Nov 22, 2010 09:08 GMT  ·  By

While some companies are releasing new tablets, others appear to be feeding the steadily rising tide of e-readers, and Pandigital just started to send out its 9-inch version of the Novel.

It appears that Pandigital has done something that other companies seldom do and began shipping one of its more highly anticipated products without even issuing a press release, not yet at least.

The device in question is a 9-inch version of the Novel e-reader, one that has become the sibling of the 6-inch and 7-inch versions listed here.

Apparently, the newcomer does not exactly bring anything new in terms of hardware or feature support, being more of a larger version of the 7-incher.

Still, the increase in reading surface should sit quite well with customers seeking an alternative to the Kindle and the Nook from Barnes and Noble.

Speaking of Barnes and Noble, the 9-inch Pandigital Novel actually has wireless access to their e-book store, in addition to various websites, thanks to the 802.11 b/g WiFi.

Hardware-wise, the company used a full-color resistive touchscreen display and 2GB of internal storage. Said amount of storage can be expanded by means of a built-in microSD slot.

Pandigital also threw in a number of extra assets, and this extends to more than just the support for audio, video and digital photo album files.

Basically, there is an integrated alarm clock and a bundled 4 GB microSD card, plus a stand and a leatherette case, among other things.

Currently, Pandigital is selling the e-reader exclusively via QVC and has given it a price tag of $213.80.

Those interested will find the listing on this page and, should they decide on ordering it, the package received will, of course, include the necessary accessories (the AC adapter, the USB data cable, plus the aforementioned cradle/stand and 4 GB memory card).