Originally Posted by alefor

Yes, I own both an eDGe and an iPad. I will try to compare, but in some ways it is like comparing "apples and oranges".

The iPad is a superb device for consuming media. There is plenty of content available like movies, TV shows, music videos as well as magazines, newspapers, all Kindle offerings as well as PDF files. Reading a magazine on an iPad is just like reading a print magazine only better. The color is fabulous. (for comparison, reading magazines on a Kindle is awful, the kindle is great for novels and reading a book straight thru but thats it). The iPad is slightly heavy (at about 1.5lbs) for curling up in bed with (the Kindle is perfect for that because it's light). The apps available for the iPad are legendary and terrific. Doing email and browsing is fantastic.

The eDGE is a somewhat different device. I see the eDGe best for creating material. I use the Journal alot to hand-write pages which I then incorporate (on my PC) into PDF files, copy back to the eDGe and study from. Having 2 screens is very flexible and works quite well. The eDGe is a good reader, but some PDFs are clearer (exact same file) on the iPad than the eDGe. The eDGe is way too heavy to curl up in bed with as a book reader. The eDGe is most useful sitting at a desk in my opinion. Looking at textbooks on the eDGe is easier for me, because the table of contents allows me to jump around to find what I need. Textbooks on the Kindle or iPad are very difficult to use for finding material because you basically have to go sequentially through the book. This is one of the major issues confronting publishing today in order to make electronic readers useful in the education market as opposed to reading a novel straight through.

One significant issue for me is the ability to read annotated PDFs. I make alot of annotations, create web links etc. The iPad software today cannot (and does not, at least to my knowledge) read these annotations, while the eDGe does. The eDGe can follow the embedded web links in a PDF without hesitation.

For some people, reading on the iPad is much harder than the eInk screen. This is a very individual matter but must be considered. For me, I have no problem reading a novel on my iPad.

I am not all that into "consuming" media and I dont use my iPad very much. I use the eDGe every day in my studying, and it's great for creating hand-written PDF files, and then reading the annotated PDFs.

Which one suits you will depend, in my opinion, on what you plan to do with it. If you want to use the rich available apps, read stuff especially magazines, watch movies, etc and an occasional PDF file, then the iPad is far superior. But using an iPad does require you to "buy into" the iTunes ecosystem at least to a small degree. Some people find this abhorrent, some don't care.

If you want to create and/or you read alot and much prefer an eInk screen, then get an eDGe.

I hope this is helpful.