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Out Of Nowhere, The iPad Has A Real Competitor

174 points by mikecane 16y ago

baddox 16y ago
And what resolution is the screen?
khakionion 16y ago
The CPU isn't that fast, and the screen is resistive. User experience is going to suck so, so hard on this thing, even if you ignore the fact that it isn't a "real" Android tablet until, y'know, the installed OS is hacked upon.
gfodor 16y ago
I don't see how this is going to "shake up everything" if you have to install the OS yourself. It'll be a cheap faux iPad for hackers, though.
slantyyz 16y ago
The thing that makes my iPad great is its user experience, not its features. The fact that the app ecosystem is huge, has plenty of quality titles. I don't have to spend any time building apps to satisfy my needs, nor spend hours figuring out how it works. Yes, I could buy four of these devices for the price I spent on an iPad, but if they don't provide user experience parity to an iPad, how can it be considered a "real competitor"?
- oiuhyjtgfhjkl 16y ago
  >The experience is why I got an iPad I use it to read HN - with the iPad user experience (TM) mere troll posts are transformed into repartee of Swiftian brilliance by simply having 24bit colour in the icons and rounded edges to the buttons.
- rbanffy 16y ago
  It's a competitor even if it addresses a subset of the iPad functionality. This one has e-book reading, something many people buy the iPad for. Different people weight different features differently (sory - had to do it) and this thingie may end up with a better value than an iPad for a lot of people. Me included, BTW. I could buy one of these and a Nook for less than what an iPad costs. For me, it's a winner. It's a competitor, even if you prefer the iPad.
  - mattmaroon 16y ago
    Do you really think people buy the iPad for reading ebooks? I find it to be not significantly better than reading on a monitor. The iPad is great for some things for sure (Plants vs Zombies being first and foremost in my experience) but I think if I wanted to read books I'd get a Kindle or some eink device.
    - stcredzero 16y ago
      I read books on my iPad all the time.
    - masklinn 16y ago
      > I find it to be not significantly better than reading on a monitor. Nielsen's tests very emphatically disagree http://www.useit.com/alertbox/ipad-kindle-reading.html http://www.useit.com/alertbox/ipad-kindle-reading.html
      - mattmaroon 16y ago
        Neilsen tested only speed. It's eyestrain that bothers me and is why ebook readers typically use e-ink.
        masklinn 16y ago
        > Neilsen tested only speed. Neilsen tested only speed if you read only the first half of the results. You might want to read the next one as well. It's called "User Satisfaction".
        mattmaroon 16y ago
        He doesn't say how long he asked people to read for. My suspicion is that the longer the timeframe, the more results between print and monitor (and Kindle and iPad) will diverge. You don't get eyestrain from even light reading on a monitor. Also, satisfaction can mean a number of things, and he didn't define it, as evidenced by comments about weight. A lot of people could have had higher reading satisfaction on an iPad because it's an iPad. Neilsen's results have no bearing one way or the other on my original statement, which is that people don't buy iPads to read books.
- illumin8 16y ago
  - 7" LCD screen of questionable quality vs. 10" IPS LCD screen. Article even says "It’s not a very bright screen, like the iPad." - It’s a resistive screen - No multitouch... "It simply won’t be as responsive as an iPad." - Slow CPU - "It’s not a blazing fast CPU. The specs haven’t been published, but I suspect this is in the 400-600MHz range." - Limited software - is ANY Android developer going to write software that supports the custom resolution of an unsupported 7" tablet? Anyone? Anyone? Buehler? This might sell a few hundred copies to hackers and other people that like rooting their devices. It will be 0.000000001% of the total tablet market, while iPad sells 2 million per month.
threepointone 16y ago
That looks disgusting. Just the green-gray(?!) gradient made me squirm. And after that list of cons... really, what's left? The price? You get what you pay for. In any case, my bullshit detector comes on full force whenever it encounters so many exclamation marks.
DeusExMachina 16y ago
2) It’s not a very bright screen, like the iPad. But if you intend to do a lot of reading, this is a plus. No, it's not. On the iPad you can adjust the brightness of the screen directly in the iBooks app if you want. But when you want a brighter screen for anything else, you can have it.
- deleted 16y ago
  [deleted]
- borism 16y ago
  yes it is. most users will end up not adjusting brightness thus hurting their eyes
  - jacobolus 16y ago
    Do you have any evidence that the brightness of a fully-on iPad screen “hurts eyes”? * * * The human visual system adapts to the level of illumination it is looking at, so the times when eyes “hurt” are basically only when going from being dark-adapted to suddenly looking at something bright: for example, going from a darkened movie theater out into a sunny day. If you turn an iPad on in a completely darkened room, it might seem bright when first looked at (even this is not going to do any lasting damage, and is just a temporary annoyance), but if you spend more than a few minutes reading, your eyes will adapt to whatever its brightness is, and it shouldn't really be a problem.
