Harry Wang, director of health and mobile product research for Parks Associates of Dallas, said Pandigital's entry into the market "is perfectly timed."
"Yes, it will face competition from the Kindle and iPad and a host of other devicemakers, but I expect its multimedia model to be a winner," Wang said in an e-mail.
Wang said the Novel will be $300 cheaper than an iPad, although it won't be as robust or user-friendly and the battery life, which is only half as long as the iPad, is "a weakness."
"But this company has invested resources to improve overall user experiences in areas such as home screen design, bookmarking and night read view," Wang said. "Although it does not have the name recognition or the cult status as Apple, it is a good value for consumers who are looking for new gift ideas or for personal use."
Wang also said Pandigital's retail network should translate to "early success (that) could lead to more retailer account wins during 2010 Christmas shopping season. In comparison, except Sony, Kindle, and iPad, no other e-reader brands can match Pandigital on the retail support side."
From the article, "Pandigital's Novel enters crowded reader market" by Benny Evangelista
