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New firmware update available for the (black) Pandigital Novel

Pandigital recently uploaded a new firmware for the black Novel. It’s dated 14 January.

I’ve downloaded and installed it. It’s still based on v1.5 and still uses the B&N ebookstore, but on the plus side the new firmware turned the Novel from an ereader into a tablet.With this firmware you can now install apps without having to hack the Novel. (Of course, you could already do that with the CA firmware.)

Update: If you’re looking for a the latest firmware update for this tablet, read this post. Much of this post is outdated.

The update didn’t affect any of the apps I already had installed, which is a plus. But it also didn’t add much besides the new home screen.

No, I was wrong. It turns out that the update did wipe all the apps I had installed; I didn’t notice at first because they got replaced by a set of nearly identical apps! Hehehe They added a file manager, an office suite, and a link to SlideMe. This is actually a very nice start. It’s not all the apps you need, but it’s an improvement on the CA firmware.

This firmware might not be compatible with your black Novel, so you should first download the update app from Pandigital. I think you should use it to check which firmware is compatible with your particular Novel.

I’ve heard a few complaints about people having trouble with the update app so I’ll give you a direct link to the download section for the updates. Before you visit the link you really should use the update app to find out which firmware is compatible. Don’t mess with these files unless you know what you’re doing. If you break something it’s your own fault.

http://mirror.support.pandigital.net:8080/Support/FW/Novel

Curiously enough, I don’t see a firmware update for the 9″ Novel.

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Comments


Zigwalski January 20, 2011 um 8:52 pm

Does it let you access the Android Marketplace or do you have to side load the apps?

Nate the great January 20, 2011 um 11:02 pm

You still have to side load the apps.

Smash November 21, 2011 um 8:05 am

Can I get a pointer on how to "Side Load" the apps? I just purchased a PD Novel 7″ ereader/tablet and would really like to load apps from somewhere other than SlideMe (i.e.: freewarelovers or Amazon app store). Currently, the only apps that will install successfully are those obtained from the SlideMe app catalog.

Nate Hoffelder November 21, 2011 um 8:27 am

I think the reason they work is because slideme is careful about which apps they let you try. They filter out the apps that you cannot use becuase the black Novel is too old.

Check out this post for info on how to find and install apps.
https://the-digital-reader.com/2010/12/25/getting-started-with-a-tablet/

Smash November 21, 2011 um 8:51 am

Thanks. Will do. I tried for 20 minutes to figure out what version Andriod the black reader used before buying it. I know that 1.5 is severely limited and relatively ancient. But none of my Google searches while standing in the store would reveal the Android version. Oh well. I’m pretty sure my wife will love it since Facebook and the Barnes and Knoble apps work.

barefoot138 July 31, 2012 um 8:02 pm

It sucks, don’t install, it almost broke my device, luckily it can still install even 1% of apps! Wait, no, this is all f***ing because of jackbox!!! He turned my black PDN into a stupid white one that has issues…


James January 20, 2011 um 11:18 pm

Well, at least you dont have to go through Kobo website to get to your ebook inventory now(Canadian firmware). Nice. They have a facebook icon on it too.

The B&N inventory look has changed and there is a Officesuite pro program too. Don’t know what type of program SlideMe is but it’s new.

The music section actually separates songs by album now. Good.

Nate the great January 20, 2011 um 11:58 pm

Is the office suite new? I already had it, actually.

Patricia May 7, 2011 um 12:51 pm

I have the canadian firmware update too but I can’t seem to be able to install android apps on it. It says the update was done, but I can’t get apps. How do I get android apps?


James January 21, 2011 um 12:56 am

I might be mistaken and it was on my Canadian firmwire, but I don’t remember seeing the icon for it on my tablet.

James January 21, 2011 um 5:05 am

*wasn’t on my Canadian firmwire

I mean


Tiffany January 23, 2011 um 11:41 pm

I’m a total newbie and unwittingly downloaded the firmware update, based on erroneous info from my library’s ebook info page. I’m wondering if you know whether there are problems with ADE transferring books to the Novel after this update? ADE shows it has loaded onto the Novel, but I get an error message when trying to open from the reader. I can’t for the life of me figure what else could be wrong, but I noticed that I don’t have the Adobe ebooks application icon now, with the update. Any suggestions would be much appreciated!


Jill January 29, 2011 um 10:51 am

Hi there,
I was thinking of updating the firmware on myblack canadian pandigital novel because that is what the manufacturer reccomends. However, I have heard bad things about the update. Once you update the firmware pre-installed apps like the bookstore, adobe applicationa dn es explorer had disappeared. Now I am hesitant. What does the firmware update do exactly, and is it needed?

