What Went Wrong?

Originally Posted by borisb

enTourage had strong marketing, I think, with presence at trade shows, etc., but the wider public simply "didn't get it".

It was the marketing that had me scratching my head most. The use of Home Shopping Network for instance. I understand the broad audience reach there, but your point on the "wider public" not getting it is spot on. The general public couldn't grasp the usefulness of the device. However, the government relations people I work with get it immediately with the PE......their combined reactions can be described like this:

"you mean I can get my corporate email, actually read word, pdf, power point, and excel documents (as opposed to a blackberry), highlight and markup pdfs to distribute while I'm in hearings/meetings, etc, and use the web at the same time. I never have to carry a single document with me anymore, unless I'm handing something out, oh and I can take notes, read e-books, let my kids draw pictures, listen to music, etc? Where do I buy this thing?"

I honestly think marketing didn't know what they wanted the Edge to be when it grew up. I thought their deal with that government contractor company (SDI?) was an interesting partnership opportunity, but sales to the government are extremely tough for startups even if your reseller is already providing products to federal agencies. Showing at the CEA made sense for the media coverage, but to what end for sales? Others have mentioned the failure to follow up with the Edge's pilot projectst at some of the colleges/universities. I just think they missed other potential markets that would have latched on this product.

It is really a good device for professionals that is easy to carry (PE at least) and I will continue to use it until it dies.

Originally Posted by StevenP

Heck, we even got Snow in the forum today.

Good point!

Originally Posted by JobooNeedsARefill

It was the marketing that had me scratching my head most. The use of Home Shopping Network for instance. I understand the broad audience reach there, but your point on the "wider public" not getting it is spot on. The general public couldn't grasp the usefulness of the device. However, the government relations people I work with get it immediately with the PE......their combined reactions can be described like this:

"you mean I can get my corporate email, actually read word, pdf, power point, and excel documents (as opposed to a blackberry), highlight and markup pdfs to distribute while I'm in hearings/meetings, etc, and use the web at the same time. I never have to carry a single document with me anymore, unless I'm handing something out, oh and I can take notes, read e-books, let my kids draw pictures, listen to music, etc? Where do I buy this thing?"

I honestly think marketing didn't know what they wanted the Edge to be when it grew up. I thought their deal with that government contractor company (SDI?) was an interesting partnership opportunity, but sales to the government are extremely tough for startups even if your reseller is already providing products to federal agencies. Showing at the CEA made sense for the media coverage, but to what end for sales? Others have mentioned the failure to follow up with the Edge's pilot projectst at some of the colleges/universities. I just think they missed other potential markets that would have latched on this product.

It is really a good device for professionals that is easy to carry (PE at least) and I will continue to use it until it dies.

I co-sign this entire post. Marketing really had me scratching my head, too. My co-wokers (many of them students/academics) had the same reaction, "I can do x, y, z, and no more paper? I can read, grade, etc. without lugging around all that stuff? How much is that thing? Where can I buy it?" Sadly, many of them were lured away by that status-symbol diva the ipad, but most of them didn't figure out that the ipad didn't have the functionality they were looking for until after they'd already purchased the ipad. They THOUGHT it would suit their needs because of marketing.

The price point didn't help either. Maybe $500 - $550 made sense in March 2010 when the iPad hadn't come out yet and the Android tablet market consisted of terrible Archos first generation tabs, the JooJoo, and a bunch of questionable offerings from China, and Edge was running the current version of Android with cutting edge hardware. But that price point was totally unsustainable by the beginning of 2011.

I told some friends of mine who had played with my Edge months ago but thought it was too expensive, that I'd seen Edges on eBay now for $200, and they hopped on and started bidding.

But you guys are right, the superficial focus of tech reviewers on getting the lightest, thinnest tablet possible had a lot to do with it. The current drooling over the fact that the iPad 2 is half an inch thinner than its predecessor is ridiculous, and of course no one thinks about how difficult it's going to be to protect this featherweight slab from damage (protection that comes automatically with the Edge's clamshell design).

They treated their customers like dirt and - surprise! - potential customers ran to their competitors. Go figure.

Originally Posted by StevenP

Heck, we even got Snow in the forum today.

Best set up and comment of the day!

Originally Posted by Adiposius Maximus

The price point didn't help either. Maybe $500 - $550 made sense in March 2010 when the iPad hadn't come out yet and the Android tablet market consisted of terrible Archos first generation tabs, the JooJoo, and a bunch of questionable offerings from China, and Edge was running the current version of Android with cutting edge hardware. But that price point was totally unsustainable by the beginning of 2011.

I told some friends of mine who had played with my Edge months ago but thought it was too expensive, that I'd seen Edges on eBay now for $200, and they hopped on and started bidding.

But you guys are right, the superficial focus of tech reviewers on getting the lightest, thinnest tablet possible had a lot to do with it. The current drooling over the fact that the iPad 2 is half an inch thinner than its predecessor is ridiculous, and of course no one thinks about how difficult it's going to be to protect this featherweight slab from damage (protection that comes automatically with the Edge's clamshell design).

I showed my EE to my doctor and he flipped over it...he wanted to use it for a couple of days so he could see how useful it really was. After 2 days of using it he didn't want to give it back. He bought one and had convinced several other doctors, who also had iPads for that purpose, to leave their iPads home and buy PE's. Then I was jealous of his PE. They really should have gone after the professional sector and the government sector more!

I have a friend who is a deputy D.A. and he loved it too..said the PE would be great for him and cops as well.

[QUOTE=guyjack;1589689]I showed my EE to my doctor and he flipped over it...he wanted to use it for a couple of days so he could see how useful it really was. After 2 days of using it he didn't want to give it back. He bought one and had convinced several other doctors, who also had iPads for that purpose, to leave their iPads home and buy PE's. Then I was jealous of his PE. They really should have gone after the professional sector and the government sector more!

I did the same with my daughter's doctors and they always are very interested especially with the PDF annotations and ability to attach things to other files.

On a different topic., Guy, how is your MS? You had indicated in an earlier post that it was flaring up.

Something I noticed today on the EntourageEdge.eu site today in the contact section:

Entourage eDGe is a division of Stebis B.V.

Morsestraat 40
4004 JP TIEL
Netherlands
Phone: +31 344 640 400
Fax: +31 344 640 401

Notice the first line. Any significance?

Very strange. I would normally suspect they mean the website as the website is called "Entourage Edge". But I would think that's a trademarked name, so why would a little company like that claim it as their own. Or has this European retailer bought out this US company?

Huh -
They're a distibutor ("Value Added," but I can't figure out what the added value is)
http://www.stebis.nl/producten/resul...6067E2D402EFD9

This is ominous - the Dutch put mayonnaise on EVERYTHING!

Originally Posted by StevenP

...But… what went wrong? ...

Why would a company with an outstanding product, in the beginning e.g. 10" Edge and even before completing its software enter another similar albeit smaller version, PE? Support the customers that purchased the 10" Edge. No matter what was said about the PE's software being similar obviously not similar enough.

All the techie reviewers complained about the bulkiness of a device they weren't actually using while fantasizing about the iPad and remembering the nonexistent Courier.

Originally Posted by kenjennings

All the techie reviewers complained about the bulkiness of a device they weren't actually using while fantasizing about the iPad and remembering the nonexistent Courier.

But the PE is a better option for many people, depending on their usage needs.

Originally Posted by maynard

They treated their customers like dirt and - surprise! - potential customers ran to their competitors. Go figure.

As many posters here will tell you, they treated their customers better than any other tech company we can think of.