Yesterday Pandigital announced the launch of the 7-inch, $199 Novel.  Yes, the “Novel” e-reader.  I don’t know if this is clever (as in, “wow, people were just making up weird names like Kindle and Nook when they could have used something recognizable?”) or just confusing (as in, “wait, like an actual paper novel or are you talking about your new e-reader?”).

Regardless, it looks GOOD.

Unlike other e-readers (with the exception of the iPad, if you count it as such), the Novel has an LCD screen instead of using e-Ink technology.  It runs on Android (Google’s OS), reads from multiple formats, and, of course, has the requisite web browser, although unlike the Kindle, it is a full browser.  As of now, it does come with other “apps” (can I call them that?), like a handy calendar and an alarm clock.  No word yet on other possible features, but because it is run on Android, it seems like in the near future the device would have much more capacity to diversify its software, should it be open to developers, like the Android phones.

While Pandigital is new to the e-reader game, they are definitely not new to digital display.  You know them from the digital picture frames that randomly cycle through photos from a memory card (best grandparent gift ever, by the way).  So they know what they’re doing and have approached their device from a slightly different angle.  The battery life, however, doesn’t compare to the iPad or the Kindle.  It lasts only a measly 6 hours, but for the price, it might be worth plugging in more often.

And the final perk is that it will be linked to the B&N bookstore when its released next month, which includes B&N’s “LendMe” program, a program that allows e-reader owners to “lend” content to their friends on a 14-day basis.  So while this might just be another e-reader thrown into the mix, it does look like it has some potential, as an iPad-esque LCD device that is much cheaper than the Kindle that allows content sharing and at least has the software for expansion into apps.