Pandigital SuperNova

“Hack this tablet. Please. The Pandigital SuperNova could be the Amazon Kindle Fire for the geek crowd. An Android tablet with decent specs from a manufacturer that's completely open to people rooting, modding, and re-installing the operating system. There's just one catch: Pandigital has used a dim, low-res screen, which seriously reduces the appeal of this tablet.”

“At $229, the Pandigital SuperNova improves on some of the problem points of the Nova. However, the addition of a capacitive screen, improved battery life, and cameras with more megapixels isn't enough to make the SuperNova a viable competitor to the $199 Kindle Fire. Plagued by poor design, an ugly washed-out screen, and a limited app offering, the Pandigital SuperNova can't hold a candle to the Kindle Fire.”

“There's no more important component of a tablet than its display, as the primary and sometimes only way to interface with the device. So it should go without saying that it helps if the screen is at least bright, with a resolution that keeps details sharp. With the SuperNova, Pandigital seems to have skimped on the quality of the screen to get its price down to $200. This would be bad enough, but unfortunately, it doesn't stop there. The SuperNova is missing full access to the Android Market, and although comfortable to hold, it feels like a toy in the hand instead of a useful gadget. The fact is, $200 is still a lot of money to blow on something that doesn't do what you want it to. That said, the SuperNova works as a very basic tablet and if that's all you're looking for, rest assured, that's what you'll get. However, there are better ways to spend your tablet-craving dollars: devices that are much better values, even at higher prices.”

“While the SuperNova surpasses its predecessors, the current competition is mighty tough. Unless we uncover some major problem with the Amazon Kindle Fire, that model could very well snuff out Pandigital's latest entry—perhaps, forcing the company to drop the price drastically. And that could make it a good value to snap up on sale.”