I think we all agree, unless you really want all the functions of a tablet PC (in which case you should get a tablet PC), you're not going to find an e-ink device right now that handles pdf better than the edge. If pdf is a main point for you, more important than say the free world-wide 3G connectivity of the Kindle, then yes, I would think the right choice would be the edge.

This is the problem I have with new people coming into the forum and seeing us current users airing our own "dirty laundry" and getting only a partial picture of what's happening. While it's absolutely true we haven't been told much of anything about where the device is going, it's important that potential users know that
(a) the device is quite functional right now, and depending on your needs, this may be the best device on your market for your purposes
(b) customer service (not internet presence, not PR, not marketing) has consistently impressed and gone above and beyond to make sure you have a working product in your hands. Can we please not equate "we don't know what the future of this device holds" with a blanket "Entourage doesn't care about it's customers." If you have a problem with your machine, they will fix it, and generally do so quite quickly. I just think it's simply unfair to make a sweeping conclusion like that. Let's stick to specifically what they do and don't do for their customers, and let people judge whether that kind of "caring about customers" is good enough for themselves. While a key group here are very frustrated about future development, or potential lack thereof, the vast majority of people will only ever interact with the company for purchasing and perhaps maintenance issues. Those outside of the US can provide extra perspective on their additional difficulties in getting support, as we have seen differences in experiences depending on where you live. But until we see evidence that customer support is no longer managing expectations, can we please be clear that we have very few cases of people not receiving the maintenance/troubleshooting help they need?

Please correct me if I'm wrong, but I didn't think any pdf-annotating e-reader using e-ink did this yet? I know it *just* (this last week) came to the Asus Eee Note, but again, that's not e-ink. That doesn't mean it's still not a "Con", but again I wonder whether the fact that we keep harping on that point again and again on the board makes it sounds like an inherent weakness when it really is a feature that you can't get anywhere.

I'm all for people gathering information to make an informed decision, but when it paralyzes them it really is a counterproductive activity. Do you need a device like this? If it never did anything more than what it did now, would you pay the asking price for a couple of years of good use? (if we get an update to android 2.x, then I would tack another year onto it)

Don't get me wrong; I understand the frustration. That's one reason I'm now out of the tablet PC laptop market: there simply isn't an "A" machine, and I'm not sure there ever will be. There are some B's and B+'s, but the category as a whole just never quite got there. I think potential edge owners might do well to realize that we're in the same situation here at the moment with the current e-reader/writer market. (Although, I hope to see the market get much better.) Just as "laptops" developed leaving "tablet PCs" as a niche offering for very specific users, e-readers and tablets have been developing, but we have yet to see whether the e-writer category will take off.

Thanks for this. I follow this product on a few forums and have seen dozens of videos (unboxings, reviews) and no one that I've come across has mentioned this issue. What are the "issues" to which you're referring? I've heard the display might appear a bit washed out, but I've never heard that the display was a major con. And, just FYI, if I get this it would be just "for fun" as a second device, not to replace the edge. So again, it doesn't need to be perfect. I just like anything that can be used as an electronic note pad, and have a weakness for handwriting-tablet gadgets.

One of the things holding me back from that device is that it's not a "pdf-based" machine like the edge is. Journal notes are in a particular format that can be printed in a graphic format, but not saved/exported as pdf, or else can be shared through a built-in Evernote compatibility (which I still haven't gotten around to using). So again, the edge wins for it's pdf-ness. I want to be able to access the notes I take in pdf form so that I can use pdf editing software or Xournal-type software on any machine I happen to be on. I have a mac program that works like Windows Journal Note for tablet PCs, and my linux tablet has Xournal. Even if those programs only open pdfs as background images on which you can write, at least it's a way to go from one machine to the other. The Asus might be cheap enough to take for a spin and add to my collection, and be more portable, but I don't get the sense it comes close to what the edge does on its e-ink side alone. Just because I'm keeping my eye on it doesn't mean I think it's a comparable replacement.