    - jarek 16y ago
      > The human visual system adapts to the level of illumination it is looking at Anecdotally false. On really bright summer days (and on sunny days in the winter with a lot of snow), outdoors are too bright for my visual system. I have to squint or my eyes will hurt, no matter how long I stay outside to adapt. Anecdotally this is true for at least some of the people I know as well.
      - CamperBob 16y ago
allend 16y ago
I love it when people think competing with the iPad means having more bullet point features.
- david927 16y ago
  I love it when the faithful think that features and price are not competitive.
  - mattmaroon 16y ago
    They're really not. My dad knows what an iPad is. Unless this device lays golden eggs he'll probably never hear of it. Also, there are unmentioned features in the iPad's favor, most notably an App Store with 200k titles in it.
    - sprout 16y ago
      So your dad never browses Wal-mart, Target, Best Buy, or anywhere else? This is in the netbook range Best buy will throw next to the check-out aisle.
      - theli0nheart 16y ago
        If you're looking for a tablet you probably already know which one you're going to buy before you set foot in a physical store.
        Tichy 16y ago
        What if you are not looking for a tablet? Few people were looking for a tablet before the iPad launch.
        theli0nheart 16y ago
        True, but that's irrelevant. My point is that few people buy electronics on impulse, without research, before walking into a store.
powrtoch 16y ago
Does this even have the necessary buttons to be an up-to-spec android device?
mattmaroon 16y ago
I'm not sure he understands what e-ink is.
hlidotbe 16y ago
ok, if I understand well this is a competitor, smaller, slower with an inferior screen and touch technology and you have to (easily but still...) change its software to support those features given it's not build for it. The only advantages being cheaper (I would hope so given the specs!), running Android (debatable) and using an SD card for storage. Even the site lists more cons than pros...
bradleyland 16y ago
Ok, so supposedly this is a "real competitor" for the iPad, but the author lists the following downsides: 1) It’s a resistive screen. 2) It’s not a very bright screen, like the iPad. 3) It’s not a blazing fast CPU. 4) It’s limited for video. 5) It will be heavier than most eInk devices. 6) There’s no 3G, it’s WiFi-only. Here's why these matter. 1) There is a very good reason no one uses resistive touch for devices intended to be used with your finger. The experience is horrible. You're better off trying to use your fingernail than you are your finger, and that's just awkward. 2) From the photos (and they might just be bad photos) the screen looks find for black & white, but muddy and washed out in color. 3) So responsiveness will suffer when running the full version of Android 4) TILT 5) This hasn't really been a problem for the iPad, but the iPad doesn't suffer from the cumulative negative effects listed here. 6) Not a big problem, IMO. A lot of people bought the WiFi iPad, and for good reason. If you're going to have a 3G data connection, it should probably be in the form of a MiFi or something similar. Here's the biggest problem of all, items one, two, three, four add up to a lousy experience, and experience is everything. Sure, people might buy it once, but they won't use it if the experience sucks, and they won't buy another. The shame of the matter is that they may condemn tablets in general, rather than understand the attribution as I've listed it above.
- someone_here 16y ago
  With regard to point 1, my N900 has a resistive screen, and it feels almost exactly like an iphone (except I can use a stylus to click on tiny links on web pages instead of having to zoom).
  - bnoordhuis 16y ago
    I second this emotion. To me, there is no discernible difference between my N900 and the HTC Hero I had before it.
  - illumin8 16y ago
    You're crazy. I've used an N900 and it is nothing like an iPhone. Responsiveness is terrible- clicks sometimes take 2 or 3 attempts to register, and even when they do register the software takes half a second to respond, so you end up with this awkward use that goes something like "did I click it? I think I clicked it, let me click it again." The iPhone is instantly responsive to any touch, and when you get used to using a multi-touch device, you really can't go back to using a resistive screen. I felt like it was 1995 and I was using an original Palm Pilot.
rmah 16y ago
I love the line "All that’s involved is installing a different device driver and then a new Home launcher!" 99% of the population will respond with, "huh?" and then stop considering it. I hope they sell enough to stay in business and make a bit of money, but really, this is a niche product compared to the iPad. And that's saying something.
- slantyyz 16y ago
  I'd rather buy a Windows 7 slate than this thing. Now that's saying something.
stcredzero 16y ago
This is not a competitor. It's a hacker hobbyist machine, which is something the iPad is not, by both design and price point.
- joezydeco 16y ago
