Hands-on with the Entourage Edge

[m-reader]

http://news.cnet.com/8301-13860_3-10...html?tag=mncol

2010 is certainly promising to be an exciting year!

[delphidb96]

Originally Posted by m-reader

http://news.cnet.com/8301-13860_3-10...html?tag=mncol

2010 is certainly promising to be an exciting year!

Still hating the *MASSIVE* frames around the screens. Someone needs to take the designers out back and beat them with a ClueByFour!

Derek

[phenomshel]

Originally Posted by delphidb96

Still hating the *MASSIVE* frames around the screens. Someone needs to take the designers out back and beat them with a ClueByFour!

Derek

Yep!

[Ea]

Originally Posted by delphidb96

Still hating the *MASSIVE* frames around the screens. Someone needs to take the designers out back and beat them with a ClueByFour!

With that weight I would want a solid edge to hold on to. I don't trust the e-ink screen's glass substrate to stand up to a firm grip - and I don't want finger prints all over my screen anyway. As an example, I'm very happy with the wide edge on my Kindle - less strain on my hands/fingers. That said, we can agree that the 'Edge' could look better - definitely has that first-genration look.

[dsvick]

I'm not sure this is going to go anywhere though, it seems to sit right in the middle of eReaders and netbooks, with its main competition being the netbooks.

With that size and weight I would expect it to have just about all the functionality of a netbook. In fact it seems to me to be a netbook with an eInk screen attached. So if you consider it a netbook, you just need to determine if you are willing to pay a premium for the added eInk screen and the way the two screens interface (which did sound sort of cool).

[Not_A_Crook]

Ok, I'm finally going to ask this-
Is there a substantial purpose for the Edge? I don't see it...

[Nate the great]

Originally Posted by delphidb96

Still hating the *MASSIVE* frames around the screens. Someone needs to take the designers out back and beat them with a ClueByFour!

Derek

That large bezel means a bigger footprint, which means it's significantly easier to design the hardware it contains. And since this is meant to directly replace textbooks, the fact it's about the same size as one isn't so unreasonable.

Speaking as someone who carries around a laptop, I sure hope the eDGe can match most of my laptop's abilities. If not, then I'd be stuck with an extra 4 pounds. This would probably discourage me from carrying one or the other (whichever is less useful, which won't be the laptop).

[pking36330]

Originally Posted by Nate the great

Speaking as someone who carries around a laptop, I sure hope the eDGe can match most of my laptop's abilities. If not, then I'd be stuck with an extra 4 pounds. This would probably discourage me from carrying one or the other (whichever is less useful, which won't be the laptop).

Nate, with some of the new ULV processors providing 7+ hour durations and full laptop performance (instead of just netbook levels), the new 11.6" Dell, HP, Sony, MSI, and ASUS laptops at the $650 price point would push me over top to them instead of the Entourage. I really like this concept, but at the listed price-point, I think its caught in no-mans land.

[wallcraft]

This probably is too expensive for the market it is after, but as a reality check the Kindle DX is exactly the same price. So you are getting an entire Android tablet with 10" LCD screen for free with your EInk Reader. Low weight and long battery life cost extra, but I really can't see how you get much above $500 for an EInk Reader now.

[delphidb96]

Originally Posted by Nate the great

That large bezel means a bigger footprint, which means it's significantly easier to design the hardware it contains. And since this is meant to directly replace textbooks, the fact it's about the same size as one isn't so unreasonable.

Speaking as someone who carries around a laptop, I sure hope the eDGe can match most of my laptop's abilities. If not, then I'd be stuck with an extra 4 pounds. This would probably discourage me from carrying one or the other (whichever is less useful, which won't be the laptop).

2.75 pounds! Get yourself a Dell Mini 12 or a Mini 10v. Or there's that new EEE PC T91. Sure, it uses an 8.9" screen, but it swivels to a TabletPC configuration.

Derek

[Nate the great]

Originally Posted by delphidb96

2.75 pounds! Get yourself a Dell Mini 12 or a Mini 10v. Or there's that new EEE PC T91. Sure, it uses an 8.9" screen, but it swivels to a TabletPC configuration.

Derek

I'm thinking device+charger+case, which would make 4 pounds a good rule of thumb.

[DawnFalcon]

Originally Posted by delphidb96

Still hating the *MASSIVE* frames around the screens. Someone needs to take the designers out back and beat them with a ClueByFour!

Sure, you can make them a *bit* thinner, but then you have to increase the depth for the structural members...it's down to the glass substrate, which is really really not ideal. Take the people not yet producing plastic substrate round the back, it'll have more effect.

[delphidb96]

Originally Posted by DawnFalcon

Sure, you can make them a *bit* thinner, but then you have to increase the depth for the structural members...it's down to the glass substrate, which is really really not ideal. Take the people not yet producing plastic substrate round the back, it'll have more effect.

It's not the thickness so much as the width of the edges...

Derek

[carlobee]

Originally Posted by delphidb96

Still hating the *MASSIVE* frames around the screens. Someone needs to take the designers out back and beat them with a ClueByFour!

Derek

i would have to agree with this.

[DawnFalcon]

Originally Posted by delphidb96

It's not the thickness so much as the width of the edges...

Yes, I'm saying that because of flex issues (you can't flex the glass!), the only way to reduce the edges would be to make the device fairly substantially thicker, which I very very much doubt would meet customer acceptance.