Pandigital's Nova Android Tablet Comes to Best Buy for Only $170

[dgstorm]

This appears to be a decent deal for an Android 2.3 powered, 7-inch tablet. You can get Pandigital's Nova Android tablet at Best Buy for only $170 bucks. Here's a recap of its specs, which seem none to shabby for this inexpensive little device:

• 800MHz processor,
• 4GB of internal storage
• ActiveTouch display with 800x600 resolution
• Connects directly to the Barnes and Noble bookstore
• Front and rear-facing cameras
• 802.11 b/g/n wireless capabilities
• Built-in microSD card slot and a micro HDMI port
• Packed within a frame that's half-an-inch thick

This seems like a worthy addition to the lower-end Android market segment. What do you guys think?

Source: AndroidTablets.net via Engadget and Best Buy

 

[AuxiliaryPie]

is this the same as the pandigital planet? the specs seem to be the same and it looks awfully similar... i ask because kohls sells the planet and we have an employee day coming up where i get 35% off

 

[johnomaz]

Looks decent. Wonder if it can be rooted/rom'd.

 

[anuraj1]

Anyone know if this is capacitive or resistive?

 

[regkilla]

If it can be overclocked to at least 1.2 GHZ that would be sweet!

 

[gadgetrants]

Probably not the Planet...no mention of a camera on the Planet, and the Nova seems to have better overall specs (Gingerbread, more memory, etc.).

Some things to consider (I owned the original PD Novel, btw):

- Does history repeat itself? There are a few enraged Novel owners over at slatedroid, plotting ways to get Pandigital to give up the source code for the PDN. A year ago, everyone thought it was a breakout device (esp. for $150) and with a little help from PDN, could be easily modified. Pandigital pretty much ignored the owners and abandoned development of the device.

- Touchscreen is probably resistive. WTH is "Active Touch"??? The Novel and the Planet are both resistive. When I owned the Novel--in contrast to my beautiful OG Droid--I just couldn't take resistive. If the Nova is the same, I'd say "fuggedaboutit."

- As we all know, NO-VA means NO-GO. Not a name that inspires confidence.

No offense to others with different-sized budgets, but I REALLY advise staying away from tablets under $300--especially if not built by a mainstream maker (Toshiba, Samsung, Asus, etc.). From July to December of 2010, there was a slew of cheap Chinese imports at the $100-$200 price point that just turned into a giant headache for most owners. If you really want to play with and tweak your device, I suggest investing a few more dollars, and making sure there is a healthy ROM community (xda, slatedroid, androidtablets, etc.) in place to support the device.

BTW, my current tablet is the Viewsonic 10" gTab (dual-core Tegra). Viewing angles suck but it's fast and runs a very nice Honeycomb alpha.

-Matt

 

[N4UPD]

I want a tablet that will let me use aptoide and other alternative market apps.Does Honeycomb support this? If not froyo or gingerbread tablet is way to go until you can use alternative market apps on Honeycomb.

 

[czerdrill]

Anyone know if this is capacitive or resistive?

It's resistive I believe, I'd stay away...

 

[gadgetrants]

FYI, the Huawei S7 is on sale at newegg.com for $180:

Newegg.com - Huawei IDEOS Black Tablet - Android 2.1 / 7" Touch Screen / GPS (S7)

It's a VASTLY better device than anything produced by Pandigital, and has a decent community behind it at androidtablets.net:

Huawei Tablets

-Matt

 

[debdroid1a]

No offense to others with different-sized budgets, but I REALLY advise staying away from tablets under $300--especially if not built by a mainstream maker (Toshiba, Samsung, Asus, etc.).
-Matt

I don't think I'd advise anyone to stay away.

For someone, like me, who wants a basic eReader with additional features, these are pretty good.

I wanted just a small, simple tablet. One to read books on, play a few games, watch some videos (maybe and I have) and view my crochet patterns on. I didn't plan on rooting or anything else. I don't have wifi at home or work, so internet access wasn't an issue.
I wanted a simple, small 7" tablet. Under $200. (my budget--and only that high if that's all I could find)

The only I could find, after looking at 3 places, was a Cruz T301. No, not the best, but it works for what I want it to. Had it for a week and a half and it still works. I mostly sideload apps, but I tried Wifi at a mcdonalds (only place i could find wifi) and it worked fine. This is how I got my Kindle books on there. No real market, but again, I've sideloaded a few and that works for me.

