What Went Wrong?

Originally Posted by cheyennedonna

One thing to think of, we seem as a group to have written the edge's eulogy when perhaps the company has been sold and great new things are going to appear. I remain somewhat hopeful.

If you have the leisure and perhaps more know-how than I have, you might research the business side of things, like investing.businessweek.com/research/stocks/private/snapshot.asp?privcapId=105317267

I'd be interested in this not as an investor, but to understand how it impacts my life as an owner - and hopes for the future. I'd prefer to be optimistic with cheyennedonna until proven otherwise, in spite of the dark indications we have observed.

If you're nervous about continued support, don't buy the eDGe right now. Wait until the end of April, or such time at which enTourage's future becomes clear (which it certainly is not right now).

Perhaps one of the things that went wrong was enTourage's company logo. It looks awfully similar to the billboards shown here. At least it is a good cause...

Is that true(FCC) if buying company is publicl

Originally Posted by Dr. T

Perhaps one of the things that went wrong was enTourage's company logo. It looks awfully similar to the billboards shown here. At least it is a good cause...

I thought you were referring to the swastika-like logo on the eDGe's cover, but that one is pretty rough too.

Originally Posted by socman123

I finally got a hold of a man in Media Partnership department for Entourage and he advised me in a round about way to buy an IPad

That doesn't sound very good.

But in general, I don't think in the past year that there's been that many technical problems with the eDGe requiring enTourage's own support team.

Originally Posted by Adiposius Maximus

That doesn't sound very good.

But in general, I don't think in the past year that there's been that many technical problems with the eDGe requiring enTourage's own support team.

I got the same private note...I wonder if this socman is on the level or if someone is messing with us??

No...I'm not kidding or pulling anyone's leg about this. I just ordered my Edge and I have developed a few concerns about whether or not I should keep it. I just found this forum the other day, have read some of the entries, and decided to ask a few of you (via personal email and the forum) for advice. I have never used or had an Edge in my hands before. I sent a few emails based on the number of entries some folks had made...I believe I sent three personal notes to folks and then posted here. So, I hope you can see that I'm on the level and just a tad upset that Entourage could be leaving the tablet arena just when I finally had saved up enough money to purchase a 10.1. So..there you have it. I did converse with a man from the Partnership for Media department (called the number that was listed on the wesite), and he was about an candid as he could be. I really felt he wanted to come out and talk to me, but he just could not (for whatever reasons/s at his end). I finally asked him, "If you were me, would you buy an Edge right now"? His response - "I'd buy an IPad"....and then he asked me, "Did you hear me? Did you hear what I said"? Now, you read into that what you will. Thanks for you're advice. Socman123.....Roger.

I'm another person who registered for the forum specifically to say how heartbreaking and frustrating this news is. I'm an academic teaching a lot of online/paperless classes who just learned of the eDGe's existence a few days ago and was all set to use some professional development funds my employer owes me on a shiny eDGe 10.1. But if there will be no future support or OS/firmware upgrades, it seems . . . unwise. And the univ. wouldn't authorize the funds under the circumstances.

What a gigantic bummer. Like other folks have said, this device might have been made expressly for me, especially since I have a whole arthritis/pinched nerve/carpal tunnel combo thingie that means I need to be doing more things onscreen than on paper. I don't want some wafer-thin, featherlight, totally un-ergonomic, painful to use piece of trash like a Kindle or iPad, and I don't need 5 billion pointless apps. But integrating an e-reader/writer with a tablet in a nice large solid durable package? This is total brilliance. I dunno -- I'm halfway tempted to plunk down my own funds and grab one while I still can, support and warranty or not. Everything I need it to do, it already does well enough.

Or I guess the alternative is to limp along with only the laptop and old reliable Time:Master planner book and hope desperately that someone, anyone, somewhere realizes the marvelous practicality and limitless potential of this design.

Originally Posted by socman123

.......I did converse with a man from the Partnership for Media department (called the number that was listed on the wesite), and he was about an candid as he could be. I really felt he wanted to come out and talk to me, but he just could not (for whatever reasons/s at his end). I finally asked him, "If you were me, would you buy an Edge right now"? His response - "I'd buy an IPad".....

I still think the eDGe is a great device, and that buying one now might be OK. But I think your willingness to dismiss the iPad is way off target. Have you ever owned one? The key here is to be analytical and not emotional/political about such decisions. I would ask the same of JL6161 who calls the Kindle and iPad "un-ergonomic painful to us piece of trash". I, personally, own a Kindle, an iPad and three eDGe devices as well as numerous Windows tablet computers. They all have their place and their function. None of them is perfect for everything. But I have used all of them for a long time, and none of them would be classified as un-ergonomic pieces of trash. The only group of devices that bugs me is the small Windows tablets that take so long to boot and dont have enough memory to be a reasonable experience. Running Vista on a small machine is terribly painful.

So, start by analyzing your needs. What will you use it for? Is money a consideration? I really like the eDGe for taking notes and light browsing or checking email. Its a great study tool if you have books in pdf format and want to take notes, do problems etc. Its also fairly inexpensive compared to other solutions. If you are only going to consume media and the net, then the iPad is a great device. Reading pdfs is not so easy on the Kindle, but the Kindle is great for reading DRM books which are sold to be read on the Kindle. There are some great Windows tablets out there now which are terrific because they run OneNote which I think is the best app ever written for the education market. The ASUS EEE Slate is super fast, although a little bit too big. It is a very well-powered machine (i5 processor, 4GB RAM) that runs super fast and is not too expensive with a WACOM stylus.

