If you have access to wi-fi, all you need is the $139 model. I have the Pandigital Novel, and it uses wi-fi to access the downloads of books. Since I have a wireless network in my house, I just connect to that, or it will connect to any public wireless network such as a public library, Starbucks, etc.

many of us have the Pandigital Novel there are a few threads here about it you can do a search for them.
I love mine, with it I can not only use it as a reader but also go online and surf do email just like a mini tablet pc really. Plus you can view pictures and video and play music very multi functional. I got mine at Bed Bath And Beyond and used the 20% off coupons they have cost me much less that way. I have wireless network too so can use it anywhere in the house or anywhere there is a wifi. It also has the ability to use the borrow from the library function.
Here it is at walgreens
Pandigital Novel 7-inch Color Multimedia eReader
and at BBB
Pandigital® Novel 7" Color Multimedia eReader

I used my brother in laws kindle for a while and I just could not stand the page flashing each time I turned the page, that is one of the reasons I did not go with that type. If you can try some out you may find out what you prefer.
I read at night in bed a lot so having the ability to read with out any lights on with the PDN on night read was perfect for me.

I know Kohl's has them too not sure what their prices are or if there are sales or coupons.

I highly recommend not getting the black version though only the white one.
Pandigital Novel

Grandms is correct. I am satisfied with the $139 dollar model. I have a wireless network at home and will use WiFi if I am away from home and want to buy a book. The adapter cord plugs into house current to charge the battery, but you can also hook up to your computer and charge the battery or buy and download a book to the computer. I no longer like to read old paperbacks or heavy hard cover books. Small print on yellowish pages is a thing of the past. The Kindle default font is perfect and the screen is so clear my eyes appreciate it. I needed to get a leather cover for my Kindle because I kept turning pages by accident. The cover makes it easier to hold the kindle and I no longer hit the page turn buttons by accident. The books I want to buy are probably more expensive on the Kindle than if I found really cheap used books on the internet. Amazon does have hundreds of free titles, but they are mostly classics I have already read, or oldies that don't interest me. I am willing to pay for all but the newest releases because reading on a Kindle is so much more comfortable than reading "real" books. My eyes don't get tired even after hours of Kindle reading. Also, the battery charge lasts forever. I ordered my Kindle from Amazon and it arrived a day earlier than they said it would. The cover, which I ordered a few days later, did take a while to arrive.
Nancy

genes-
I am getting a Kindle with 3G. I am doing this because: 1) it allows me to download books in areas where there are no wifi hotspots but there is 3G access; 2) it will allow me to easily download stuff when I am traveling out of the country; 3) I want to be able to have free Internet access and to access my NY Times subscription when I am out of the country.

If you are going to use it mainly at your house and are not interested in any of the things that I listed above that you can do with 3G, save yourself $50 and get the wifi only model.

My wife has a Kindle and loves it. I got the novel and really liked it. The difference is in our reading habits. She buys a lot of new books, but I buy mostly used.

But the novel also does music and video. I was looking at it as my ipod replacement.

When my blackberry died, I bought a Droid X. I've got a Kindle and nook app on it and I always have it with me. The screen isn't as big, but I always have it with me, it's 3g and wifi.

If I didn't have the phone, I'd go with one of the current android tablets or wait a little to see what happens.

The 3G ($189) Kindle allows you to download books almost anywhere using the same technology as a cell phone. The $139 model require access to WiFi to download books. Besides that they are identical.

Not to stir the pot, but I haven't read a positive review of the Pandigital Novel.

Thanks for all the input...I did do a search on here for Kindle etc but figured there may have been more people who had aquired a Kindle or competitor since then. Plus, given the time since the posts, maybe more able to do an evaluation of their likes/dislikes.

Tks again

Gene S

The Kindle is highly rated in this month's Consumer Reports. The article came out shortly after I bought my Kindle and I was pleased to read that I had made the best choice for my needs.
Nancy

I echo that for me the $139 model is fine. I haven't had to have an "emergency" book download yet. :) I keep enough books on it that there's always something to choose from. Although, I can certainly see the attraction of 3G when it's needed.

mike you must not have read any of OUR reviews here in our threads because they have all been very positive for the Pandigital and we are actual owners and users, which are the reviews I rely on more than one that some one who tries it out once to do the review makes. The actual user reviews on the walgreens site are all very positive also, which I linked to.
The bad reviews I have seen were from the early released models which were all returned and they replaced them with the new model. For tons of good reviews simply check over at slatedroid forum under the PDN and see the amazing things they are doing with this neat little android tablet, for the money it was definitely the best deal for me.

For the person buying it totally depends on if they want to be able to do other things with their device other than read, I did, I felt if I was spending the money I wanted it to do as much as possible. I love being able to play solitaire on it anywhere since it is preloaded on it.

My brother in law loves his Kindle he has the first version, all he wanted was to be able to read books when he was off on locations and not have to haul books with him.

