Well, the Pandigital Novel and I didn’t exactly work out. It started all well and good until I got tired of the glitches. This isn’t going to be long since I already went over the features in the original review (see here). I’ll just go over the things which finally made me decide to throw in the towel.
- Frequently locked up – Sometimes it’d lock up once or twice in a sitting, sometimes several times in an hour. I can’t express how many grrr moments I experienced with this thing. One time I had the hardest time even getting it to turn back on even after using the reset hole.
- Using it to read pdf files is a pain in the butt – The eReader advertises compatibility with pdf and ePub files. Well, this is not exactly true. The quick page turning I boasted about in the first review? Not happening with a pdf file. It’s dinosaur slow. Plus, my first complaint “Frequently locked up” doesn’t even do justice to my experience. Try having the eReader lock up every 1-2 pages. Eek!
- Transferring notes sucks – Now this might be irrelevant, since I’m not sure how other eReaders work with note taking. But scrolling through the notes I made for the novels tried my patience. Keeping notes on a sheet of paper would have be easier, even if it isn’t my preferred method. The constant flipping back to the notes screen and then to the actual novel wore on my damned nerves. I put off writing a couple of reviews for weeks because I didn’t want to deal with it. Add that to the fact I took quite a few notes with the pdf file before I gave up on that. Just thinking about the experience makes me want to strangle someone. But like I said, the note thing might just be a personal irritation. Since I’ve not tried other eReaders, I really don’t have anything to compare the notes with.
You might recall I made this statement in the original review. I think a good determination of value for the money is if I’d make the same purchase again. For $115? You bet your bottom dollar. At that price, it pretty much becomes an impulse buy. Even if I later got a Kindle, I wouldn’t regret this purchase.
After spending time with the Pandigital Novel for about a month, I renege that comment. Would I make the purchase again? Uhm, no. It’s not worth the irritation, AND I’m taking it back. All it does is sit on my shelf, collecting dust and reminding me how nice it’d be to have that $136 back. That’s right, I’ve yet to turn in the silly rebate.
To be honest, after my Pandigital Novel experience, I’m not even sure I want an eReader any more. It’s not like I’ll be saving money on books.
So tell me, what type of eReaders do you have? What are the joys and headaches you’ve experienced with them? Any recommendations?
