I think relatively tech savvy people see the specs on the eDGe and have realistic expectations of what it's capable of (or even surprised at what it can do). The issue is that a fairly large segment of the population sees what the latest 6oz smartphone running Android can do (e.g., Droid X) and then extrapolates that since the eDGe is ~3lbs, obviously the eDGe most be capable of more than that. Or, perhaps, the calculus is something along the lines of "since 3lbs is closer to the size of a laptop than a smartphone, it's capabilities should be closer to that of a laptop."

I disagree with the assertion that it's less than the sum of its parts. If one's use requires the integration of the eInk and LCD, then it's more than the sum of its parts. But if one is going to exclusively use the eInk and LCD and never really capitalize on the integration between the two, then I can understand why someone would feel that the separate devices would offer better functionality. IMHO, not everyone needs a device that integrates the two, so it's a niche device--albeit it serves that particular niche incredibly well at a reasonable price point (compared to a full fledged Tablet PC or something). Many people might be better served with a dedicated eReader and netbook/smartphone/tablet--although no combination of those devices is truly a substitute for a desktop or laptop as a primary computing device (except maybe for the high-end tablet notebooks).