When Pandigital introduced the Novel e-reader sometime ago, it was touted as a dream e-reader coming in at a dream price. But unfortunately, the same can’t be said of Pandigital as the Novel e-reader started off on a bit of a nightmarish note. Not everyone who have bought the e-reader is particularly happy or pleased with the way Novel has fared till now though the good thing is Pandigital has taken note of all the complaints that have been flowing in at a steady rate and have decided to take immediate remedial steps.
To begin with, the one thing about Novel that caught everyone’s fancy before anything else is its color display and that too at a price that’s as low as just $200. Then its 7-inch TFT LCD color multi-touchscreen display along with the lack of any keys on the front made it to look somewhat like the hot selling iPad. In fact, it is this combined with its affordable price tag that had made many to term the Novel as the poor man’s iPad. Consumers too began to pick up the device in good numbers though, its from here that the story began to an ugly turn. So much that Pandigital had decided to withdraw the e-reader from the market. Those who had already bought the device were paid back the entire amount while step were being taken to remedy the firmware issues. And as per the latest e-reader news coming in, it seems Pandigital has been able to complete the update already.
The new firmware update promises to resolve a host of issues though its yet to be tested and put through the grind. The package can be availed of from the official Pandigital website so users can download the update and follow the instruction provided therein. However, the update of the software package will at best take care of the firmware issue that bugged the Novel e-reader so that issues like slow responsiveness of the touchscreen or the WiFi connection that tends to break off intermittently may finally be a thing of the past. Sluggish browsing speeds too may change for the better.
However, the other aspects of the Novel e-reader that were not to the liking of the users like its weight that’s slightly on the heavier side along with the lack of any provision to recharge the e-reader via USB might take a bit longer to be taken care of. Pandigital though is banking on the e-reader’s wide functionality and versatility to see off these issues. Of course the Novel e-reader is not without its share of pluses as the e-reader is not only compatible with a wide range of e-book formats but is also able to display images and playback audio files as well. At least, it’s supposed to and it should be able to fare even better with the recent firmware update.
Pandigital hasn’t yet revealed when it would resumes shipments of the Novel. The Company’s return policy is still in place, which means anyone who isn’t pleased with the Novel even after the software update may still opt for a full refund. Also, there is no news if there is a completely new model in the pipeline, one that would take care of all the issues that is troubling the Novel right now.
Update
Slashgear is reporting that a new Pandigital Novel E-Reader will replace the existing model. The New model will be black and will have more RAM then the existing model. It is currently being reviewed by the FCC.
Read their full article on the subject here
You will have news of it once it becomes available along with other tablet pc or e-reader news. So keep watching this space.
With a keen interest in tech, I make it a point to keep myself updated on the latest developments in technology and gadgets. That includes smartphones or tablet devices but stretches to even AI and self-driven automobiles, the latter being my latest fad. Besides writing, I like watching videos, reading, listening to music, or experimenting with different recipes. The motion picture is another aspect that interests me a lot, and I'll likely make a film sometime in the future.
