06-01-2011, 09:09 AM | #1 |
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Edge Alternatives
I hope it's OK to post a single thread where we can chat about devices we might be considering as next replacements or complements to our edges.
On the old board, we'd mentioned the Asus Eee Note as a cheaper, less-functional pdf/annotation option. There is a tiny but active development community working on this device at TabletPCReview and it looks like they have worked out the basics of an "export to pdf" function (which the Eee Note doesn't have natively, although it does have Evernote compatibility and an export to gif option). This is a really exciting development. Today is the day that the Eee Note was projected to be available in the US (right now, only Taiwan and Italy, I believe) so this thing *should* be coming any day now. Given that it's already available world wide, and reviewers have had their hands on English versions for some time, I'm sure it's a matter of "when" and not "if." And if it is indeed in the $199 price point, it will be an interesting lower-tech-but-hackable alternative to an EE at less than half the price. So maybe those with PEs wanting EEs (for the larger writing tablet) might be interested in looking at this thing instead, although compared to the PE this thing will seem pretty one-dimensional, I'm sure. |
06-01-2011, 11:18 AM | #2 |
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I'm keeping an eye (just one; it's easy if you have independently movable eyeballs) on PixelQi - they're releasing a nice-size screen with a decent resolution: http://www.pixelqi.com/blog1/ Now, we need someone to en-tablet this with a digitizer or something, which NotionInk failed to do. Maybe by the time my edge breaks? (I can live with one screen if it does both things; people can always buy 2 tablets if they need 2 screens.)
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06-01-2011, 11:59 AM | #3 |
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I don't (I think) want the pdf export function as much as I want the epub-made-from-website function. Most of my work is much more text-heavy, and I like the text flow in epubs. Plus I think of pdfs as being large and annoying to work with. Of course, maybe I've not had the right pdf program.
What have others' experiences been with websites from epubs versus pdfs? |
06-01-2011, 01:21 PM | #4 |
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Good call! I love this feature on the Edge, too. But, as I most often use the Journal and annotate pdfs (signing and filling out documents), I'd be using the Eee Note as a lighter carry-around notepad and exporting to pdf is way preferable to exporting as a gif.
Like I said, there's no question the edge is better featured overall. But the Eee Note is a bigger writing screen than the PE, closer to the EE, and as a heavy Journal user, the real estate takes on a bit more importance. |
06-01-2011, 01:34 PM | #5 |
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The EEE note is available on eBay for $250-$330.
Sarah, do you know if you can annotate PDF's directly and be able to switch back and forth between a journal and a PDF? Also, could you post a link to the forums where they're developing stuff for this device? I'd like to see what sort of things they're doing with it. |
06-01-2011, 01:41 PM | #6 | |
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Yup, but it's not the official English version (generally speaking) since that technically is not available until Asus releases in North America. Plus, warranties will not be available to North Americans. You can actually buy them directly from Taiwan and have them shipped -- getting it isn't the issue yet. It's just that I prefer to wait until the English version is out, official and supported. (On the TabletPC forums, they've already written language conversion tools and many of them have working English machines now, but thanks to the community, not Asus)
Quote:
Link to the Asus EEE forum (for all devices: pad, transformer, note etc.): http://forum.tabletpcreview.com/asus-eee-line/ Link to that pdf annotation thread in particular: http://forum.tabletpcreview.com/asus...-eee-note.html |
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06-01-2011, 05:38 PM | #7 |
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My replacements are the white EE ($200) and black PE ($130) from eBay fire sales.
I've cooled off on the EA800...it just looks so limited. Plus it's taking forever to come out. |
06-01-2011, 06:45 PM | #8 | |
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06-01-2011, 10:35 PM | #9 |
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If you are of the modding sort, you can pick up a cheap netbook somewhere and install the Pixel Qi display: link
This would be similar to the edge in that it offers both a color and e-ink option, and with some of the custom cases for netbooks that let it fold over itself its pretty neat. Though of course this will cost a lot more money than just buying an EE or PE itself, and people have said that the e-ink isn't quite the best. You also lose some multitasking ability due to it being a single screen. I was almost contemplating doing this despite all that, until I saw the PE, and given the price difference it really wasn't that hard of a choice to make. |
06-01-2011, 11:44 PM | #10 |
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Problem with modding a netbook with a PixelQi is that you can't use a stylus on it, or at least anything except a capacitive stylus, which is sort of like a finger. The only use I can think of for those things is if you accidentally leave your fingers at home. You'd need some sort of digitizer overlay, and that would take some seriously serious modding.
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06-01-2011, 11:50 PM | #11 | |
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06-02-2011, 08:01 AM | #12 |
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I just bought an EE and two PEs so my alternative right now would have to be paper and pencil.
Last edited by obsessed2; 06-02-2011 at 08:13 AM. |
06-11-2011, 08:09 AM | #13 | |
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In the fall, they're coming out with a model that can save your notes. I'm really curious to see what kind of technology/interface they'll use to do so. (Have seen mention of SD card and USB to computer). The current versions sell for either $30 or $60 (depending on size). It sounds like they still intend to keep the version that saves ultra-low cost. Count me interested as a pen and pencil replacement! http://www.improvelectronics.com/us/en/ |
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06-11-2011, 09:32 AM | #14 | |
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Yes, I have seen the Boogie Board. They still sell them on Amazon. If they can make the upgrades you are talking about and can keep the price relatively low, maybe I won't need to resort to paper and pencil after all. |
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06-11-2011, 10:12 AM | #15 |
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I'm familiar with paper and, in fact, prefer it to papyrus (which I have tried), but at home I usually use dip pens (the kind with a inkwell). This is partly practical (the older kinds, anyway - not the modern ones which are designed for graphic artists - require almost no pressure on the page, so they're good for us crapal-tunnel-syndrome sufferers). But mostly, they're fun, and make writing a pleasure. (Plus I get to interview elderly people about them, which is also fun.) I do use fountain pens when I'm away from home, since I"m not adverse to technology; and portable inkwells, which do exist, are a pain (and look rather too precious, even for me).
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