Nate the great January 29, 2011 um 11:56 am

It would basically give you what you already have: an Android tablet. The only difference is that it would then be tied to B&N, not Kobo. Also, it would wipe your apps.

Patricia May 7, 2011 um 12:53 pm

There’s a Kobo app on android market. Can’t you just download that and not use B&N?


Ailyena January 29, 2011 um 6:48 pm

Hi 100% new to figuring out my Pandigital Novel (Canadian version) Should I do the new up date? What will it do to my e-reader? I’ve just kind of figured out how it works. I don’t really want to do something that might ruin it.
Also does anyone use Overdrive from their public library to borrow books? When I open my borrowed books they do no display properly. The bottoms and right sides of the pages get cut off and I have no way of scrolling to finish the page. I’ve tried changing the font size and it does not make the page fit the screen.
Help please!

JoJo April 12, 2011 um 1:10 pm

I too have the PD Canadian version I am using FB Reader to read overdrive books as you can format to fit the page.

Make sure you download FBReaderJ and select 'FBReaderJ 1.0.5 package for old (Android 1.5) devices'.

Once you have it dowloaded format your bottom margin to 30, this will compenstate for the home icons along the bottom.

Just download your overdrive books in epub format to you desktop and drag and drop onto your SD card! And Bingo!!


Frank January 30, 2011 um 11:19 pm

Not sure if you can help me or not but when I keep updating the firmware from the update they provide on the site, I get an error in the second step saying checking firmware. Is there a way to do it through the device without having to go through a PC?

Nate the great January 31, 2011 um 6:53 am

A number of people have had this problem.

Go through the update process again. Note the update that PD downloads for you, and then go here:
http://mirror.support.pandigital.net:8080/Support/FW/Novel/

Find that file and download it yourself. Copy the file t0 your Novel, and turn it off. Hold down the up volume button and the power button for 5 seconds and release. This will start the manual update.


gord February 18, 2011 um 11:07 am

i downloaded to root , not one of the folders.
when i try to restart to update, i only see a few lines of text for a second before it starts normally.
in settings, i see my firmaware as ending with 2010-10-28.

Nate the great February 18, 2011 um 12:06 pm

The download was corrupted, maybe?

Nate the great February 18, 2011 um 12:46 pm

It might also simply not be compatible.


Amanda February 19, 2011 um 7:12 pm

I have the 7 in black pandigital and i have downloaded the update from their webiste several times and nothing has changed. What am i doing wrong?

Nate the great February 19, 2011 um 8:14 pm

What did you download, exactly? Was it a DAT file?

If you copied the DAT file over to your black Novel, tried to run the update process, and it didn’t work, then you might not have quite the right firmware. There a couple different versions that don’t want to work with each other even though they can.

If you have a file named polaris.dat, try looking for another DAT file on the Pandigital website and rename your file. If your file isn’t polaris.dat, try renaming your file to that name. Then try to update the firmware a second time.

Amanda February 19, 2011 um 8:53 pm

lol i honestly have no idea. when i went to the website i saw the link for the update and clicked it. I did also see the polaris and tried that to and it didnt work.

Amanda February 19, 2011 um 8:59 pm

the name of the one i did was called: pandigital novel. Upgrader.exe

Allie February 21, 2011 um 10:05 pm

I also downloaded what you did, Amanda. Straight from the website a few times. Everything said it went well, but then when it restarted nothing was changed.

Jason March 2, 2011 um 10:18 am

Same thing for me… downloaded and followed all the instruction, but upon bootup, nothing had changed.

Micheal Rodriguez April 11, 2011 um 11:39 pm

Same exact thing happend to me. This is so frustrating!

Mike February 21, 2011 um 11:07 pm

I also have a US version of the black 7″ Novel and tried to download the android firmware update. But it just downloads the same version of the firmware I have. Polaris_update.dat with a 11-05-2010 date. I looked at the firmware directory you mentioned, but don’t know what is the right firmware for this Novel. Do you know what is the right download for the official Android update for the US version of the black 7″ Novel? Thanks.


Caroline February 21, 2011 um 10:41 pm

The exact same thing is has happened to me. Anyone have a simple solution?


christina February 21, 2011 um 11:38 pm

tried to download from web site through pc usb today- feb 21 2011. did not work even though it stated successful download. Called pandigital techie and they state that there seem to be problems and when they are fixed I will have to download it again.
Also after the download I had to reconfigure my router for it to recognize the tablet.
yikes…they should have taken the download off the website if they knew there were issues!


