Pandigital’s second stab at a color e-book reader running on the Android platform will hit stores next month at a price of just under $200.
Specs include a 7-inch touchscreen with 800×600 resolution, 2GB of built-in storage expandable via SD cards up to 32GB in size, content from Barnes & Noble’s electronic book store complete with the exclusive 14-day book sharing feature, and a Wi-Fi connection for downloading books, surfing the Novel’s web browser, and pulling in your e-mail.
(More on Techland: Pandigital Novel: Color Screen, Barnes & Noble Bookstore)
It’s definitely an interesting device, although it’s been a bit clunky overall during my initial testing. I’ll have a full review up after I’ve had some more time to play with it. Just to be clear, it’s no iPad killer—not even close.
It’s not really a suitable substitute either, though Pandigital has made no claims that it should be. It does, however, propose a unique option for people looking at the Nook or the Kindle e-book readers who might want something that does a little bit more than just read books.
The Novel measures 5.2 inches wide by 7.2 inches long and about a half an inch thick while weighing just under 12 ounces. There’s no firm release date other than “next month” but it should be available “at several national retailers,” according to the company’s press release—hit the jump to read it.