First Look - Amazon’s Kindle Fire could become the very
first serious Android tablet, if we believe rumors of preorders that are
in the millions. For a similar investment, you could also wait for the
new Nook, or you could look at Pandigital’s new Supernova. It doesn’t
have the buzz of the Amazon brand, but it trumps the Fire in some
features and can be the better value for some users.
There is a very distinct trend of Android tablets settling in the
$200 market, which is apparently viewed to be distant enough from the
$500 iPad to deliver a compelling value proposition. You won’t get the
same build quality, feature set and most certainly not the same display,
but I begin to believe that $200 tablets are approaching a good-enough
range, which will be attracting a considerable number of consumers.
Amazon could be firing up this segment with much more visibility that
could lend other tablet manufacturers more credibility as well. If you
buy the $200 Kindle, you will get a 7″ screen with 1024 x 600 pixels
resolution, a dual-core processor and 8 GB fixed memory in a package
that weighs 14.6 ounces. The value of the Fire is delivered via a
service package that covers cloud storage for Amazon content, video
on-demand service, a music purchasing service, a unique app store as
well as a cloud-accelerated web browser and Amazon’s bookstore.
However, what you don’t get are cameras, HDMI, a memory card
expansion slot and a microphone. Those features are included in the 8″,
16.6-ounce Pandigital Supernova, which has a suggested retail price of
$229, but is selling for $200 via retail stores such as Sears. The Fire
has some advantages over the Supernova, as the Pandigital tablet has
just a 1 GHz single-core processor, 600 x 800 pixel resolution and a
platform package that is not quite as compelling. The Supernova features
the Barnes&Noble book store, but does not yet feature Netflix, does
not have cloud storage and lacks a dedicated music purchasing service.
Due to the lack of some hardware features that Google requires for
Android Market qualification (such as a GPS chip), the Supernova cannot
download apps from the Android Market, but is tied to third party
service GetJar instead. It is a substantial limitation as many
applications are simply not available for the tablet. For example,
GetJar only offers the Gmail and YouTube apps as Google services
downloads. You won’t be able to get the Docs, Maps, Earth or Sky apps.
GetJar has a solid download database, but there are huge gaps: I could
not find a decent scientific calculator, no music editor and no basic
tools such a flashlight or level app. Keep in mind that the Amazon
tablet is likely to be hit with similar limitations and many current
Android apps are unlikely to make it to the Fire initially.
Despite the fact that the Supernova runs Android 2.3 and not 3.0 (the
tablet includes the standard physical Android 2.x buttons (home, menu,
back, search), I was impressed by the tablet. It features the same surface design as the 7″ Nova,
but comes with an 8″ capacitive touch screen, which is an important
upgrade over the previous resistive displays. It is not as sharp and
bright as a high-end touch screen display, and its usability especially
impacted by small viewing angles, but it is good enough for most
applications, including playing games such as Angry Birds and Deer
Hunter. The single-core processor has plenty of power in this tablet as I
did not encounter a situation in which the processor was struggling
with an app.
I did not see much use for the still and video camera as well as the
integrated webcam, but it’s a nice to have feature. Much more important
to me was the microSD card expansion slot, which allowed me to load up
the device with music and videos to keep the kids occupied in the car.
In fact, I found my children to be quickly attached to the Supernova: My
11-year old son actually preferred the 8″ tablet over the larger and
heavier iPad as long as he could access the same content, which tends to
consist of a handful of apps, YouTube, Flickr and a few games. Out of
the house, he only used the Pandigital as he said that it is easier to
bring along than the iPad. He complained about the lack of 3G/4G access
on the road, but we could solve this problem by tethering the Wi-Fi only
Supernova to an Android phone.
Make no mistake, there is a reason why an iPad is priced at $500 and
above and why the Supernova sells for just $200. However, these $200
tablets are now turning into much more livable compromises. If you don’t
expect the feature set of the iPad, the Pandigital Supernova won’t
disappoint. The only remaining considerable downside is the limited
software and app platform.
Wolfgang Gruener in Products on November 06
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