Timmylc February 25, 2011 um 2:31 am

Also same deal here "used Pandigital’s exe and IT did its job,then i hit the correct buttons and it showed a update bar, went through its thing and rebooted/nothing new except i was able to use a -support- app ONCE that was there,then it disappeared. -it showed system info-"

Mike February 25, 2011 um 3:22 pm

I downloaded the polaris_update.exe from this link. Copied it to the root of my internal drive on the US black PD novel. Shut down the device. Held the + volume and power button for 5 + seconds and the Novel upgraded to the new version of the Android OS. The reader is contained in the B&N link. Suggest you read the manual that comes included in the upgrade. there are many new features and the reader has been greatly improved. No more swipes for page turns. just tap the screen on the left or right. Problem though…it doesn’t find the previously loaded epub books. so I’ll either need to reload them or figure out what the problem is. Here is the link: http://mirror.support.pandigital.net:8080/Support/FW/Novel/S64N_SLST_OP15_PD/

Jerry February 25, 2011 um 5:59 pm

Thanks Mike! Worked like a charm.


Chrys February 25, 2011 um 7:06 pm

My library does not support the black Pandigital Novel. So maybe that is why there are problems downloading from the libraries on the go site. Found that out the hard way.


Ron February 26, 2011 um 1:52 pm

Mike how did you figure out which file for you black U.S. Pandigital?
Does it have the apps included that are shown on the pandigital upgrade page?
Are you able to sideload the u-tube app?
Sorry for all the questions, but I need to know.
Your answer would be appreciated.
Ron


Ron February 26, 2011 um 2:39 pm

Hey Mike one more question is yours the QVC 4 gig or the standard 2 gig sold at everyplace else, and is the update you posted the QVC update?
Thanks again
Ron

Mike February 26, 2011 um 9:03 pm

Ron,
I have the 2 GB Black novel I bought at Ebay. I determined that link for the polaris_update was the correct one through some google searches and process of elimination of the other links on that site.

http://mirror.support.pandigital.net:8080/Support/FW/Novel/

The KOBO one must be for Canada (that comes with the Kobo ereader), and the dates on many others didn’t match up with the recent official Android update from PD. The previous one was called Polaris_update.dat so I figured the one in the link I used must be the correct one. I don’t know if this is different or the same as the QVC one. The only difference I know with the QVC one is that it had a 4GB card instead of 2GB, but there maybe something else. Maybe Pandigital has their update software installer working now, so you can skip this guesswork.

The update has the apps shown on the pandigital page, plus others on the expanded screen. I was able to download several additional apps from the SLIDE application that took me to a large android marketplace. However some apps wouldn’t install because it saw my PD Novel as a Android 1.5 OS and the app needed 1.6 or 2.1 etc. The adobe flash install would not install and said my OS was not compatible. I believe it needed Android 2.1 or 2.2. Thats the drawback to this PD Novel. The OS is pretty low-end. (I see that K-Mart has a Coby tablet with Android 2.1 on sale Sunday for $149. That might be worth looking at.) But I have to admit the ereader on this upgrade is very nice. The page turning is good, and it recognizes the book metadata so it shows the book cover for all books, including those copied over from the libray through Adobe digital editions or copied over through Calibre.

If you know how to get flash video to play on this PD novel I would appreciate it.

Mike

Mike February 26, 2011 um 9:07 pm

Correction. I didn’t buy this black PD Novel at ebay. I got it at Best Buy.


Ron February 27, 2011 um 1:29 pm

I believe the only video that the black will do is you-tube 1.3. Or so I’ve read on the forums.
Ron


Ron February 27, 2011 um 3:45 pm

Mike I took a look at the Pandigital firmware site and you are obviously correct that has to be the new firmware.
What I would like to know though is how you were able to determine that was the upgrade was for the black as opposed to the white Pandigital.
Black 1.5-White 2.-Android.
Since you put it on your black and it worked you obviously picked correctly.
Ron

Mike February 27, 2011 um 6:28 pm

I guessed. I did a previous update to a 11-05-2010 version and the file the update software downloaded was called polaris_update.dat. The file in the folder I linked to was also called polaris_update.dat. I assumed (hoped) it was the right one. An earlier white pandigital update may have used a differently named dat file or a zip file. I don’t know.

FYI…if you download the dat file and use winrar or winzip to open the file on your pc you will see the individual files contained inside. One of the files will be named the firmware version. If you are looking for a previous version of the firmware, that is one way to find it. It appears PD places earlier version of the firmware in archive folders. Download some of the other firmware update dat or zip files and look inside to see if you can find what you’re looking for.

All this may be moot if Pandigital has their update software working again.

I am by no means an expert on this. I can only speak to what worked for me. Good luck.


