Here’s the latest e-reader news: Pandigital has released a new firmware update to make things a bit more easy with their Novel e-reader. That things isn’t exactly sailing smoothly with the e-reader is no secret anymore and the latest firmware update is an attempt to tidy up the matter a bit.
The latest update is the latest in a series of updates that Pandigital had made available though none have so far led to what can be termed as a stress free experience with the Novel, something that you’d get from a Kindle or a Nook.
So, does the new update promises to clear the mess? Well, there are some good news but unfortunately there are still some bad news as well.
Coming to the good aspects of it, the new round of tweaking of the software has resulted in the Novel becoming an Android tablet of reasonable proportions. Its performance might be found hovering from the average to the good as a Tablet device but things take a gloomy turn if its e-reader credentials are taken into consideration.
On a positive side, the Novel’s touchscreen sensitivity and responsiveness has shown a remarkable improvement, though only after several hard reset attempts while the WiFi too is finally showing signs of stability. Also, post the update, the browser too is quite fast now.
However, the Novel continues to be lazy as an e-reader and is still bugged with slow page turns in the Reader and Library apps. On a bright note, the accelerometer seems to have woken up from its slumber and is now working the way it should always have been. So the screen orientation changes on its own and with utmost ease when the Novel is turned in all four orientations.
To sum things up, if you are looking for something for the sole purpose of reading e-books, a Nook or a Kindle and now, even a Sony might be a more sensible buy. Particularly after the latest round of price cuts. And if its something more general that you are looking for, then perhaps the Novel might be a good buy after the software update. This while waiting for still more updates for things to clear up all the more.
Unfortunately, many had actually opted to make the best use of Pandigital‘s return policy and wasted no time in washing their hands off the Novel. The returning spree had picked up all the more on the back of rumors of Pandigital going back to making what it did best, digital picture frames. Also, there were unconfirmed reports in some quarters about Pandigital coming up with a whole new e-reader with new hardware to replace the novel. However, the new firmfare update also puts all of these to rest. While a new e-reader might still be in the making, that Pandigital is here to stay and make good goes beyond saying.
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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.
