Need some advice about purchasing an Entourage

I really want one of these. Mostly, to replace all of the books I have to carry around. I'm not quite sure though which one I should get, either the original or the pocket. These would be my main uses:

1. Reading
2. Internet Browsing
3. Annotating
4. Filling out forms which are usually letter size and sometimes legal size

My main concern is #4. Will be there a way for me to do this on the Pocket Edge? Obviously, the size may be a problem, but if I could just zoom and pan, then I think I would be okay. However, I'm scared by some comments about the annotations disappearing when you zoom out. I actually wouldn't mind though if it disappeared as long as when I email it as pdf or print it out, it will show up.
I've heard that the original has the same problem, but may be easier to deal with because of the bigger size.

Also, what is the deal with the annotations staying on the screen and not on the document itself when you have to pan?

Please give me some advice. There are other tablets out there that would be good for #1 and #2, but I haven't found anything else that could be a better solution for #3 and #4, which is, the main reason why I am seriously considering this.

By the way, if I could pretty much do #3 and #4 with the Pocket Edge adequately, then I'd prefer that over the original because it seems the PE would be getting Froyo faster and I prefer the greater portability, along with the lower price.

One last question, is it possible to annotate word documents without converting them to pdf? Thanks in advance to all.

#4 really is key. Yes, you can do it on the Pocket eDGe, but the form print will be so small that you probably won't be able to read it (assuming these are PDF forms). The pan and zoom features for PDFs is very awkward and essentially unusable except for very occasional use.

With the current software, you'll need to do your annotations while zoomed out (you can zoom in to read, if the print is too small, but you'll need to zoom out to annotate) - at least that's my recommendation from my own usage. This will ensure the PDF is exported at full size and with the annotations in the correct locations. While you can annotate different pages at different zoom levels, the resulting exported PDF may have some annotations shifted due to zoom differences, and the page itself can be truncated at the borders (i.e., if zoomed in, the PDF will only show the pages as they show in the Reader). A lot of this awkwardness is due to the Adobe software that enTourage is using and which enTourage has limited opportunity to change/fix/improve. Future updates will hopefully improve this.

As for the PE, it does make a great companion device (I have both, each with their designated use).

Regarding marking up Word documents, you'd need to check the DataViz site for documentation on the Word To Go app in the Documents To Go suite. Only PDFs and EPUBs are displayable on the eInk side.

Thanks Boris for the quick reply. I assumed you would be the first. Anyway, I agree, I probably need the original Edge.

I will be filling out forms on PDF, but they are not actual PDF forms. I'll basically be annotating and writing on the pdf as if on actual paper. (BTW, can the Edge fill out PDF "forms" like on a desktop/notebook?) Not important to me anyway. I plan to crop out the margins on my forms so that I can fit it a little better to the full screen of the Edge (that's about half in inch from each side, which should make a big difference).

The eDGe doesn't handle electronic forms where the form fields capture text or checkboxes, etc. You currently cannot type text into the eInk side (Journal or Reader).

devseev just posted a tip for viewing (and therefore annotating) Word documents on the eInk side here. It does mean converting to PDF, but can be done on the PDF without the need of a PC.

Thanks Boris.

I just bit the bullet and purchased a glacier white Original Edge from Buy.com for less than $500 shipped.

http://www.buy.com/pr/product.aspx?sku=217130632

I don't know why its called "Midnight White" though. The color really didn't intrigue me as much as the lower price compared to the other colors.

Originally Posted by zed

I just bit the bullet and purchased a glacier white Original Edge from Buy.com for less than $500 shipped.

http://www.buy.com/pr/product.aspx?sku=217130632

I don't know why its called "Midnight White" though. The color really didn't intrigue me as much as the lower price compared to the other colors.

Congratulations on your purchase! I think you'll really like the device; it is coming along nicely. Entourage seems to be hard at work to make improvements that should address some of your concerns.

Once you get the eDGe, let us know if we can help!

Originally Posted by Dr. T

Congratulations on your purchase! I think you'll really like the device; it is coming along nicely. Entourage seems to be hard at work to make improvements that should address some of your concerns.

Once you get the eDGe, let us know if we can help!

I sure will. I have 45 days to evaluate whether or not this would be worth it for me, but I'm excited, that's for sure. I've already tried the Viewsonic G Tablet, and Nook Color (rooted), but was not satisfied with either. Hopefully, I would want to keep this one.

I search information of about purchasing an Entourage.
I found this site plenty of nformation and advice about these 2 machines.

I want to ask more about the annotation feature in e-ink side.

1. Does PE support to add annotations when "zoom in" or different zoom level in pdf?

2. After read the previous discussion, I understand that if the e-ink annotations are marked in different zoom level, which cannot be shown in the correct position in pdf output. It may due to technical limitation of pdf. Can the annotations (marked in different zoom level) be shown in correct position in e-ink screen?

Thank you

Originally Posted by fattyLeo

I search information of about purchasing an Entourage.
I found this site plenty of nformation and advice about these 2 machines.

I want to ask more about the annotation feature in e-ink side.

1. Does PE support to add annotations when "zoom in" or different zoom level in pdf?

2. After read the previous discussion, I understand that if the e-ink annotations are marked in different zoom level, which cannot be shown in the correct position in pdf output. It may due to technical limitation of pdf. Can the annotations (marked in different zoom level) be shown in correct position in e-ink screen?

Thank you

Of course, I'm still waiting for mine to come tomorrow. But based on what I've read here and what others have said, to zoom in and then annotate, is not the problem, but panning afterward (going left to right, or up and down) after annotating, which is the problem. The annotations stay on the screen, instead of the document, if that makes sense. The vets can correct me if I'm wrong.

I'm going to be filling out letter size forms, so at this point, it makes no sense for me to get the PE, and so, I decided to get the original. The size isn't really much of a problem, because its more or less the same size as a netbook or the size of IBM x40, just about, which is an ultraportable.

Only one slight correction: you must stay at the same zoom level for all pages after annotation. That is, once you annotate at a particular zoom level, you cannot change it without shutting off annotation.

zed, Dr.T, Thank for your information.

UPDATE: I returned the Entourage Edge after one day. It was just too big for me, but at the same time, wasn't big enough to be able to fill out the forms using the Reader as I had planned. So, there was no point in keeping it. However, I did order the Pocket Edge, because I really liked the other features of the Entourage, which at this moment can't be done on other Ereaders and/or Android Tablets, such as annotating pdfs and ebooks. you can't even find an app yet that does that on Android. I also liked the ability to browse the web and then create epubs on the fly. Also, I just like having two screens.

Having both myself, I'm confident you'll find the Pocket eDGe a treat It's a remarkably convenient all-in-one gadget.

It wouldn't hurt to send enTourage a quick email about the details of your decision regarding the large eDGe. They do value customer feedback.