Sue February 27, 2011 um 5:10 pm

I purchased the PD White in late Dec. Got frustrated since I wanted to download apps. In Late Jan I downloaded the Open Android platforn from the PD website. It does work but not really well. Now I see a better Upgrade on their website but It doesn’t recognize the Open Android system and I can’t download the new upgrade from the PD website. Any suggestions how I can recover the original system so I can UPgrade the system?

Mike February 27, 2011 um 6:31 pm

Sue, Please see my response above to Ron. By downloading and opening on your PC some dat or zip files you may be able to find the firmware version you are looking for. To update the black model, the dat file was downloaded to the pc, copied to the root of the PD_novel flash drive and the novel rebooted with the Vol+ and power keys. Possibly the white Novel is the same.


Kyle February 27, 2011 um 7:21 pm

So, I have the Pandigital Novel, Black, and I have a Mac as well. I downloaded the polaris_update.dat and I can’t put it on my Novel when I plug it in. Am I doing something wrong here, or do I just have really bad luck.


Kyle February 27, 2011 um 7:22 pm

It says that there isn’t enough space.

Mike February 27, 2011 um 8:43 pm

The black novel only starts with 2GB of space. This polaris_update is about 53MB. So depending on what you already have on your novel there may not be enough space. If you have videos, or pictures, or many e-books loaded, you may need to temporarily move some of them to your mac. Try to give yourself at least enough space for the polaris_update.dat file and an additional 50MB for any temp files during the actual update. The more space you allow the better. After the update you can move your vids, pics, or books back to the Novel. I’d remove any additional SD card as well, if you have one. I’ve had trouble on reboots when the SD card is in the external slot.


mike March 1, 2011 um 5:50 pm

I have the 7 inch black. my trouble began when I dowloaded the canadian vesion. I want to go back but the PD site is not working now and today they said at least another week or two. I tried to put the polaris.dat in the root but nothing happens……any ideas?

Mike


Ron March 2, 2011 um 2:57 am

How about renaming the Polaris dat to the Canadian file name only with a later date to make the Pandigital think it is just a newer update.
Ron


Jeannie March 4, 2011 um 6:56 pm

After completing all steps my pandigital novel black 7″ still looks and acts like it did prior to the update. I don’t know why it is not looking like the new tablet page shown and there is none of the features that the update boasts. What do I need to do?

Mike March 4, 2011 um 11:44 pm

Jeannie,
Mine did the same thing when using the pandigital website’s update program. it just downloaded the same version of the old firmware, and reinstalled it with no change. But after I downloaded the polaris_update.exe file from the mirror link (see an earlier post of mine) and copied it to my novel through the USB connection and updated to that version, then I got the Android OS that you see the pictures of. I have been running it for the past week and it has worked perfectly. Much better than the old firmware and there are many apps that can be installed – if you’re into that sort of thing. Please see an earlier post of mine (Feb 25, 2011 at 3:22 pm) for the mirror site to the polaris_update.dat file you can download. THIS IS FOR THE US VERSION ONLY. I don’t know the exact download for the Candian version. Hope that helps.

Walter April 5, 2011 um 9:26 pm

Two days fighting to upgrade my black Pandigital till I came to this Forum and learned about the suggestion to choose a different option to the one that the upgrading program chooses, get the option polaris_update instead of the long name, as I did and finally the Pandigital was transformed all for the better, thank you guys.


Ron March 5, 2011 um 4:13 pm

Mike, Jeannie
The updater on the pandigital site is up and running.
It will give you two options one for the op64 long filename and the other for polaris-update.dat.
I chose the OP file and updated to exactly what I had.
I then went back and chose the Polaris file and it updated to the OP new file.
Ron


Ron March 6, 2011 um 5:04 pm

Mike or anyone. How do you remove an app apk. once it is installed.
Is their an uninstaller apk that will work with Android 1.5?
Help appreciated.
Ron

zack March 17, 2011 um 4:31 pm

Ron, click the ES File Explorer icon and when it opens up click the wrench icon on the right hand side of the lower tool bar (to the right of the Home icon). when you click that a pop up menu will appear and on that menu click the Manager icon. the Manager window will show up, choose App Manager. after you do that, the Manager will show you all the apps installed on your novel… select the one you want to uninstall by putting your finger on it and holding it there until a selection menu pops up… one of the available options is 'uninstall’…

Mike March 17, 2011 um 10:27 pm

This will also work: from the wallpaper front screen click the wrench, settings, Applications, Manage Applications, and from the list of apps, select the app and select uninstall.


