I have seen this online and at Big Lots for as little as $40.00
http://www.amazon.com/Pandigital-Android-Multimedia-eReader-R70G100/dp/B005688VH0
Now outside of Amazon I have seen people say this is utter garbage and not even worth it, to use as a paperweight.
I haven’t had a chance to see one “in real life,” just on the Internet. So anyone? Can you tell me just how bad it is? If you’ve had actual experience with it.
It doesn’t specify what version of Android, which often indicates that the device has an already-outdated version and cannot be upgraded.
It doesn’t specify the touchscreen technology, which often means it’s a resistive touchscreen, which is horrible for a device this size
On the other hand, there is apparently an active hacking community, which, contrary to the above, often.means the hardware platform is not without merit.
http://www.slatedroid.com/wiki/index.php?title=Pandigital_Novel_Hacking
It sounds as though the Android version is 2.0 with a firmware update to bring it to 2.1 (although the results sound iffy at best). By way of comparison, the latest Android devices have 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) and the major version before that was 3.0 (Honeycomb).
It doesn’t connect to the standard Google App Store. No idea if it’ll connect to the Amazon store. Looks as though it has its own proprietary marketplace. Its benchmark tests look astoundingly poor. Between the poor hardware and outdated Android, I wouldn’t set my hopes high for current applications.
Well, there’s still Vic-20 hacking communities as well. Some people like a challenge but that wouldn’t make it good for regular person use.
I’ve owned one of these Pandigital tablets for about a year, and I think it would be a steal at $40.
Some of the Amazon reviewers say that their units have stopped working or crash often, but I haven’t had any problems with it. Mine is still on whatever version of firmware it was shipped with in July '11.
I don’t own a Kindle but have used a friend’s Kindle and can say that the Pandigital is very heavy and clunky in comparison. I’ve successfully transferred several ebooks from Amazon to the Pandigital with no problems. However, when you hold the Pandigital in one hand for any length of time, those 19 ounces begin to feel like a cinder block. Also, it’s difficult to turn the pages with the touchscreen - sometimes I have to make more than one swipe across the screen. (There is an arrow if you want to turn pages that way.)
It’s hard on my tired, old eyes to do much browsing on a screen this size, but you can check email, there’s a Facebook app, and a browser - all work fine.
For me the biggest drawback of the Pandigital is the weight. It’s extremely heavy compared with using a Kindle, smart phones, or other tablets. Also, unlike Kindle or smart phones, it can’t be used anywhere anytime, you need wireless connectivity or free WiFi.
I use a laptop and a Blackberry most of the time. I’m not a fan of ebooks and have no desire for a high end reader, but there are times when an out of print book is outrageously priced and it makes sense to get a $9.99 Kindle edition. Certainly there are other devices that do these functions better, faster, smoother and lighter - but the Pandigital is 1/10 the cost of many of those other devices. I find the Pandigital is useful in emergencies and as back up.
What is it you want to do with it? If you mostly want an eReader, I’d suggest getting an eInk Kindle or Nook. If you want a full tablet at a low cost, I’d suggest getting either an iPod Touch or a Kindle Fire. (The iPod Touch is small, but mighty.)
From what I’ve read, that model of the Pandigital tablet no longer supports the current Kindle or Nook software.
I’m looking for a cheap tablet to use as a cookbook. I want it to sit in my kitchen, connect to the web for online recipes, and be able to download and display eBooks for digital versions of cookbooks. I don’t plan on using it for anything else. (I already have a Kindle and a netbook for everything else I might want a tablet for).
Is this solid enough for that?
True enough - and it does look as though the spec of this device is limited, however, the existence of a hacking community at least indicates that the device is configurable - there is a class of low-end devices (tablets and mini-netbooks, usually) out there that appear in the hacking community as a mere mention to the effect “there’s no way to install or upgrade anything on this device” (like this, for example)
Thanks for the info. I didn’t want to buy one, I was just interested in seeing how bad they are.
But seeing the link that Mangetout gave, I might be tempted to next time I see one in the $40range, just as a toy to play around with.
I did see them at Big Lots for that price, about a month ago, if anyone wants to keep checking.