The PepperPad — worth a second look?

At $500, the new PepperPad will be comparable in price to a Nokia 770 ($359) with a Bluetooth keyboard ($50-$100) and added flash memory ($15-40). The screen will be bigger (same 800 x 480 resolution) and it will weigh 35 ounces to the 770’s 8 ounces (6 with cover off), which may make it suitable for my wife’s around-the-house emailing/surfing needs, if not my walkaround requirements. But she’s terminally unhappy with the 770’s small screen.

A month-of-May sale has brought the current PepperPad down to $650, and the screen is even larger, with 800 x 600 resolution.

Is that enough to take a second look at the PepperPad? Well, it’s iffy for me. But there’s more.

Brought to Pepper’s website by curiosity for details on the new model, I learned that Firefox 1.5.0.1 is the default browser, which gives the device a leg up on the 770, which runs a limited Opera for Devices. Firefox is definitely my browser of choice, in part because of the proliferation of useful extensions and in part because of its stability, MathML and SVG rendering, and security*.

What’s more, I learned that you can now install Remote Desktop on the PepperPad and use it as a remote client on another computer on your network running Windows XP. (The 770 can also serve as a remote client, but its smaller screen size limits the utility somewhat.) Remote Desktop means you have access to all your apps, including Microsoft Reader and any other Windows-only app you prefer over the Linux alternatives. (In my case that would be TextPad, Stylus Studio, Acrobat Pro and Macromedia Flash MX — hm-m, maybe I should say “already purchased” Windows app as influencing your preference).

I imagine that FBReader will run on the PepperPad, but I haven’t heard of anyone trying it yet. If Pepper will send me a test device, I’ll try it out. The combination of FBReader and MobiPocket and an 8-inch screen may make the PepperPad a superior e-reader (especially given my requirement that an e-reader do more than just display black-and-white text). And at a price-performance ratio that’s truly competitive.

Six months ago, I didn’t envision Pepper coming out with a new, more compact model and bringing the price down as far as they have. And six months ago, I didn’t envision a PepperPad as warranting a second look. But I’ve changed my mind about that. I’ve even written Pepper and requested an review device. For my “second” look, I’d like to see it first-hand to learn whether it lives up to the expectations it’s begun to arouse.

Added later: It appears that both the CPU and the version of Linux will be different in the new model, both of which would incline me to prefer it, even with the original, larger PepperPad available at proportional pricing.

[Time stamp changed – D.R.]

* There’s another, very particular reason I prefer Firefox over Opera &#8212 it allows you to save changes to a TiddlyWiki file, and Opera doesn’t. TiddlyWiki (and its variants like MonkeyPirateTW, MonkeyGTD and d3) is ideal for a carryaround — a local “micro-content” wiki. Find out more at tiddlywiki.com and groups.google.com/group/TiddlyWiki.

Sources: David’s blog cited a post by Bob Russell at MobileRead, which reported information from an item at MobileTechReview (from where the picture we used originated as well) posted by LisaG. Sharp eye, LisaG — and thanks!