Ralph March 9, 2011 um 11:52 am

When I try the update and get to the second step I get a long error dialog saying that I am getting a Proxy Authorization error. The update process fails to go any further.


candace April 3, 2011 um 10:09 pm

took for ever to get it to update hope i did it right finally had to turn it off after it reset its self and then hold buttons down but i had loaded both on the system first then deleted them and retried it with i believe the right one

candace April 3, 2011 um 10:10 pm

the black 2 gig from kmart i put polaris due to mikes try lol

candace April 3, 2011 um 10:14 pm

yes mine worked an i got it from the pandigital site so it seems to be working there again at least for me


Jackie April 7, 2011 um 1:03 pm

Hi, new pandigital novel 7″ user here and I have updated the firmware like it suggested on a note included in the box, however, I do not see the new SlideMe option at all nor the Office Suite.

What am I doing wrong? Or is it just that mine is not compatible for those options?

Getting frustrated!

Nate the great April 7, 2011 um 3:51 pm

There are actually a bunch of different firmwares for the black Novel, and you might have one that has a different upgrade path.

Also, you might not have the "black" Novel. Does your Novel have 2 speakers on the bottom edge? That is actually the "white" Novel, only with a black shell.

It’s frustrating, i know, but that’s Pandigital for you.


Jon April 7, 2011 um 7:33 pm

Just got off the phone with Pandigital. So far it hasn’t worked but might be a solution for some. I was told to go through explorer on the PC, and navigate to the PD_Novel volume. Delete everything except the folder that says digital-adobe. There is a problem with the installer that it skips the part about selecting the correct upgrade, and picks up the old one. You are supposed to get a choice, and that is where you would select the Polaris_update.dat file. I’ve tried it now, and it didn’t fix the issue. Still defaults back to the 11-23-10 version. Note that if you delete everything including those folders you delete everything that you may have put on the novel. Pictures, videos, music, etc. Books can be redownloaded if you have saved them through B&N, etc.


Jerry April 8, 2011 um 1:17 am

My black novel 7.0 was updated the version 03-01-11 after three times trial according to PAN. And I installed some apk of android, now it even support Chinese and Italian and other languages. But the the OS is still android 1.5. It’s too old to install any new apk and the speed is so slow. Is there any way to update the OS version ?I have just asked for this the PAN.


aquillah t. April 11, 2011 um 6:11 pm

hello, my pandigital ereader (same as yours), is still on the original settings. i cannot get it to update. it downloads the =n does NOTHING.! i need help please.


Micheal Rodriguez April 11, 2011 um 11:35 pm

Hi, I’ve been trying to update my pandigital novel black 7 inch version and nothing happens. I downloaded the long file.dat and pressed the power and + button for 5 seconds. A screen came up with words and after abouth 5 seconds, it booted up to the orginal and normal screen. I retried the update using the pandigital novel upgrader prorgram about 4 times already and nothing happens. Do I have the wrong file/or is it in the wrong file?root? Also, should i try usin gt he polaris.dat update instead? thanks


JoJo April 12, 2011 um 12:23 pm

Hi

I have the s64N_SLST_KOBO_P1_2010_10_28 firmware version on my Canadian Black Pandigital 7″ (which I am slowly beginning to love after reading on and itouch).

Is there a new version? Pandigtal website does not put dates on its updates which is so annoying, they have a version 6.0.0.0 available, what is that!

Thanks Jo

PS this website/blog is very helpful!!


Dan April 19, 2011 um 4:12 pm

Thanks all for the comments. Let me add my nickle since you all were so helpful. I have the black QVC Pandigital (not sure if it’s 4 gigs like some one mentioned). Went to the PanD home page and clicked on how to update; found my SN and model # remotely. Downloaded the 'highlighted' update (S64N_SLST, etc) and tried the upgrade..nothing. Did that a couple of times, nothing. Then read Mike’s comments and tried highlighting and downloading the 'polaris' file, followed the directions and after a loooong upgrade progress bar and reboot, it worked!! So if that’s any help..hope so. If you can do it, the Pan is a different machine..still not very speedy, but certainly quicker and now a real ereader. Now does anyone have recc’s for a screen protector and a case…:)

Smash November 21, 2011 um 8:19 am

Check Amazon.com, they have cases listed for the PD Novel 7″, but I think you have to get a universal screen prot. 🙂


Zakath April 23, 2011 um 5:22 pm

Mike,

Thanks for the insightful posts. After 6 tries, I finally got things loaded. What the PD instructions DON’T tell you is that you need to power down the tablet BEFORE using the "sound + and power" to force a reboot. Loading the Polaris dat file to the rood directory and following that path seems to work. The new OS is speedier than its predecessor and more intuitive for Windows users.


