Quote:
Originally Posted by Sheikspeare
Hi pat.indie. I guess, as is often said, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. That aside, it's quite a bulky device to lug around with, no? Kinda' defeats the idea of portability. Further, I can't imagine battery life is great on it. Also, it folds just like laptop -- in which case why not just settle for a netbook! It's bit of an overkill...
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I agree. it is not exactly portable. However, I bought the Edge for a specific reason.
I am a scientist and read a LOT of PDFs; both research articles and books. I have been a scientist for about 10 and 1/2 years (before which I was a clinician) and frankly speaking have grown seriously tired of reading off the bright LCD (I started with CRTs). I just love the idea of reading PDFs on a 9.7 inch e-ink screen. Also, for me the integration with LCD-android tablet is not just a fun gimmick. I do really need a real tablet computer attached the e-ink for browsing the scientific databases. Also, I receive a lot of work-related PDFs in e-mail (to edit/ review or just read). Usually I would print those out and write on those. This brings me to the second feature of the Edge I love. As an e-ink device the Edge is pretty advanced. The e-ink is actually a Wacom device and I can write on it directly.Also, I can draw diagrams/ cartoons/ flow charts. This is of massive importance for me. You see, suddenly the 3 lb weight is no big deal to me.
That said, I must point out that the Edge has been marketed precisely for a person like me. I am not sure it would have been so attractive to me had I not needed it for work.
The battery life is an issue only if you extensively use the LCD. Even then it lasts for 6-7 hours. However, it lasts longer on just the e-ink display (around 12-13 hours). basically you need to recharge every night, which is fine with me.
I looked really really hard at the ipad for this purpose. While it is a great multimedia tablet, it is after all an backlit LCD device, which is a deal breaker for me. If the ipad came with an e-ink display attached (like Edge), I would buy it that instance, even for a higher premium.
Also, I bought a netbook hoping it would fulfill the role of a portable reader for me, but has not done the trick (again for the lack of e-ink). Trust me, the Edge is nothing like a netbook (its instant-on etc). It is an android-based tablet with attached e-ink.
I do have Kindle 2 device too, which I am keeping. I love the little thing. I use my Kindle for all my recreational reading. I currently have 700 plus books loaded on it and I use it a lot. For me the wireless 3G integration of the Kindle device with Amazon storefront and also the WWW is a great feature.
Hope that was not too long winded
