FOR ALL HELP!

Johnny Yo January 4, 2011 um 12:59 am

Please understand these are all conclusions and not documented by the vendor. I didn’t decide which build went in my Pandigital, I let the executable choose for me . I just got frustrated cause http download failed at different points, and was probably getting plenty hits and was not functional… so I wanted to see if these were unix guys(:D). The executable, validates your serial number, your config xml, and then it pulls down the correct file to your directory. I knew where to put the file because there were fractional downloads from the http that never completed. The executable does not boot into the maintenace routine, the last instructions of the executable tell you to do it. At least that was my experience.


Kelley January 4, 2011 um 11:37 pm

Johnny Yo, you are my hero! Thank you. I finally got the firmware update to work based on your comments. You rock!


Nodnarb January 11, 2011 um 12:44 am

Referring back to the black pandigital update, when you said switch to the "CA firmware" does that mean the Canada one?

Nate the great January 11, 2011 um 12:53 am

Yes.


John Deere January 15, 2011 um 12:47 pm

Hey, I’ve got this black colored pandigital e reader thing, and I’ve been looking all around the web for a solution to the no flash compatability. I want to watch videos, I’ve downloaded all kinds of things, read all kinds of stupid posts that were so vague but so confident.. I’m just going to ask. How the hell do I get youtube to work? I read about different browsers, and some kind of old youtube plugin for it that I downloaded but can’t figure out how to locate on the damn device.. I searched, it didn’t show up, it shows up in my download history. I’ll bookmark this and check back in a day or two. Please help lmao. Thanks for your time.

Nate the great January 15, 2011 um 1:39 pm

read the part about apps:
https://the-digital-reader.com/2010/12/25/getting-started-with-a-tablet/


John Deere January 15, 2011 um 2:05 pm

Thanks man, I’m having another problem now though.. I e mailed it to myself, saved it, can’t find it. I read through the pages, you said something about a taskbar, but it’s not on mine. I searched for "null" (it said it saved it as null) and nothing showed up.. ehh?


John Deere January 15, 2011 um 2:14 pm

I mean the file explorer, that’s what I e mailed, and I only had a save option from the e mail screen.


John Deere January 18, 2011 um 4:46 pm

my bad for being so needy bro, i still haven’t figured it out though. i don’t understand why there’s downloading capability but no file explorer.. it’s basically a small computer, would be kind of lame if it was only intended to save pictures. im going to try to put the file explorer on my SSD card and see if i can install from there.


Sith Genard May 2, 2011 um 8:43 am

I’ve bought this pandigital ereader last christmas and I wondering whether to hack it or to leave it as it is now. Any suggestion?

Nate Hoffelder May 2, 2011 um 8:49 am

I’d leave it as it is.


Karen May 30, 2011 um 8:00 pm

I don’t understand what all this hacking does. How does it make the reader different, in simple terms, please?

Nate Hoffelder May 30, 2011 um 8:07 pm

Back when the Novel was first released, it was locked down. It could only perform the few activities that Pandigital allowed. Hacking the Novel was how we turned it into an Android tablet so we could do more with it.

Since it now ships as an Android tablet, there’s really not much reason to hack it.


MrFirmware November 21, 2011 um 9:30 pm

There is a new black model (QVC) and a remastered black model (normal) both have a micro SD slot. The normal has 2gb and QVC has 4gb. Android 2.1 -2.2 upgrade coming soon.


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