Zakath April 23, 2011 um 5:23 pm

No pun intended on Easter weekend, but it was supposed to be "root directory", not "rood".

;>O


lindalaprincesa April 23, 2011 um 10:51 pm

I too have been trying to update the firmware on my black novel, I have read all of your comments and tried to redo the update process several times, but every time I restart the novel it reboots with the old version. I have no idea what I am doing wrong! But this is really getting frustrating! I love my novel, but would really love to have the new android tablet like firmware too!


AUDREY LUKENS April 25, 2011 um 10:24 am

My digital reader suddenly lost all info and books I had purchesed with Barnes & nobel. I cannot connect with Wi-Fi even though it is fully charged. Can you please help me restore all of my downloaded info. My reader was puchased as a gift this past Christmas. I am most unhappy with it at this point. Please help me. I also have an extended one year warranty. Thank you.


mistyhollow April 29, 2011 um 10:53 am

I am trying to upgrade to the android firmware on my black 7″ novel. It says that it may take several minutes but I am only at .5% after over 30 minutes….how long does this really take


Riley May 4, 2011 um 3:37 pm

i would like to put the firmware update on my 7″ black reader but i go to the site and try to download it but a message popped up saying i needed to download something on my computer. so i downloaded that but now everytime i try to download it a message pops up saying there is an error. i realy just want to be able to watch youtube vidoes on it. please help!!


pcincognito May 10, 2011 um 9:07 pm

Totally confusing as to whether there is a firmware update for Canada. Complained to Pandigital via email, and got reply saying that the update on the website was not for the Canadian model. Except I got if from a page announcing explicitly the firmware upgrade for Canada. HELP


Amber May 12, 2011 um 1:58 pm

In order to update my PD Black reader I had to go to the page where it asks you to confirm your model and in the drop down menu for updates available click on the pantech update instead of the one with all the crazy numbers and letters. It worked right away then…hope it helps because I couldnt find anything online to help me so i called customer service

pcincognito May 23, 2011 um 8:59 am

This might help, but I can’t find it. Would you be able to include a link. Or a screen capture.


tim dunn May 19, 2011 um 12:45 am

This mirrors my experiences: the 'official' update didn’t load, but getting the Polaris.dat, powering off the tablet, then holding down 'Power' and 'Volume +' did bring up the updating screen.

However, it now doesn’t show up under windows, so Adoble Digital Editions (ADE) doesn’t see it, so I can’t download my DRMed ePub books to it.

Help?


Leslie Gries June 20, 2011 um 10:01 am

I still can’t upgrade my black 7′ novel. It looks like the upgrade when I go to the Pandigital site I follow all the instructions, and I take out my SD card. At first the download kept freezing, but a week later it appeared that the upgrade did transfer to my novel, but there’s still no difference. I didn’t lose anything, but I didn’t gain anything either. Any suggestions?


jenn June 26, 2011 um 2:52 pm

have had the black US model since before christmas..i used the polaris update soon after i got it..i prefer it over the out-of-box firmware but still not happy with it..ofcourse better tablets keep coming out..i barely even use it now 🙁


Christina August 7, 2011 um 10:13 pm

Helpppppp,
I am trying to get the download for the pandigital "7" ereader black model and nothing I do is working. It says it downloaded. But nothing is different even when I reboot it. Whats wrong? Please help.


Eric August 30, 2011 um 3:16 pm

Arrrgghh! I have a 7″ PD Novel. It came with the Kobo app pre-installed, so I created an account with Kobo and purchased several ebooks. I later installed the firmware update and now I have the B&N app instead, but I can’t import the books I purchased from Kobo. Is there a way do this, or alternatively is there a way to install the Kobo app again?

Nate Hoffelder August 30, 2011 um 3:20 pm

Which Novel do you have, exactly? There’s a bunch and 1 in particular is difficult to upgrade.

Eric August 30, 2011 um 4:02 pm

I have the R70E200

Nate Hoffelder August 31, 2011 um 10:59 pm

This slipped my mind, sorry!

Y]I think you have the one that is difficult to upgrade. It’s based on an older version of Android and very few apps run on it. Your best bet would be to go to SlateDroid and ask for help. I’m not familiar with firmwares for this tablet.


Brynn September 1, 2011 um 1:19 am

Yay! I’ve been combing websites the last 2 days trying to figure out how to update the firmware on the cheap Black Pandigital Novel 7″ I bought from eBay for my son’s bday. This was the most helpful site and I wanted to thank everyone for their contributions before I try to explain how I got it to work for me.