  The ad in this weekend's Bed Bath and Beyond flyer for the Novel didn't call it a hacker machine. I should call and complain.
  - stcredzero 16y ago
    Shhh. If they think well-heeled housewives are buying it, they might keep making it longer.
  - illumin8 16y ago
    Actually, although I don't think it's a real competitor, the Bed, Bath & Beyond ad had it listed for $169 with a $20 mail in rebate. Use one of the many 20% off any single item coupons that they mail you, and you can buy this for $135.20, plus the mail in rebate you end up with it for only around $115.20. When the price is under $100, which should be soon, it might be a fun little hacker toy to put in interesting places, like glued to the front of the fridge, in the back of the headrest in your car, etc.
    - joezydeco 16y ago
      Pandigital stuff also tends to end up at Kohl's, which always has double or triple discounts in play at certain times, especially if you have their charge card.
superjared 16y ago
I talked to a Pandigital rep back in May about whether this platform was open and got this response: Future versions of this product will be able to take advantage of Android applications. At this time w/ the ifirmware version at launch, the first Pandigital Novel eReaders are not designed to support additional Android applications.
chaostheory 16y ago
I thought Google didn't allow the Android Store for tablets yet? Am I wrong? If I'm right, this would be a really severe limitation.
- wmf 16y ago
  The rules changed recently so some tablets should be able to get the store, although I think they still require a camera.
ezy 16y ago
(spit take) Heh... resistive screen and slow CPU. The year 2005 called and wants its N800 back. Until the competitors really start to care about excellence, Apple will continue to dominate. I say this not as a particular Apple fan, but out of frustration with "open" alternatives I'd like to use that just f*cking blow compared to the benchmark Apple has set. I mean you're trying to sell me a super-smartphone (HTC Evo) with shitty battery life? In 2010? what the hell?
tedunangst 16y ago
Apple iPad: 9.56" x 7.47" x 0.5" Pandigital Novel: 5.5" x 7.5" x 0.5" That's not a real competitor.
jlcgull 16y ago
it is the OS that makes the device... a super-responsive touch screen also helps. of the the many touch devices i have come across, nothing compares to the responsiveness of an iPad or iPhone/iPodTouch.
jackfoxy 16y ago
One thing I haven't been able to do on the iPad yet is overclock (speed up without making the audio sqeaky) video lectures. Might come to Android tablets first if VLC does a port to Android.
- hexley 16y ago
  Try changing the video metadata to Podcast and see if that allows you.
nchapman 16y ago
Is anything a real competitor if it doesn't compete well out of the box?
petercooper 16y ago
Get back to us once it's actually on sale and we can buy one. It seems everyone other than Apple is keen to announce products but then aren't so great at ever releasing them.
j79 16y ago
2) It’s Android — which you can now make your own apps for. I'm guessing my five year old niece, who enjoys playing games on the iPad, won't be purchasing this tablet to drop her own game on the Android market. Or, the grandmothers who own iPads - I don't think they've been clamoring to develop some bomb ass apps, if only they didn't have to learn that pesky Obj C. Not saying that all grandmothers or five year olds can't code - just that Apple is selling an experience, one that many people enjoy. Give a person an iPad and this, and see which one they enjoy using more. Resistive screens? A huge impact on experience...
- studer 16y ago
  I suspect that was a reference to this: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/12/technology/12google.html http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/12/technology/12google.html "User testing has been done mainly in schools with groups that included sixth graders, high school girls, nursing students and university undergraduates who are not computer science majors."
Keyframe 16y ago
This is going to shake up everything. No, it's not. Sensationalist BS strikes HN again.
jerguismi 16y ago
What about the numerous tablets on dealextreme, many go for about 100$, run android and include 7" or 8" screen. http://www.dealextreme.com/search.dx/search.tablet http://www.dealextreme.com/search.dx/search.tablet Maybe I'll try one out, although 10" screen would really be a selling point for me.
ricardo 16y ago
I wouldn't call it a "real" competitor until the device launches. Until then it's in the same realm has the HP Slate and the other forthcoming Android tablets.
eli 16y ago
Maybe I'm just getting old and cranky, but I really don't want to have to hack or coerce the things I buy in order to make them do what I want.
- rbanffy 16y ago
  Same here, but I value the ability to hack and coerce the things I own when I decide to do with them things their makers would not approve.
ableal 16y ago
http://pandigital.net/search.asp?productid=392 http://pandigital.net/search.asp?productid=392: (specifications) 7” Digital TFT LCD, 600 x 800 pixels The 6-inch, 800x600 e-ink readers are now at 150 USD (Borders, Amazon, etc.). Some with SD and Bluetooth included. A bit more for touch screens (Sony?). So, battery life and readability versus color and Wi-Fi.
smitjel 16y ago
