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Old 07-02-2010, 01:29 PM   #1
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PC Mag: Entourage Edge Review

http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2365994,00.asp

Quote:
Pros
Good contrast on e-ink screen. Can take notes on the e-ink screen. Google Android 1.6 OS offers color Web browsing, voice recording, and plenty of other useful apps.
Cons
Ungainly design. Very heavy. Huge AC adapter. Plastic construction feels flimsy. Color touch screen is too dim, lacks contrast, and has narrow viewing angles. Slow boot-up. No 3G option for buying e-books over the air.
Bottom Line
With two screens, one e-ink and one color, on paper, the Entourage Edge sounds like a fantastic idea. But a high price, hefty weight, and overall cumbersome design spell doom for this hybrid device.
Wonder if they'll upgrade the eInk screen to the new Pearl display, like the new DX.
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Old 07-02-2010, 10:21 PM   #2
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Quote:
Cons
Ungainly design. Very heavy. Huge AC adapter. Plastic construction feels flimsy. Color touch screen is too dim, lacks contrast, and has narrow viewing angles. Slow boot-up. No 3G option for buying e-books over the air.

Very heavy: 3 lb for 2 screens... are you kidding?

Huge AC adapter: Hello! This is a dual-screen tablet not a smart-phone. And to call it "huge" is ludicrous. It looks like those AC adapters you get for portable hard drives.

Color touch screen is too dim: Two words- Brightness slider

lacks contrast: No comment

Narrow viewing angles: Not true sir, unless you want to lay down besides it and try to view the screen. Hey I am not judging

Slow boot-up: This is true.

No 3G option: May be but it has 2 USB ports and a 3G dongle is not out of question

I think the reviewer is saying; "Hey this is not made by Apple so it is doomed to fail".
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Old 07-02-2010, 11:35 PM   #3
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Quote:
Originally Posted by pat.indie View Post

I think the reviewer is saying; "Hey this is not made by Apple so it is doomed to fail".
Really? Lendino has reviewed the Kobo eReader favorably, the Alex rather favorably, and the Android DoubleTwist Player very favorably. He also seems to like the Kindle and Nook current pricing.

And his review seems in line with what others have been saying.

(Don't know the guy, and don't even necessarily agree with his reviews. But to dismiss him as being blinded by Apple seems a bit odd)

Last edited by kjk; 07-02-2010 at 11:38 PM.
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Old 07-02-2010, 11:45 PM   #4
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Quote:
Originally Posted by kjk View Post
Really? Lendino has reviewed the Kobo eReader favorably, the Alex rather favorably, and the Android DoubleTwist Player very favorably. He also seems to like the Kindle and Nook current pricing.

And his review seems in line with what others have been saying.

(Don't know the guy, and don't even necessarily agree with his reviews. But to dismiss him as being blinded by Apple seems a bit odd)
I am not dismissing him as being blinded by Apple. I answered his critique point-by-point. I think his review is unreasonable and I am trying to figure out why he is writing such a review. One explanation can be that he is blinded by Apple.
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Old 07-02-2010, 11:55 PM   #5
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Originally Posted by pat.indie View Post
I am not dismissing him as being blinded by Apple. I answered his critique point-by-point. I think his review is unreasonable and I am trying to figure out why he is writing such a review. One explanation can be that he is blinded by Apple.
Well, it was positive than the Wired or Engadget reviews.
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Old 07-03-2010, 12:20 AM   #6
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I think my comment above invoking Apple merits further explanation.

Firstly, when I involved Apple in my comment, I was not in any way criticizing Apple. I was criticizing the writer. I love Apple products and they deserve all the praise they get.

What I have trouble with is the fact that Apple has become the unfair yardstick that everything else gets measured with. Most of the time the comparison is fair. A lot of times, it is not. Let me elaborate.

1. The comment that eDGe is heavy. Compared to what? Of course the ipad. It is immaterial that there are two screens. Also is immaterial the fact that ipad is a media consumption device where eDGe is an educational / academic device. It is not being sold to (solely) look at the website and listen to music (although it can do all that). The main purpose it to be able to read educational material on an e-ink screen (which has the most advanced annotating capabilities and is actually a Wacom surface).

2. The comment that it has a huge power adapter. Again huge is a relative term. Huge compared to what? As I have pointed out, it is similar to external HD drive or netbook power adapters. Are those really huge?