After reading all the comments and thinking I did that (or something like it) I went back to Pandigital’s website to attempt to use the PC Updater Application. Again. Someone made a comment about .Net 3.5 Run Time was a requirement and, sure enough, it said it right there in the small print under the cute droid holding the PDN on the "Downloads — Pandigital Novel eReaders (U.S.)" page.

After updating that I started the application and finally noticed the choice of files that others have commented on. It’s on the part of the process that shows you your model number. There’s a drop-down menu and I chose Polaris.dat file instead of the default long-numbered file and continued until the end.

The instructions say to safely remove the PDN from the computer and reboot but once it was removed, the PDN said it was rebooting in 5 secs by itself. So I had to wait until it rebooted, turn it off, then turn it back on via the volume + and power button. I held my breath but it didn’t just flash those few lines and continue on this time! It stayed on that screen and you can see it working for about 3 minutes. Then it took about 5 minutes of loading on the blue Pandigital screen while booting up.

I hope this helps somebody because I was really frustrated by this point. Now to resist trying to root/hack/mod/something for 2 weeks until his birthday! LOL


Chris September 1, 2011 um 11:46 am

Im having a devil of a time with my 7″ pandigital. Ive upgraded it to android (that in itself was Herculean task…) but now many of the apps arnt compatible. "This app cant be installed on your phone" is the message i get alot.
Not impressed with the "Android update".
But overall I really enjoy my ereader.

Brynn September 1, 2011 um 3:14 pm

Playing with the PDN today, I can’t say I’m too impressed with the SlideME Marketplace or the apps compatible with the Android 1.5, either. I have a rooted Nook Color so had very low expectations for the BPDN but, overall, have been suprisingly impressed with it as an ereader and basic tablet. They are very inexpensive on eBay so I might grab another to play around with hacks since I don’t want to risk bricking my sons. haha

Smash November 21, 2011 um 8:27 am

We just bought a PD Novel 7″ black from BigLots for $67 🙂 and as an ereader and basic tablet, it’s fun. I, of course, went straight to SlideMe and when I found nothing I was looking for (Angry Birds), I tried to install from freewarelovers site. All I get from apk’s there is “This app cant be installed on your phone”. After reading this site, I am guessing the limitation is the Android 1.5 kernal. Comments?

Nate Hoffelder November 21, 2011 um 8:37 am

Yep. The black Novel is running an older version of Android and hardly anyone supports it.

Smash November 21, 2011 um 9:42 am

Is there an easy way to discover which apps support Android 1.5 other than waiting for a download and attempted install?
Are all these failed installs piling up in memory somewhere?
Thanks for this site. Very informative and super helpful.

Nate Hoffelder November 21, 2011 um 9:54 am

The Amazon Appstore tracks this piece of data, and so do many other app stores. But no one actually lets you search based on compatibility.

The best I can do is suggest a Google search. This should show you the apps in the Amazon Appstore that will run on v1.5. Of course, you’ll still need to get the apps elsewhere; Amazon own app requires v1.6.

https://www.google.com/search?hl=en&safe=off&client=firefox-a&hs=7GW&rls=org.mozilla%3Aen-US%3Aofficial&q=%22Minimum+Operating+System%3A+Android+1.6%22+site%3AAmazon.com&oq=%22Minimum+Operating+System%3A+Android+1.6%22+site%3AAmazon.com&aq=f&aqi=&aql=&gs_sm=e&gs_upl=9038l9038l0l9468l1l1l0l0l0l0l390l390l3-1l1l0

Smash November 21, 2011 um 1:43 pm

Nate, there was no reply link on your last so I wrote here. Thanks for the Google search parameters. I never think to go that in depth on a Google search. I mostly use a scattershot to find stuff. Anyways, I discovered that the two apps I wanted to load, Angry Birds requires Android 1.6 or better also, are not compatable so I’m gonna leave this tab to the wife and kids.

Nate Hoffelder November 21, 2011 um 1:54 pm

The comments only go so many layers deep (5, I think).


Andy September 4, 2011 um 4:00 pm

Hello,

I just updated the firmware on this reader and it somehow put the barnes and noble app and now I can’t get the Kobo app. Is there a way how?

Nate Hoffelder September 4, 2011 um 5:30 pm

Is it the black one with the 2 speakers on the bottom? If so, then you have the easy to fix one. Got the Kobo app from Freeware Lovers:
http://www.freewarelovers.com/android/app/kobo

But if you have the other black Novel then you have a problem.

Do you know how to do a manual update? If so, download the DAT file from the following page and update your Novel again.
http://mirror.support.pandigital.net:8080/Support/FW/Novel/S64N_SLST_KOBO_PD/

Here is how to update your Novel:
1, download the file and copy it to the SD card.
2. Insert the card into your Novel.
3. Turn off your Novel.
4. Press and hold the volume + and power button to turn your Novel back on. This will tell it to look for an update.

