Pandigital goes after the iPad with help from Barnes & Noble

Apple’s iPad has stolen a lot of thunder from Amazon’s Kindle, the predominant e-reader device on the market. Its array of apps, multimedia capabilities, and a color display are certainly bonus points for consumers looking for the next “It” gadget. Pandigital has recognized that fact and created the Novel, a tablet based e-reader.

The Novel sports a lot of features that are similar to Apple’s tablet for just $199.00. It has a color touch-screen display, photo library, calendar, email client, plays video, and has a web browser that takes full advantage of the Android OS.

The gadget has a seven inch color TFT LCD display that includes a night-read mode that “inverts the text and background colors for more discrete viewing.” The first versions of the Novel will be powered by the ARM 11 processor and have 1GB of initial storage space. Users can use SD memory cards to increase the amount up to 32GB.

Pandigital chose Barnes & Noble as the featured content supplier for the Novel. Besides downloading content wirelessly from the retailer it also supports EPUB, HTML, and PDF formats. Users can also transfer existing e-books from their library to the device via USB.

Pandigital’s existing relationships with US retailers may also give them a boost in the e-reader market. Not every town has an Apple Store but many have a Costco, Kohl’s, or Macy’s. All of these retailers have been selling Pandigital’s digital photo frames for a number of years.

However, one big drawback of the Novel may be its battery life. E-ink machines like the Nook can typically go days or even weeks without charging while the iPad can go for about ten hours on a single charge. The Novel’s battery will only supply six hours of use, a fact that may tarnish its attractive price point.