The Pandigital Novel is a well specified but poorly thought-out device; it tries to be an e-book reader and tablet computer simultaneously, and fails at both tasks. - PC Magazine

The poor touchscreen, sluggish processor and sometimes confusing interface cripple the device to the point where it can't even manage its main task of turning pages and providing a comfortable reading experience. There's no beating around the bush on this one -- those looking for a cheap e-reader will be better suited by the WiFi-equipped $149 Nook or $139 Kindle. As for those looking for a solid performing, cheap tablet that can manage e-books and surfing the web in full color, well, for that we all still wait... - Engadget

If the Pandigital Novel were priced lower, maybe I'd be forgiving of its numerous faults. For those that need a portable device and who don't have a smartphone, I can see where this might have appeal at first blush. It's a first, positive step into the tablet universe, but it needs to be lighter, with a far better screen and a more-responsive touch interface to truly be a contender. - PC World

The feature set of the affordable Pandigital Novel looks good on paper, but this color e-book reader and multimedia device is hobbled by its extremely slow performance and unresponsive touch screen. - cnet

Appalling slow. Like mind numbingly slow. - Veronica Belmont, Tekzilla

One does have to tap the screen with a fingernail or a stylus since it is the older type LCD screen, but that has not been a problem for me. Yes, sometimes it is a little bit slow, but I have adjusted to that. The biggest drawback to me, personally, is the short battery life, especially if you have the wi-fi enabled. After I download a book, I just turn off the wi-fi, and that helps. I do find the virtual keyboard a little sluggish, but I don't use it very much. I use it mainly as a reader, and I especially like the night mode, which is easier on the eyes. Font is adjustable, so no problem there. All in all, for the price, I really like my Pandigital.

as I said in my post many of those were reviews of the first model out which were all re-called and replaced with the newer white models.

there are many articles out that try to inform that the early versions which are the ones that are shown on many of the reviews are not indicative of the models now available, however since those old reviews are still there and always will be all that can be done is for the actual users to try to post reviews on sites that do user reviews. Those are the sites that have the real people using the current versions and giving the real results.
Like these:

"more bang for your buck
Date: October 28, 2010
Bought it for my wife and she loves it ,
the features are great and she has not had a single problem connecting to internet and she says that buying books are so easy.
The eReader has exceeded our expectations."

"Excellent !!
Date: October 23, 2010
I purchased this approximately a month ago and have very much enjoyed playing with my new toy. I am a 53-year-old grandmother and had no problems setting up wi-fi or using any functions. The only drawback I have found is its weight, but I do not hold onto it contiunually while reading and simply lay it down on the arm of my couch while reading. I would recommend this to anyone considering an ereader who wants other functionality as well."

"pandigital great product
Date: September 26, 2010
Pros: all in one device
this is a wonderful product all in one e book reader, wi fi device, can get online check email pics, movies, music.
love my new toy. Hubby has one too and we both love them. highly recommend. forgert kindle, can't hold a light to this one!"

"Great Product!
Date: September 21, 2010
Pros: color clarity
First Ereader I've owned. Exceeded expectations. Easy to ready, easy to download new books. Surprised at the weight of it tho. Just wish battery lasted more than 6 hours for those long car trips, but it's easy to recharge. Definitely good investment. Already recommended to family and friends!"

"Glad I saw this
Date: September 17, 2010
Pros: higly versatile and multi-capable
Cons: screen response is sometimes slow
In looking for an anniversary present for my wife, I was researcxhing different kinds of e-readers. I had settled on ones with color screens and came across this in the WALGREEN'S AD. It fit the bill and has behaved exactly as advertised. One item two weeks after we bought it required me to call PanDigittal Support. Their help and advice was first rate. I am considering buying another one of these for myself, becasue I certainly cannot get this one away from my wife. She was very pleased with her present."

"excellent device for the price
Date: September 10, 2010
Pros: Easy To Use, does so much, android os
Have owned my PDN for a few months now and love it more every day. The wifi works great on it, very responsive, easy to use touch screen, great ereader with night function for reading in the dark with no lights on. Never bothers my eyes at all. Good battery life. Android OS is great, this unit has great potential, if you visit slatedroid forums for the PDN you will be amazed at what this thing can really do with a little tweaking.
I would buy it again and would urge others to as well.
Pandigital has listened and has put out several firmware upgrades for it to improve them from the original.
I purchased a hard shell case by BodyGlove which fits it perfectly and gives great protection for travel.
This is really a mini tablet pc with Android OS onboard and an excellent ereader program too. Using it as a digital photo frame is very cool too.
I have music, video, books, email, the web all in a really light weight easy to use package."

just a very very few of the user reviews from walgreens. Mine has never had any sluggishness or wifi issues, I have no problems with the touchscreen because I read the directions and knew it was the tap type. Unfortunately those people that do reviews for the magazines don't seem to read the directions on how to use the devices.
The battery life is exactly as advertised and I too just turn off wifi if I want it to last longer. Nothing is ever 100% and I sure would not expect it to be. It is not a laptop or an IPad it is a mobile device with the small processors and speed should never be expected to be close to that of the big boy processors, but compared to any smart phone with the same type processors it definitely rocks.