P.S. The above should work, but if it doesn’t please let me know.


Erik Stewart October 2, 2011 um 8:42 pm

I have a U.S. Version Pandigital Black novel with Barnes & Noble on it. I wanted to convert it to the Canadian version with Kobo but everything i have tried doesn’t work. I downloaded the .DAT file you listed above onto an SD card and followed the instructions to update the Novel, but when i press the power and volume + buttons the Novel goes into update mode but only does it for a split second and then stops and boots normally, and the Barnes and Noble Icon is still on the main screen.
Any help with this issue would be greatly appreciated

Kerrie November 5, 2011 um 1:51 pm

You need to rename the *.dat file to a recognized name, and try again. Look at the pandigital hacking page at slatedroid for more information. that’s how I finally got mine to work.

scroll down to the information on unofficial altered firmware


Cary October 11, 2011 um 3:47 pm

I need some sort of link in order to reset my pandigital.. I do not have the code for the unlock. Is there a link or a website to fix my problem? I get a pop up window that says: Sorry! The application Android keyboard (process com.android.inputmethod.latin) has stopped unexpectately. Please try again. Force close.


Sheri October 24, 2011 um 1:42 pm

has anyone ever been able to succesfully add Adobe' Flash player to a Pandigital Multimedia Android Tablet. I want to be able to view Youtube and play Faarmville on it.

Thanks

deanna November 5, 2011 um 11:12 pm

I am wondering the same thing. I finally got the upgrade to work. I thought it would help with playing zynga games like scrabble, cafe world, etc…..anyone out there know how to make them work????


Wayne Dyment December 5, 2011 um 12:09 am

I just bought a 4G Pandigital Novel and the home page is similar to the one you show above. Do you have any idea how to set a proxy server for wi-fi access on this. On intrnet explorer, I enter the wi-fi password. Then under connections, LAN settings, I enter the proxy address and a port. I’ve entered the wi-fi password, but cannot figure out where to enter the proxy address and the port. Thanks for an informative web site.

Nate Hoffelder December 5, 2011 um 6:50 am

I’ve never had to do that, no.


DW December 6, 2011 um 1:51 pm

I purchased a new 7″ black ' Kmart Special' Pandigital Novel. When I went to update firmware It would not load. You had the answer here. I used the update utility I downloaded from Pandigital. However, when Instructed to select the correct file to load I also selected polaris_update.exe. Everything went great, and now I have a fully functioning cheap Android Tablet that I can use for more than reading books… Thanks guys for helping me out.


Charlotte December 11, 2011 um 1:19 am

I am new at all of this, i just purchased the pd 7″ tablet and i cant seem to surf the web or do anything with it. what am i doing wrong? do i need some sort of internet service for it? I shouldnt, right? It has wifi built in!!!! What am i doing wrong?

Nate Hoffelder December 11, 2011 um 8:06 pm

The Wifi on the tablet needs to connect with your Wifi network, and that needs to connect with the internet service that you pay a monthly fee for.

I’m guessing you don’t have them, right?

James January 3, 2012 um 1:57 pm

There is a little slider button on top of your tablet (check manual). Push it to your right with the tablet facing you or push it toward the SD slot. Now, in your Wifi setup you should see your own network (if you have one setup at home with your home computer). If not, you have to be in an area where there is internet WiFi present. You will know this if you see some names in the wifi setup. But unless you know their password or public (library, hotel, cafe) password,you are out of luck….


Amy December 29, 2011 um 10:04 am

I just got a Pandigital novel 7″ for Christmas. I have been trying SINCE Christmas to update the stupid firmware. I go through step one easily (you just plug in your novel to the computer. Then when moving onto step 2 is pops up a file that says "exception" with a bunch of crap I dont even understand. I will be extremely grateful to the person who can help me.


Guillermo January 1, 2012 um 1:08 am

Why doesn’t enyone reply to how to make this tablet watch videos and play good games… thnx


sirabc January 20, 2012 um 1:25 pm

I’ve updated my Novel to the latest firmware. When launching SlideMe, it sometimes ask me to upgrade it. For me, the upgrade will not install the apps I wanted. Downgrading it fixes this problem. To downgrade, go to settings, applications, manage applications. Scroll down to SlideMe and uninstall updates.


[email protected] July 2, 2013 um 10:36 pm

How to unlock the tablet pass word


jake February 23, 2015 um 12:31 am

hi


Jacob Toler June 10, 2018 um 6:05 pm

Please email the MacOS high sierra 10.3.5 driver.


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