Sounds more like a competitor to the other eink readers. All I want is a good eink reader anyway. I don't care about videos, touch-screen, internet, 3G...just give me an eink reader with ample memory. I think the Nook wins in that case...
dotBen 16y ago
You can discount this one if you like because it is a home-brew fix up. But when the first 10"+ screened Android tablets come out from quality manufacturers, they will give Apple a run for their money. I hear there are a number of such devices being held back for a Fall launch for the Christmas purchasing season. If I could buy a similarly speced + quality finished tablet to my iPad that ran Android I'd switch in an instant.
thought_alarm 16y ago
7" is such a ridiculous screen size. It's too big to fit in your pocket, too small to be a compelling tablet. You'd be much better off with an iPod Touch than this thing. It's faster, runs the latest software, has a proper touch screen, fits in your pocket, and is overall is a much higher quality of software and hardware. I really wish there was an iPod Touch equivalent Android device, but so far there isn't. And there won't be an iPad equivalent until Google develops a proper tablet OS, with its own tablet UI guidelines and SDKs to make it happen (rumored to be Android 3.0). But that obviously won't prevent manufacturers from rushing out devices before the OS is ready. Buyer beware.
KirinDave 16y ago
I give it the ultimate libertarian venture: Good luck with your startup, dawg. The biggest obstacle to tablet computing doesn't seem to be the price, it's convincing the market that your product us worthwhile. Tablet PCs have existed for years now with a variety of price points. The price is not the main selling point.
kevinelliott 16y ago
To me, it's not a real competitor. Just looking at the photographs solidifies that I am not in the market that these guys are targeting. I'm willing to bet that a lot of iPad users would agree.
volodia 16y ago
However one very useful thing this tablet can do that the iPad cannot is serve as a notebook (because it has a resistive and not a capacitive screen). I'm a student and I would love to have a cheap portable device for taking electronic notes in class; this tablet looks excellent for that.
mhd 16y ago
Come on, this is from a manufacturer of digital photo frames. It's target market has some overlap with that of the iPad, so it's definitely a competitor, but the headline makes it sounds like it's gonna be a major alternative. Having said that, this looks like a pretty cool device. I've been thinking about rooting my nook, but this would be an even better target. If it's fast enough for PDF display, it would a nice reference tool, and in my opinion the only way to get a decent book reader is for some third party to make one. I haven't seen a single one that has a decent text layout algorithm. The "problem" with the iPad is that at this size and resolution, the web pages themselves look pretty astonishing, so there's less need to get a reformatted version as an app. And the iPhone 4 and its technological advances almost make me want to wait for a 2G device. So a gadget like this would be the perfect stop-gap solution for me. No iPad killer, but an iPad postponer…
code_duck 16y ago
I don't know whether this is it quite yet, but I'm definitely looking forward to everyone else's tablets coming out soon. I love my MacBook but I'm not interested in the closedness and restrictions of the iOS systems.
kentosi 16y ago
Was there really the need for all those exclamation marks throughout this article? "...three of them!", "Android tablet!", "No rooting is involved!", "...no rooting is necessary!", "But does that really matter?!", "Where are you going to match that?!" (etc) Seriously, this article would have sounded a lot more convincing without them. Aside from this, it would be interesting to know what the user-experience would be. I can see that the specs aren't as high-end as the iPad, but that might be a first-phase thing.
Tyrannosaurs 16y ago
What's the criteria for something being a "real" competitor? This device provides functionality which is broadly comparable with the iPad, in the same way as many netbooks, the Kindle, the Nook other eBook readers and a whole bunch of other devices. How comparable they are is debatable but are they competitors, in as much as is it possible that people will buy one of them instead of an iPad to fulfil one or more needs an iPad could have fulfilled. But how come this is a "real" competitor when the others aren't? If anything I'd suggest that the "real" competitors are the ones I can go out and buy and use now and where people are doing just that, rather than an unlaunched device I'd need to mod.
rodh257 16y ago
why do people keep saying an LCD screen is an 'e-reader'. Completely missing the point. Calling e-ink 'crappy' and then telling me to read books on the same type of screen as the monitors sitting in front of me is stupid. You wouldn't read on a computer screen, and you won't seriously read on an LCD monitor no matter how small it is. If your use case is to read books, e-ink is for you, all these e-readers with superfluous extra features remind me of the first GPS I got, it had SD card support to play MP3's and Movies but sucked at navigation and had a crap GPS signal. I never used the extra features, and always got lost.