The current situation with Entourage is unknown, so buying one would be taking a bit of a chance in regard to future service. But I think the number of people that have experienced such problems is relatively small (I had to return one of my eDGe units for repair though). If you need to take notes, read/annotate pdfs and are willing to take a slight gamble on the need for service, then go ahead and get the eDGe. I would add that reading pdfs on the Pocket eDGEe is not so great, for that the full size is much better.

I wish that people would start being more analytical, and less emotional, about these devices especially when they have not owned one or used one for an extended period of time.

Sorry to have worded my comment so strongly. I'm quite analytical in selecting the tools most appropriate for my professional needs and physical limitations, and when I used the term "painful," I meant physically painful, not annoying or bothersome. If it were necessary to own a product longterm in order to determine rationally that it doesn't meet one's needs, there would be no such thing as a test drive, or consumer reports, or display models, or trying a friend's device. We all make analytical choices whenever we comparison shop. I'm sure Kindles and iPads and other tablets are nicely made devices that are perfectly useful for many users, but the functions and features the eDGe offers that those tools lack are precisely the functions some of us require. Where the annoyance comes in is when you have finally discovered a unique tool providing a solution to a significant set of problems only to learn a day later that its manufacturers have apparently folded up the tent.

I appreciate the kind reply, and I understand what you are saying. In fact, I rarely do comparison shopping. I am pretty much an impulse buyer, so I buy many things that take time to find out they dont meet my needs. My computer "junk yard" at home has some pretty nice stuff in it that I never use because I got tired of the devices.

I agree that the eDGe is a unique device. It's a very good machine in my opinion (for reading / annotating pdfs, taking notes, and light email / net surfing), if you think it meets your needs in its current configuration (i.e. dont expect software upgrades etc), and are willing to take the small risk that a mechanical / electrical problem will arise requiring service (which may not exist in the future but until now has been truly impeccable), I think you should go ahead and get one.

Originally Posted by JL6161

Sorry to have worded my comment so strongly. I'm quite analytical in selecting the tools most appropriate for my professional needs and physical limitations, and when I used the term "painful," I meant physically painful, not annoying or bothersome. If it were necessary to own a product longterm in order to determine rationally that it doesn't meet one's needs, there would be no such thing as a test drive, or consumer reports, or display models, or trying a friend's device. We all make analytical choices whenever we comparison shop. I'm sure Kindles and iPads and other tablets are nicely made devices that are perfectly useful for many users, but the functions and features the eDGe offers that those tools lack are precisely the functions some of us require. Where the annoyance comes in is when you have finally discovered a unique tool providing a solution to a significant set of problems only to learn a day later that its manufacturers have apparently folded up the tent.

You may want to ask the right questions before purchasing an IPad - if your intention is to use it for Online Course Programs/work....like editing assignments or send email replies. I returned my IPad because the primary use that I had in mind blew up in my face. We use Angel at my institution and the IPad does not use Java or Flash which online programs used extensively. So...the Edge looked like the next best choice. I have a feeling that I might go ahead and keep the Edge when it arrives this coming week. For research and interplay between the two sides, I think it might be the best solution for me. I just have to pray that I receive a solidly built unit that runs from the get-go. I sure want to be optimistic about Entourage as a company because I feel strongly that they are on to something important that may need to be developed further. I can't believe that there isn't a better (wider) market for this bad-boy.

I'm still waiting for an announcement of some kind. I'm with the optimists on this one! Oh wait, I'm pretty much always with the optimists!!

Marketing could have been smarter, as several people have pointed out. Also, the learning curve is a bit steep, which EnTourage addressed by holding webinars (apparently) -- but then they stopped doing that. I don't know whether they used to contact potential customers who signed up for newsletters or the forum, but that seems to me an obvious outreach for new customers which wasn't happening.

On the optimist front, I got my first email from EnTourage 2 days ago. Did everyone else receive it? I figure a company about to go under would not have taken the trouble.

I will not be surprised if ESI becomes a small part of a larger organization -- or something. Maybe the deal is not quite cooked yet.

All the best and a big thank you to the company!!

Originally Posted by JL6161

have a whole arthritis/pinched nerve/carpal tunnel combo thingie that means I need to be doing more things onscreen than on paper.

Don't know anything about arthiritis or pinched nerve, but if you'll take one out of three, I do have the carpal-tunnel thingie (to use your technical term), and found that fountain pens are very useful for writing on paper, since they need much, much less pressure than ball points or gel pens or any of those modern "conveniences." Older (refurbished) fountain pens are even better, ones designed for the pre-ballpoint age, when the pens didn't risk being destroyed by people used to heavy penpressure. Even better, and I think more fun, and definitely cheaper, are dip pens (the kind you use with an inkwell). These are easily available at art-supply stores. Best of all are old dip pens, or at least the nibs, since they're designed for light pressure, like the foundtain pense. NOS (New Old Stock) nibs are fairly readily available for a buck or two each. PM me for more info, I guess, since it's more than a little off topic here.