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Last Updated on March 29, 2020
PanDigital started life as a company manufacturing digital photo frames in 1998. Whilst they are not a computer manufacturer they have carefully targeted certain niche markets of digital technology and consistently delivered solid, reliable, value for money products in carefully selected sectors, always using reputable retailers to deliver their products. With this 7 inch tablet they are working in partnership with Barnes and Noble as their digital bookstore of choice and have installed an app on the tablet that takes you directly to the store. This is not an iPad competitior, PanDigital are not trying to produce a super tablet full of bells and whistles! This is a great little tablet for those who want to combine an Ereader with surf the net capabilities.
Features
The PanDigital 7″ Multimedia Novel tablet is based upon an eReader platform and whilst they have access to Android apps it is best to check whether your version has this pre-installed; if not, the upgrade is available from the PanDigital website. It does however come with a number of its own apps installed. The tablet is wi-fi ready and it is easy to hook up to your home installed network or when out and logging into mobile hotspots such as Starbucks. Resolution is reasonable at 600 x 800 pixels and the 7 inch screen is large enough for comfortable reading. You can listen to music easily, though using headphones is advisable and you have the option of a stereo mini headphone jack, a mini USB and a normal USB port so connectivity is not an issue. At 1 GB of memory this is sufficient storage for most uses as a library, but if you want to load up large media files, such as video and movies, there is an expandable memory slot (SD/SDHC), also taking multi- media cards (MMC and MMC+) up to 32 GB which should be enough for most people! The battery supplied is a re-chargeable Lithium ion battery and an AC adaptor is included. This is not the lightest of tablets, weighing around 1.2 lbs (0.5 kg), but it is certainly less fragile than, say an iPad.
Usability
Touch screen capability is by using your fingertips, but it does not have the pinch function like an iPad. Some people have bought styli to use with it although once you get the hang of it a finger works just as efficiently as a stylus. The sound is reasonable, but it sounds better through headphones. Although it has a bookmark the page function when reading, if you switch it off and then go back to your book later, it won’t automatically go back to your last page. If, like me, you tend to read several books at once, it shows your current book above the screen so you know what you were last reading! There are conflicting reviews about the battery life, but it depends whether you are doing a lot of surfing, which uses more power than reading; overall it has a reasonable to good life and you can conserve the battery by turning off wi-fi when not using it. One note, the browser as installed does not support flash and so YouTube videos cannot be played on this tablet.
What Customers Say
First and foremost this is an Ereader with wi-fi capability, not a super app loaded tablet computer. It is extraordinarily inexpensive in comparison with its competitors and as such has fewer functions. This is an ideal tablet to start with if you want a backlit reader and surf the net occasionally to check emails and go on social networking sites. It is therefore received most positively by customers who have bought it for their parents, their children, or who want a second Ereader type tablet. The consensus of opinion is that this is a heavy tablet, but that also this makes it more durable and less likely to be damaged than more expensive tablet computers. It is a sturdy, competent Ereader that allows you to surf easily, listen to music and is great as an alternative to other tablets if you want to use it outside. It gets an Amazon rating of 3.7 out of 5 stars but is highly rated by those who want a simple straightforward value product.