174 points by mikecane 16y ago

And what resolution is the screen?

The CPU isn't that fast, and the screen is resistive. User experience is going to suck so, so hard on this thing, even if you ignore the fact that it isn't a "real" Android tablet until, y'know, the installed OS is hacked upon.

gfodor 16y ago

I don't see how this is going to "shake up everything" if you have to install the OS yourself. It'll be a cheap faux iPad for hackers, though.

slantyyz 16y ago

The thing that makes my iPad great is its user experience, not its features. The fact that the app ecosystem is huge, has plenty of quality titles. I don't have to spend any time building apps to satisfy my needs, nor spend hours figuring out how it works. Yes, I could buy four of these devices for the price I spent on an iPad, but if they don't provide user experience parity to an iPad, how can it be considered a "real competitor"?

oiuhyjtgfhjkl 16y ago
>The experience is why I got an iPad I use it to read HN - with the iPad user experience (TM) mere troll posts are transformed into repartee of Swiftian brilliance by simply having 24bit colour in the icons and rounded edges to the buttons.
rbanffy 16y ago
It's a competitor even if it addresses a subset of the iPad functionality. This one has e-book reading, something many people buy the iPad for. Different people weight different features differently (sory - had to do it) and this thingie may end up with a better value than an iPad for a lot of people. Me included, BTW. I could buy one of these and a Nook for less than what an iPad costs. For me, it's a winner. It's a competitor, even if you prefer the iPad.
- mattmaroon 16y ago
  Do you really think people buy the iPad for reading ebooks? I find it to be not significantly better than reading on a monitor. The iPad is great for some things for sure (Plants vs Zombies being first and foremost in my experience) but I think if I wanted to read books I'd get a Kindle or some eink device.
  - stcredzero 16y ago
    I read books on my iPad all the time.
  - masklinn 16y ago
    > I find it to be not significantly better than reading on a monitor. Nielsen's tests very emphatically disagree http://www.useit.com/alertbox/ipad-kindle-reading.html http://www.useit.com/alertbox/ipad-kindle-reading.html
    - mattmaroon 16y ago
      Neilsen tested only speed. It's eyestrain that bothers me and is why ebook readers typically use e-ink.
      - masklinn 16y ago
        > Neilsen tested only speed. Neilsen tested only speed if you read only the first half of the results. You might want to read the next one as well. It's called "User Satisfaction".
        mattmaroon 16y ago
        He doesn't say how long he asked people to read for. My suspicion is that the longer the timeframe, the more results between print and monitor (and Kindle and iPad) will diverge. You don't get eyestrain from even light reading on a monitor. Also, satisfaction can mean a number of things, and he didn't define it, as evidenced by comments about weight. A lot of people could have had higher reading satisfaction on an iPad because it's an iPad. Neilsen's results have no bearing one way or the other on my original statement, which is that people don't buy iPads to read books.
illumin8 16y ago
- 7" LCD screen of questionable quality vs. 10" IPS LCD screen. Article even says "It’s not a very bright screen, like the iPad." - It’s a resistive screen - No multitouch... "It simply won’t be as responsive as an iPad." - Slow CPU - "It’s not a blazing fast CPU. The specs haven’t been published, but I suspect this is in the 400-600MHz range." - Limited software - is ANY Android developer going to write software that supports the custom resolution of an unsupported 7" tablet? Anyone? Anyone? Buehler? This might sell a few hundred copies to hackers and other people that like rooting their devices. It will be 0.000000001% of the total tablet market, while iPad sells 2 million per month.

threepointone 16y ago

That looks disgusting. Just the green-gray(?!) gradient made me squirm. And after that list of cons... really, what's left? The price? You get what you pay for. In any case, my bullshit detector comes on full force whenever it encounters so many exclamation marks.

DeusExMachina 16y ago

2) It’s not a very bright screen, like the iPad. But if you intend to do a lot of reading, this is a plus. No, it's not. On the iPad you can adjust the brightness of the screen directly in the iBooks app if you want. But when you want a brighter screen for anything else, you can have it.

