Edge is dead - I'm selling my Edge

2nd gen iPad might be ok? Probably the folks on this forum prefer eInk to LCD/LED so asking might be moot. However, I imagine I'm not the only one who might want to have a different device.

One thing that really pulls is the Kno tablet. However, it's quite heavy.

Can anyone comment their experiences with recent LCD/LED (iPad included) devices as readers?

Thanks,

M

The biggest problem in finding a replacement for the edge is the wacom digitizer. There are really not to many options out there for a small device with a digitizer (ntrig or wacom). This is also the reason I'm not interested in an IPAD. Those capacitive stylus are just not good enough for handwriting. I know there are some developers out there who have been working really hard to compensate this limitation with clever software trick but I'm doubtful of the usefulness. I doubt the Ipad 2 will solve this issue.

Perhaps the HP State 500 might be a good choice

The Kno tablet is just too heavy and big.

I think for reading you can probably get used to reading on a LCD.

Originally Posted by miklos.klaar

2nd gen iPad might be ok? Probably the folks on this forum prefer eInk to LCD/LED so asking might be moot. However, I imagine I'm not the only one who might want to have a different device.

One thing that really pulls is the Kno tablet. However, it's quite heavy.

Can anyone comment their experiences with recent LCD/LED (iPad included) devices as readers?

Thanks,

M

I still like my eDGe very much. however, I am going to adopt a tablet like the Adam. For pure reading we still use our IREX DR800SG, what is a smashing eInk reader. It also can annotate, but it's more for reading.

Yes I did love my Irex Illiad. But its life is going to be limited by the battery if i cant get a new one when it dies. how different is the e-ink on the edge vs the Illliad? My edge comes either today (hopefully or i should have skipped 2day) or Monday. I am excited because really i have been looking for a machine to replace my Irex for a long time and the expansion slots or lack thereof has always been an issue. We shall see.

I have an Iliad, too -- which I haven't bothered turning on since I bought the edge. The edge eInk screen is larger, but the Iliad's is supposed to be capable of more grey shades. I haven't noticed a difference (though I haven't done detailed, scientific comparison of the two.) With the Wacom Penabled screen the Iliad is more than a one-function book reader. With the LCD screen plus using Android added to that, the edge is far more versatile than the Iliad.

Originally Posted by miklos.klaar

2nd gen iPad might be ok? Probably the folks on this forum prefer eInk to LCD/LED so asking might be moot. However, I imagine I'm not the only one who might want to have a different device.

One thing that really pulls is the Kno tablet. However, it's quite heavy.

Can anyone comment their experiences with recent LCD/LED (iPad included) devices as readers?

Thanks,

M

Based on what I read yesterday, the Kno is still vaporware. According to the article I saw, it has not shipped to anyone. Even if/when it does, it seems to be very heavy and totally oriented to an educational audience, with things divided (in the software) into semesters/courses/etc. The Adam has shipped to a few people, but in the review I saw yesterday, the software is incredibly "buggy" at this point, and everyone is waiting for a Firmware upgrade. As with all of these devices, the key ingredient is easily available CONTENT. While there are lots of great ideas out there, content that utilizes the benefits of the Kno may be way off in the future if at all.

The kindle is a great device for reading sequentially, as one usually reads a novel. But other than reading a book cover to cover, it is not a useful device. The user interface for newspapers and magazines is awful. Using it to read a textbook, where one commonly goes looking for something rather than page to page front to back, is awful. Reading pdfs on the kindle was awful.

The iPad reading experience is great, but annotation is lacking. It is a nice, polished user interface that works very well. The strain induced by reading on an LCD is variable from person to person. For me, reading for long periods on the iPad is fine. I also like the integration with cloud files allowing me to get my books easily from my large collection in the cloud. Battery life on the iPad is outstanding. Reading pdfs is very good, but you need another application rather than using iBooks to read/organize your pdfs. It will be interesting to see what iPad2 offers, especially if it has an SD slot. All of this remains speculation.

The eDGe is a superior device for simultaneously reading and taking notes, in my estimation. Nothing else comes close, although the eDGe is not perfect (not that anything else is either). Battery life on the regular EE is great, the Pocket eDGe is so-so (I have both devices). Taking notes on the eInk side and converting them easily to pdfs is what I like best on the eDGe. Getting books onto the eDGe is not difficult, but I cant do it on the fly like I can with the iPad... if I used DropBox, I am sure I could. My book collection is fairly well organized, but the Android system of Tags is so-so. I much prefer folders, or at least some way to have deeper levels of tags.... the Android system limits that to just one level.

Windows slates allow handwriting, including the HP Slate 500 and the new ASUS EEE Slate. The ASUS uses a WACOM penabled system, and both have pen input (unlike some of the slates with capacitative input only). I am anxious to get one, because I want to use OneNote. A windows slate armed with Adobe Acrobat Pro and OneNote is a pretty good way to go, but if money is an issue, it is not a cheap option.

Well, those are my thoughts regarding various readers.

Nevermind. Alefor is right. Searching PDFs on Kindle is awful. Searching books works great.

Had my Edge for about a month now and it ROCKS!!!! Getting lots of curious looks and enquiries, nobody has ever seen anything like it. Love the integration of tablet & reader, handles books, PDFs etc way better than a Kindle

I am now two months into my PE ownership, and I have to say: I am completely satisfied. I really don't use it for email, web browsing, or even music/video streaming, as I have my Droid for all of those things. For reading, taking notes, the occasional media consumption, archiving files, it does exactly what I want it to: I love that it's shaped like a book (easier to hold); thanks to caliber I use it as a mag reader and think I'm having a better experience than kindle subscribers are; and as a travel media player it gets great battery life, has nice video output, and fits comfortably on an airplane tray table. Perhaps if I were expecting the PE to be more of an all-in-one device, I would have loads of complaints. The edge devices might not be evolving as quickly as we'd like them to (or even at all, it's hard to say), but the advice to "love your tech for what it is, rather than what it might be capable of" is good. Of course I hope the edge devices *do* evolve, but I'll still feel satisfied with my purchase if they don't.

While iPads and Xooms look really nice, ultimately I can't see myself being able to replace either of my eDGes with anything close in total feature set and convenience. The Kno looks intriguing, although it's huge and double the price of the eDGe. There were one or two dual (LCD) screen devices shown at CES 2011, but they didn't appeal (mainly because of the lack of eInk). To me, the eDGe is a good value, and works decently. A faster dual-screen device with colour eInk would be my next purchase, although I can also see myself continuing to use my current eDGes (as is, with Android 1.6) for 2-3 more years, too, if no alternatives arise.

My Edge works quite well for what I need. I love the eink, so dual-lcd would not interest me, either. I am hoping to get another 2 years of good use out of my Edge (at least) before I upgrade. I figure by then we'll have full-color eink (and perhaps the refresh rate could be good enough to allow dual color-eink - cool!)

If that came along with some improved resolution, that would be absolutely amazing!

Thanks for the replies thus far. I also have an Illiad but don't use it much anymore.

For me it seems that there isn't any reasonable tablet for me yet. If only the iPad had color e-ink and a stylus....

Stuck in tablet limbo,

M

This looks promising:
http://www.htc.com/www/product/flyer/overview.html

Originally Posted by miklos.klaar

Thanks for the replies thus far. I also have an Illiad but don't use it much anymore.

For me it seems that there isn't any reasonable tablet for me yet. If only the iPad had color e-ink and a stylus....

Stuck in tablet limbo,

M

Quite interesting... though the LCD would become tiresome for extending reading...