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Old 12-24-2009, 08:47 PM   #1
Nate the great
Sir Penguin of Edinburgh
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Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: DC Metro area
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Entourage Edge hands on

I was fortunate enough to spend some time with the Entourage Edge on Tuesday.

If you are thinking of the Edge as an ebook reader, don't. It's not fair to compare the Edge with the dedicated ebook readers in its price range (Sony Daily Edition, Kindle DX, and the Irex Digital Readers) because it is capable of so much more. It would be more accurate to refer to dedicated ebook readers as a group in a way that does not include the Edge. If you want a frame of reference, think of the Edge as the first dual screen netbook.

The Edge has Adobe DE support, of course. But since it runs on Android you will be able to install more software (FBReader, for example). It comes with an email client. It has a complete browser, and Google Apps are quite usable with the touchscreen.

I'm at a loss in trying to describe the best features, so I'll have to take you through an example.

Let's start in the Library menu (on the LCD screen). If you already loaded files into the library then you'll see them here. But, if you just copied a bunch of files to an SD card and inserted it, you'll need to switch to the file&folder menu to find them. Let's select one and open it.

It opens on the epaper screen. If you didn't opened the file from the Library Menu, then you will need to add it to the library before you can make full use of the annotation capabilities. There is an icon in the upper left hand corner of the epaper screen to do this. (I like that you can open an ebook and then add it to the library while reading it.)

At a minimum, you can highlight, bookmark, search the dictionary, and sketch directly on the page. These 4 abilities are provided by the Adobe software, and the Edge can do more. You can select a word or phrase and search Google or Wikipedia. The search results will be displayed on the LCD screen while the ebook is still open on the epaper screen. When you find a relevant result, you can then attach it to the ebook (specifically the word or phrase you just searched for).

The attachments can include files, webpages, or handwritten notes. The annotations will also be listed in the TOC interspersed among the existing entries. This is where the Edge excels. The ability to collect separate pieces of content into one file elevates the Edge above the dedicated ebook readers in its price range. Think of how useful this could be as a research or educational tool.

Shortcomings

Let's briefly consider the Edge by its shortcomings: connectivity, weight, battery life. The Edge weighs about 3 pounds (device+charger), which is significantly more than any of the dedicated readers mentioned above. It only has Wifi ("only Wifi", ha), and its competitors all have a cell connection of one kind or another. The battery life is reportedly 6 hours when using both screens, and 16 when only using the epaper screen. Obviously this is shorter than any dedicated device (other than the Irex units, where it is comparable).

So, if you know that you won't have access to Wifi and _need_ the connectivity, or if you won't be able to charge the unit every day and _need_ the run time, then you should consider one of the dedicated readers. That being said, I still like the Edge over any dedicated ebook reader because it can do so much more.

One last note: the Bezel
I wanted to mention that the screen bezel is not nearly as big as it appears in pictures. Until I saw it in person I thought it overwhelming. It's not.

Last edited by Nate the great; 12-25-2009 at 10:10 AM.
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