deleted 16y ago
[deleted]
borism 16y ago
yes it is. most users will end up not adjusting brightness thus hurting their eyes
- jacobolus 16y ago
  Do you have any evidence that the brightness of a fully-on iPad screen “hurts eyes”? * * * The human visual system adapts to the level of illumination it is looking at, so the times when eyes “hurt” are basically only when going from being dark-adapted to suddenly looking at something bright: for example, going from a darkened movie theater out into a sunny day. If you turn an iPad on in a completely darkened room, it might seem bright when first looked at (even this is not going to do any lasting damage, and is just a temporary annoyance), but if you spend more than a few minutes reading, your eyes will adapt to whatever its brightness is, and it shouldn't really be a problem.
  - jarek 16y ago
    > The human visual system adapts to the level of illumination it is looking at Anecdotally false. On really bright summer days (and on sunny days in the winter with a lot of snow), outdoors are too bright for my visual system. I have to squint or my eyes will hurt, no matter how long I stay outside to adapt. Anecdotally this is true for at least some of the people I know as well.
    - CamperBob 16y ago

allend 16y ago

I love it when people think competing with the iPad means having more bullet point features.

david927 16y ago
I love it when the faithful think that features and price are not competitive.
- mattmaroon 16y ago
  They're really not. My dad knows what an iPad is. Unless this device lays golden eggs he'll probably never hear of it. Also, there are unmentioned features in the iPad's favor, most notably an App Store with 200k titles in it.
  - sprout 16y ago
    So your dad never browses Wal-mart, Target, Best Buy, or anywhere else? This is in the netbook range Best buy will throw next to the check-out aisle.
    - theli0nheart 16y ago
      If you're looking for a tablet you probably already know which one you're going to buy before you set foot in a physical store.
      - Tichy 16y ago
        What if you are not looking for a tablet? Few people were looking for a tablet before the iPad launch.
        theli0nheart 16y ago
        True, but that's irrelevant. My point is that few people buy electronics on impulse, without research, before walking into a store.

powrtoch 16y ago

Does this even have the necessary buttons to be an up-to-spec android device?

mattmaroon 16y ago

I'm not sure he understands what e-ink is.

hlidotbe 16y ago

ok, if I understand well this is a competitor, smaller, slower with an inferior screen and touch technology and you have to (easily but still...) change its software to support those features given it's not build for it. The only advantages being cheaper (I would hope so given the specs!), running Android (debatable) and using an SD card for storage. Even the site lists more cons than pros...

bradleyland 16y ago

Ok, so supposedly this is a "real competitor" for the iPad, but the author lists the following downsides: 1) It’s a resistive screen. 2) It’s not a very bright screen, like the iPad. 3) It’s not a blazing fast CPU. 4) It’s limited for video. 5) It will be heavier than most eInk devices. 6) There’s no 3G, it’s WiFi-only. Here's why these matter. 1) There is a very good reason no one uses resistive touch for devices intended to be used with your finger. The experience is horrible. You're better off trying to use your fingernail than you are your finger, and that's just awkward. 2) From the photos (and they might just be bad photos) the screen looks find for black & white, but muddy and washed out in color. 3) So responsiveness will suffer when running the full version of Android 4) TILT 5) This hasn't really been a problem for the iPad, but the iPad doesn't suffer from the cumulative negative effects listed here. 6) Not a big problem, IMO. A lot of people bought the WiFi iPad, and for good reason. If you're going to have a 3G data connection, it should probably be in the form of a MiFi or something similar. Here's the biggest problem of all, items one, two, three, four add up to a lousy experience, and experience is everything. Sure, people might buy it once, but they won't use it if the experience sucks, and they won't buy another. The shame of the matter is that they may condemn tablets in general, rather than understand the attribution as I've listed it above.

someone_here 16y ago
With regard to point 1, my N900 has a resistive screen, and it feels almost exactly like an iphone (except I can use a stylus to click on tiny links on web pages instead of having to zoom).
- bnoordhuis 16y ago
  I second this emotion. To me, there is no discernible difference between my N900 and the HTC Hero I had before it.
- illumin8 16y ago
  You're crazy. I've used an N900 and it is nothing like an iPhone. Responsiveness is terrible- clicks sometimes take 2 or 3 attempts to register, and even when they do register the software takes half a second to respond, so you end up with this awkward use that goes something like "did I click it? I think I clicked it, let me click it again." The iPhone is instantly responsive to any touch, and when you get used to using a multi-touch device, you really can't go back to using a resistive screen. I felt like it was 1995 and I was using an original Palm Pilot.

rmah 16y ago

I love the line "All that’s involved is installing a different device driver and then a new Home launcher!" 99% of the population will respond with, "huh?" and then stop considering it. I hope they sell enough to stay in business and make a bit of money, but really, this is a niche product compared to the iPad. And that's saying something.

slantyyz 16y ago
I'd rather buy a Windows 7 slate than this thing. Now that's saying something.

stcredzero 16y ago

This is not a competitor. It's a hacker hobbyist machine, which is something the iPad is not, by both design and price point.