Not "stirring the pot" at all as you said but really really feel it is unfair when something is being badly rated when in reality the over all user base that owns it is pleased with it. Which is why I mentioned reading OUR user reviews here at GW.
Pandigital as a company did an excellent job of replacing all the original sub-par devices and has strived to keep updating firmware to continue improving performance which is what you hope a company will do.

As to which type of device any one should choose, well that would be as I said before based on just what they want their device to do.

On monday I bought the Pandigital Novel at Kohls on sale, using my extra 30% off coupon, $15 rebate, and subtracting the $20 in Kohls cash that I got, leaves the final price at $86. I thought for that price even if I had a few issues with it, it would be worth it. I had no trouble setting it up, no problems with page turning. I figured out how to download a free book. I need to find time to just sit and read the manual and get comfortable with all the features. So I haven't had much time with it, but I would definitely recommend it so far. It's fun.

I've been considering this one comes with a nice leather case also and free shipping. Stay away from kindle they do not allow, e-pub because they want to make sure you pay for all your books, e-pub is thru your public libraries and free downloads...link to e-pub below
http://www.epubbooks.com/books

Here is a link that might be useful: link

del5 you got a great deal there!! I know a lot of people have been finding some good deals like that using coupons and stuff. I got mine when there was a rebate on them at BBB and I used their 20% off coupon so that was a good deal too since they were at that time on sale. I have absolutely never regretted it and my husband keeps eyeing mine so I might just get him one for Christmas. If you go to slatedroid.com and go to the forum for the Pandigital there is a lot of great info there on just how far you can tweak it.

Only thing I would say about the etaco ereader is that it is only 5" to me that would be too small but it makes it much lighter and portable which may be what some prefer.

I like having the epub format also you can get books from many more places in that format.

On the Eacto or most of these readers you can make your fonts larger to suit your eyes..I just think that is sucky of kindle, they want you to purchase all your books from amazon, their partners, no doubt...and there are free books all over the internet to download free, not only at epub, or you can simply read therm on yoyur pc screen.

susieq07,
I'm not sure if you were saying that you can only get books for Kindle at Amazon? If that was the case, I just wanted to say that you can download free books from sites other than Amazon. I've used feedbooks.com.

yes I too get free ones from feedbooks.com for kindle, which I use on my Kindle for pc on my netbook, feedbooks offers several download formats including both epub and kindle.

I definitely have to adjust my font to a larger size on my PDN, but it has a larger size screen which I prefer. A 5" screen is smaller than most of them. Just something to consider.

No I was not saying that at all, but they do not support epub our local libraries (that suks) of course there are free download sites, but believe me they want you to pay!
So I will purchase any other brand..

Do any other Kindle users make foolish motions to turn pages? I do. I sometimes start to reach to the top of the page to turn it! Last night I looked to the left side of the open cover to see something on the previous page. I know this will go away eventually, but I can't help feeling foolish when I do it.
Nancy

I just saw that Kohl's will be offering the Sharper Image Literati reader on their Black Friday ad which does allow online ordering as well as in store, price will be $129.99 with a $30 mail in rebate. Kohl's has also had a lot of coupons lately and the Kohl's cash so that could bring the price down too. I have never seen this device so know nothing about it.

I was at Bed Bath and Beyond this weekend, they have the Pandigital Novel(white) on sale again for $149 and there was a $20 rebate on it again, plus you can use their 20% off coupons. Brings it down considerably.

well just seeing that today Overstock.com has the literati on for $99 and they have the cheap shipping.
I read it is only an ereader nothing else, has the color LCD screen. This is what it says about it there.

The Literati wireless eBook reader allows you to choose from millions of book titles with its built-in global bookstore, powered by Kobo Books. This reader features a 7-inch full-color LCD screen and includes designer carrying case.

* Display: 7-inch, full-color LCD screen
* Connect over WiFi to the built-in Kobo bookstore
* User friendly controls and searches
* Broad support of industry standard e-book formats
* Customizable experience with an array of designs, typefaces, and font sizes
* Adjustable brightness and allows reading in any environment
* Easily flip through pages with the navigation buttons located on both sides of the reader
* Built-in rechargeable battery for up to 6 hours of continuous reading
* Bookmarking feature holds your place electronically, allowing you to pick up right where you left off whether on your Literati, your smart phone or your computer
* Memory: 512MB (expandable up to 8GB with memory card)
* Package contents: Literati wireless reader, AC adapter, USB cable, and designer case
* Dimensions: 9.5 inches long x 5 inches wide x 0.5 inch deep

for the small price difference I would go with PDN since it does much more.

Dont see much in the way of even a half hearted review..

Here is a link that might be useful: Literati