3. The comment on brightness is just plain incomprehensible. Of course, the LCD is a resistive touch screen and not capacitive. So it is not as bright as ipad's although in all honesty, you can crank up the brightness as much as you want. One can also say that it does not have the irritating glare that the ipad has (disclaimer:I do not own an ipad, but have used one)

Anyways. Enough said. Let me say that I own an eDGe and I am happy with it.
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Old 07-04-2010, 01:59 PM   #7
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Umm, the Edge is heavy compared to what a human can comfortably hold in one hand for extended periods of time. The ipad just happens to be a well-known device that fits that criteria. Maybe you've got bulging muscles in your hands which can crush coal into diamonds, but most normal-sized humans WILL notice the weight - the fact that most other reviews indicate 3lb is on the high side indicate that this reviewer is properly calibrated.
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Old 07-04-2010, 08:34 PM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by fishface View Post
Umm, the Edge is heavy compared to what a human can comfortably hold in one hand for extended periods of time. The ipad just happens to be a well-known device that fits that criteria. Maybe you've got bulging muscles in your hands which can crush coal into diamonds, but most normal-sized humans WILL notice the weight - the fact that most other reviews indicate 3lb is on the high side indicate that this reviewer is properly calibrated.
Heard of a desk my friend? It's a common invention from what I hear. The eDGe is designed to be used in a classroom. Also, unlike ipad, which needs to be propped by with some kind of a stand, the eDGe can be positioned in any way you want, without a stand.

Talking of bulging muscles which can crush coals, too bad you don't have them. I suggest you hit the gym or get yourself a job at one of those coal mines. At a little under 2lb with case/cover on, ipad cannot be held for too long with one hand either.

Last edited by pat.indie; 07-04-2010 at 08:37 PM.
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Old 07-04-2010, 10:10 PM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by pat.indie View Post
I am not dismissing him as being blinded by Apple. I answered his critique point-by-point. I think his review is unreasonable and I am trying to figure out why he is writing such a review. One explanation can be that he is blinded by Apple.
I think he wrote the review the way he did because he didn't really understand the Edge. Did you notice that he didn't mention using it?
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Old 07-05-2010, 04:06 AM   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Nate the great View Post
I think he wrote the review the way he did because he didn't really understand the Edge. Did you notice that he didn't mention using it?
It's similar to a review of the U.S. Army's field laptop that compares it to a MacBook Pro. It's way too heavy, ugly as sin, has a clunky interface and outdated software. Thumbs down, a total loser! Neglecting, of course, that its purpose and intended end user are different from the MacBook's.

So it is with the eDGe. Its intended purpose is a replacement for textbook, notebook, and to some extent laptop. The intended end user is a student in higher education. For that reason enTourage have a web store with nearly 14,000 e-Textbooks so far and counting.

A student can open up her eDGe in class with the textbook PDF on the e-ink side. Record the lecture with the built-in microphone and then attach the audio file to that chapter. Later during research she can attach typed and/or handwritten journal notes, more audio, videos, and web links to that chapter for reference. Reviewing for exam she can go back and activate those links in the text to hear or view the research material.

That's just one scenario. Owners have found other ways to use it. (Me, I've found it excellent for learning a foreign language.) It definitely is not an iPad competitor even though many functions overlap. If you don't need or desire the extra capabilities possible with the eDGe by all means buy the iPad instead.

I like my iPad. I like my eDGe. For different reasons.

- Ted
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Old 07-05-2010, 05:25 PM   #11
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To take the Apple comments straight on.

Quote:
Originally Posted by pat.indie View Post
Very heavy: 3 lb for 2 screens... are you kidding?
So the same weight as *2* iPads?

Quote:
Huge AC adapter: Hello! This is a dual-screen tablet not a smart-phone. And to call it "huge" is ludicrous. It looks like those AC adapters you get for portable hard drives.
Compared to the tiny tiny power adapter for the iPad, it does seem huge.

Quote:
Color touch screen is too dim: Two words- Brightness slider
It seems obvious that he thinks it is too dim even with the brightness turned up.

Quote:
No 3G option: May be but it has 2 USB ports and a 3G dongle is not out of question
Does it support 3G dongles?

Quote:
I think the reviewer is saying; "Hey this is not made by Apple so it is doomed to fail".
I think people get really really touchy when someone else doesn't like their toy.
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Old 07-05-2010, 06:27 PM   #12
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.............I think people get really really touchy when someone else doesn't like their toy.
I think some people get very very touchy when you talk about Apple products in any other tone than of utmost reverence (of course it is a magical device at an unbelievable price )

'nough said.

Last edited by pat.indie; 07-05-2010 at 06:40 PM.
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Old 07-05-2010, 06:53 PM   #13
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Quote:
Originally Posted by pat.indie View Post
I think some people get very very touchy when you talk about Apple products in any other tone than of utmost reverence (of course it is a magical device at an unbelievable price )

'nough said.
You don't think your response could fairly be described as touchy? Especially as this isn't the first review to be less than gushing about the Edge?
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Old 07-05-2010, 07:02 PM   #14
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I think Pat's (and Dellaster's) point is that the Edge needs to be used in a particular way, just like you can't get into a forklift and expect to drive it around like a car. Hence the review was unfairly negative because the reviewer never took the time to learn the device, or used intuition from other devices that did not apply to this one.
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Old 07-05-2010, 10:01 PM   #15
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just like you can't get into a forklift and expect to drive it around like a car...
Or fire up your ipad and expect it to suddenly display pages in e-Ink..
Wait..may be there is an app for that?
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