joezydeco 16y ago
The ad in this weekend's Bed Bath and Beyond flyer for the Novel didn't call it a hacker machine. I should call and complain.
- stcredzero 16y ago
  Shhh. If they think well-heeled housewives are buying it, they might keep making it longer.
- illumin8 16y ago
  Actually, although I don't think it's a real competitor, the Bed, Bath & Beyond ad had it listed for $169 with a $20 mail in rebate. Use one of the many 20% off any single item coupons that they mail you, and you can buy this for $135.20, plus the mail in rebate you end up with it for only around $115.20. When the price is under $100, which should be soon, it might be a fun little hacker toy to put in interesting places, like glued to the front of the fridge, in the back of the headrest in your car, etc.
  - joezydeco 16y ago
    Pandigital stuff also tends to end up at Kohl's, which always has double or triple discounts in play at certain times, especially if you have their charge card.

superjared 16y ago

I talked to a Pandigital rep back in May about whether this platform was open and got this response: Future versions of this product will be able to take advantage of Android applications. At this time w/ the ifirmware version at launch, the first Pandigital Novel eReaders are not designed to support additional Android applications.

chaostheory 16y ago

I thought Google didn't allow the Android Store for tablets yet? Am I wrong? If I'm right, this would be a really severe limitation.

wmf 16y ago
The rules changed recently so some tablets should be able to get the store, although I think they still require a camera.

ezy 16y ago

(spit take) Heh... resistive screen and slow CPU. The year 2005 called and wants its N800 back. Until the competitors really start to care about excellence, Apple will continue to dominate. I say this not as a particular Apple fan, but out of frustration with "open" alternatives I'd like to use that just f*cking blow compared to the benchmark Apple has set. I mean you're trying to sell me a super-smartphone (HTC Evo) with shitty battery life? In 2010? what the hell?

tedunangst 16y ago

Apple iPad: 9.56" x 7.47" x 0.5" Pandigital Novel: 5.5" x 7.5" x 0.5" That's not a real competitor.

jlcgull 16y ago

it is the OS that makes the device... a super-responsive touch screen also helps. of the the many touch devices i have come across, nothing compares to the responsiveness of an iPad or iPhone/iPodTouch.

jackfoxy 16y ago

One thing I haven't been able to do on the iPad yet is overclock (speed up without making the audio sqeaky) video lectures. Might come to Android tablets first if VLC does a port to Android.

hexley 16y ago
Try changing the video metadata to Podcast and see if that allows you.

nchapman 16y ago

Is anything a real competitor if it doesn't compete well out of the box?

petercooper 16y ago

Get back to us once it's actually on sale and we can buy one. It seems everyone other than Apple is keen to announce products but then aren't so great at ever releasing them.

j79 16y ago

2) It’s Android — which you can now make your own apps for. I'm guessing my five year old niece, who enjoys playing games on the iPad, won't be purchasing this tablet to drop her own game on the Android market. Or, the grandmothers who own iPads - I don't think they've been clamoring to develop some bomb ass apps, if only they didn't have to learn that pesky Obj C. Not saying that all grandmothers or five year olds can't code - just that Apple is selling an experience, one that many people enjoy. Give a person an iPad and this, and see which one they enjoy using more. Resistive screens? A huge impact on experience...

studer 16y ago
I suspect that was a reference to this: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/12/technology/12google.html http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/12/technology/12google.html "User testing has been done mainly in schools with groups that included sixth graders, high school girls, nursing students and university undergraduates who are not computer science majors."

Keyframe 16y ago

This is going to shake up everything. No, it's not. Sensationalist BS strikes HN again.

jerguismi 16y ago

What about the numerous tablets on dealextreme, many go for about 100$, run android and include 7" or 8" screen. http://www.dealextreme.com/search.dx/search.tablet http://www.dealextreme.com/search.dx/search.tablet Maybe I'll try one out, although 10" screen would really be a selling point for me.

ricardo 16y ago

I wouldn't call it a "real" competitor until the device launches. Until then it's in the same realm has the HP Slate and the other forthcoming Android tablets.

eli 16y ago

Maybe I'm just getting old and cranky, but I really don't want to have to hack or coerce the things I buy in order to make them do what I want.

rbanffy 16y ago
Same here, but I value the ability to hack and coerce the things I own when I decide to do with them things their makers would not approve.

ableal 16y ago

http://pandigital.net/search.asp?productid=392 http://pandigital.net/search.asp?productid=392: (specifications) 7” Digital TFT LCD, 600 x 800 pixels The 6-inch, 800x600 e-ink readers are now at 150 USD (Borders, Amazon, etc.). Some with SD and Bluetooth included. A bit more for touch screens (Sony?). So, battery life and readability versus color and Wi-Fi.