This one looks better, feature wise, then the T301.

So far I've been happy with my "cheap" tablet.

 

[anuraj1]

My rooted Nook Color is treating me very well, but I constantly get asked by novices if I can do that for them if they buy an NC. I rooted after a lot of research and after doing it manually through ADB on the D1. I don't feel right doing it for someone that has no idea what it is, and that will come to me for every little problem (as callous as that sounds, it sucks).

That's why I was interested in this, to steer people towards a cheap alternative that already comes working as a tablet out of the box. But a resistive screen is a dealbreaker for me.

 

[Stormy Knight]

epad

I just ordered one of these off eBay yesterday. Specs seem better than the Pandigital.

NEW 7" ANDROID 2.3 GINGERBREAD TABLET HDMI WIFI FLASH - eBay (item 270777658602 end time Aug-04-11 12:36:54 PDT)

 

[gadgetrants]

No offense to others with different-sized budgets, but I REALLY advise staying away from tablets under $300--especially if not built by a mainstream maker (Toshiba, Samsung, Asus, etc.).
-Matt

For someone, like me, who wants a basic eReader with additional features, these are pretty good.

I wanted just a small, simple tablet. One to read books on, play a few games, watch some videos (maybe and I have) and view my crochet patterns on. I didn't plan on rooting or anything else. I don't have wifi at home or work, so internet access wasn't an issue.
I wanted a simple, small 7" tablet. Under $200. (my budget--and only that high if that's all I could find)

Hi Deb! Based on my experiences with the Nook Color, I'd say your feature-list fits the new Nook Touch pretty well, and at $139 that's competitive with the Pandigital and Cruz alternatives (which are much clunkier/heavier as eReaders). The main feature you lose with the Touch is color (plus it's a 6" screen), but based on my experiences with the wonderful Nook Color, if the Touch is as well-built, it's a bargain at that price. Of course what sets the Touch apart--again, assuming it's built like the Color--is the ability to root and really customize. Otherwise, if the goal is to "use as is" it still looks pretty solid.

Barnes & Noble Nook Touch Review

-Matt

 

[gruvychic]

I'm a novice when it comes to these devices...as in I only started looking at e-reader devices available a few days ago. The Nook Color looked good, but a bit more than I really wanted to pay. Then I saw this Pandigital Nova in best buy's paper and thought it looked like a good option. I'll primarily use it for reading books. But would also like to have a few apps and be able to play movies. Can you load the digital copies of DVD's on here? Something like that would be AWESOME to keep my little guy occupied at a dr office or grocery shopping. I'd also read somewhere that the Nook can only load B&N apps and such and not regular Droid apps unless you do something to it. I assume that's what rooting is??? So I thought maybe the Nova might be more flexible in that area? If the Nook is significantly better, then I'll just wait until I can buy that. I'd rather wait to get one than regret the purchase and financially be stuck with what I have.

Some guidance would be greatly appreciated.

 

[gadgetrants]

If you can find someone to help you with the process of installing a custom ROM, I'd really recommend the Nook Color. It's amazing how easy it is to hold, how bright and clear the screen is. It's still hovering at $250, but I think with Black Friday coming you'll see it for $199 (I made it $199 instead of $200 for dramatic effect!).

I get bent out of shape when people call the NC an eReader. It really is a fabulous Android tablet that happens be marketed as an eReader. By the way, by rooting and installing a custom ROM (at this point, you have the choice of Eclair, Froyo, and I think also Gingerbread), I understand the only functionality you LOSE is the 1-hour book-loan inside B&N stores. You can otherwise do everything you could on a stock NC.

Oh, also: I bought my wife a 16GB microSD card, and it has between 12-20 movies that she watches on the NC (converted from DVD rip to MP4 with Handbrake...I have a how-two posted somewhere if you need it).

-Matt