smitjel 16y ago

Sounds more like a competitor to the other eink readers. All I want is a good eink reader anyway. I don't care about videos, touch-screen, internet, 3G...just give me an eink reader with ample memory. I think the Nook wins in that case...

dotBen 16y ago

You can discount this one if you like because it is a home-brew fix up. But when the first 10"+ screened Android tablets come out from quality manufacturers, they will give Apple a run for their money. I hear there are a number of such devices being held back for a Fall launch for the Christmas purchasing season. If I could buy a similarly speced + quality finished tablet to my iPad that ran Android I'd switch in an instant.

thought_alarm 16y ago

7" is such a ridiculous screen size. It's too big to fit in your pocket, too small to be a compelling tablet. You'd be much better off with an iPod Touch than this thing. It's faster, runs the latest software, has a proper touch screen, fits in your pocket, and is overall is a much higher quality of software and hardware. I really wish there was an iPod Touch equivalent Android device, but so far there isn't. And there won't be an iPad equivalent until Google develops a proper tablet OS, with its own tablet UI guidelines and SDKs to make it happen (rumored to be Android 3.0). But that obviously won't prevent manufacturers from rushing out devices before the OS is ready. Buyer beware.

KirinDave 16y ago

I give it the ultimate libertarian venture: Good luck with your startup, dawg. The biggest obstacle to tablet computing doesn't seem to be the price, it's convincing the market that your product us worthwhile. Tablet PCs have existed for years now with a variety of price points. The price is not the main selling point.

kevinelliott 16y ago

To me, it's not a real competitor. Just looking at the photographs solidifies that I am not in the market that these guys are targeting. I'm willing to bet that a lot of iPad users would agree.

volodia 16y ago

However one very useful thing this tablet can do that the iPad cannot is serve as a notebook (because it has a resistive and not a capacitive screen). I'm a student and I would love to have a cheap portable device for taking electronic notes in class; this tablet looks excellent for that.

mhd 16y ago

Come on, this is from a manufacturer of digital photo frames. It's target market has some overlap with that of the iPad, so it's definitely a competitor, but the headline makes it sounds like it's gonna be a major alternative. Having said that, this looks like a pretty cool device. I've been thinking about rooting my nook, but this would be an even better target. If it's fast enough for PDF display, it would a nice reference tool, and in my opinion the only way to get a decent book reader is for some third party to make one. I haven't seen a single one that has a decent text layout algorithm. The "problem" with the iPad is that at this size and resolution, the web pages themselves look pretty astonishing, so there's less need to get a reformatted version as an app. And the iPhone 4 and its technological advances almost make me want to wait for a 2G device. So a gadget like this would be the perfect stop-gap solution for me. No iPad killer, but an iPad postponer…

code_duck 16y ago

I don't know whether this is it quite yet, but I'm definitely looking forward to everyone else's tablets coming out soon. I love my MacBook but I'm not interested in the closedness and restrictions of the iOS systems.

kentosi 16y ago

Was there really the need for all those exclamation marks throughout this article? "...three of them!", "Android tablet!", "No rooting is involved!", "...no rooting is necessary!", "But does that really matter?!", "Where are you going to match that?!" (etc) Seriously, this article would have sounded a lot more convincing without them. Aside from this, it would be interesting to know what the user-experience would be. I can see that the specs aren't as high-end as the iPad, but that might be a first-phase thing.

Tyrannosaurs 16y ago

What's the criteria for something being a "real" competitor? This device provides functionality which is broadly comparable with the iPad, in the same way as many netbooks, the Kindle, the Nook other eBook readers and a whole bunch of other devices. How comparable they are is debatable but are they competitors, in as much as is it possible that people will buy one of them instead of an iPad to fulfil one or more needs an iPad could have fulfilled. But how come this is a "real" competitor when the others aren't? If anything I'd suggest that the "real" competitors are the ones I can go out and buy and use now and where people are doing just that, rather than an unlaunched device I'd need to mod.

rodh257 16y ago

why do people keep saying an LCD screen is an 'e-reader'. Completely missing the point. Calling e-ink 'crappy' and then telling me to read books on the same type of screen as the monitors sitting in front of me is stupid. You wouldn't read on a computer screen, and you won't seriously read on an LCD monitor no matter how small it is. If your use case is to read books, e-ink is for you, all these e-readers with superfluous extra features remind me of the first GPS I got, it had SD card support to play MP3's and Movies but sucked at navigation and had a crap GPS signal. I never used the extra features, and always got lost.