New Firmware

OK let's put this all together..either we will see something new very soon (hardware, software or both), or it's over. I agree that anyone considering purchase should wait a month or two, unless there is some information soon from Entourage.

1. We were told 2 months ago that Froyo is "weeks, not months" away. While I personally dont care about the added functionality in Froyo, I think Froyo is important to market the device to new customers, especially with Honeycomb already out there. Many people who buy an eDGe are the "early adopter" types, to whom it may be tough to market Android 1.6.
2. Recently, there is no information / activity/ updates on these Forums by Entourage personnel except as censors for postings. The front page lists the 1.11 update (even though 1.13 is out) and some out-dated webinar messages. Not a good face to show potential customers.
3. Supplies of the product seem to be dwindling according to web sites, as noted above
4. There were no new offerings at CES 2011. There have been no comments at all from Entourage about the possibility of new hardware, which could of course be to allow existing stock to sell before an announcement.

There can be, in my opinion, only 2 logical explanations when taking this info together. The first is that we will see some new hardware (or Froyo, or both) in the very near future. If I were making decisions (although I admittedly have no business sense) I would be coming out with new hardware running Honeycomb very soon.

The second explanation is that this is the end of the road for Entourage and the eDGe.

Originally Posted by alefor

The second explanation is that this is the end of the road for Entourage and the eDGe.

Excellent points all around. I heartily agree. The latter explanation you give is exactly what happened to iRex after they released the iLiad (which is one of the only other Wacom penabled e-ink devices out there, too close to the eDGe for comfort).

iRex failed because they couldn't sell in the US after flunking their FCC certification. But, yeah, they do have some worrisome things in common with the eDGe, including spastic capital letters. eNtouRAge's lack of communication coupled with their attempts to maintain as closed a (g)ecosystem as possible are not heartening.

Originally Posted by thenzero

Bottom line for original poster: Wait at least another month before making this purchase.

I don't know if I'd go that far if he has an identifiable need for the device. We haven't had any significant software updates since last autumn, so it's not like we lose much by ESI going belly up if that happens. I would load up immediately on every accessory you think you may need if you do decide to purchase.

As for alefor's point about 2.2, recall that our erstwhile Edge hacker, robot, has expressed serious doubts about whether it's even possible to fully implement 2.2 on an ARMv5-based device such as the Edge. So a hardware update may be the only update to hope for.

Originally Posted by gecko

iRex failed because they couldn't sell in the US after flunking their FCC certification. But, yeah, they do have some worrisome things in common with the eDGe, including spastic capital letters. eNtouRAge's lack of communication coupled with their attempts to maintain as closed a (g)ecosystem as possible are not heartening.

iRex did make the case that they had to file bankruptcy because the FCC delays on one device caused them to miss the holiday season in the U.S. which led to poor sales figures and no banks would loan them any money. They clearly had no cash reserves going in. Reading between the lines, I think it's fair to wonder if they didn't already have poor sales because this is a niche market, demand for these kind of devices is relatively low, the devices are marketed toward students and students are poor, or some other reason that ties the two devices together. Might the eDGe therefore not be suffering a similar fate, albeit more drawn out? We'll see, I suppose.

Originally Posted by Corpulent One

We haven't had any significant software updates since last autumn, so it's not like we lose much by ESI going belly up if that happens.

Sure we are. We're losing promised upgrades, essential bug fixes, ability to stay current with new Android software, improvements to the connectivity of the device, chances that a real dev community could develop around it, etc etc etc. I'd say we're losing out big time if they go under.

Given the Edge's outdated hardware and Entourage's plain hostility toward independent developers, none of that was likely to happen anyway. It would have been nice if they'd lasted long enough to come out with an SDK, but alas.

Originally Posted by Corpulent One

Given the Edge's outdated hardware and Entourage's plain hostility toward independent developers, none of that was likely to happen anyway. It would have been nice if they'd lasted long enough to come out with an SDK, but alas.

true...I guess I am being a little overly optimistic. Oh well.

Originally Posted by Corpulent One

I don't know if I'd go that far if he has an identifiable need for the device. ......robot, has expressed serious doubts about whether it's even possible to fully implement 2.2 on an ARMv5-based device such as the Edge. So a hardware update may be the only update to hope for.

I wonder why Entourage is so tight-lipped about everything. It is this lack of information that I find most disturbing, and in my opinion, does not bode well for the future. Even with Apple, well-known for being tight-lipped, people seem to find out (although not from company sources) what is coming down the line. Is the reason that we have no information from Entourage about what's coming down the line.... is it the fact that NOTHING is coming down the line?

If the eDGe as is, fits a need and does the job, thats great, and I would advise getting it. But that, in my opinion, is not a long-term solution. If someone needed just basic word processing, I doubt many people would be content today to get an original 8088 IBM PC with original WordStar running, even though it does the job. Somehow many of us want a future, and would not get hardware/software that has no future even if it meets our needs as of today.

If robot is correct (and I certainly wouldnt doubt it) then new hardware running Honeycomb is what we should be looking for. In my opinion, this scenario is highly unlikely in the near future.

Originally Posted by thenzero

Sure we are. We're losing promised upgrades, essential bug fixes, ability to stay current with new Android software, improvements to the connectivity of the device, chances that a real dev community could develop around it, etc etc etc. I'd say we're losing out big time if they go under.

The eDGe has been out for one year now. For all practical purposes, nothing has changed and nothing new has come out in that year. The Pocket eDGe is basically the exact same device, only smaller and with some minor changes (like the power switch). Android 1.6 does indeed run better now with the upgrades than the original. But essentially, the device today is the same as that which came out a year ago.

Originally Posted by Corpulent One

robot, has expressed serious doubts about whether it's even possible to fully implement 2.2 on an ARMv5-based device such as the Edge

Can you link that discussion? Some quick googling shows there are a few devices using ARMv5 or even the exact same Marvell ARMADA PXA168 (they incorrectly have the processor down as 166, but it was confirmed by users to be the 168) that are running Android 2.2.

p.s. I am aware that Flash support for the ARMv5 has been strongly denied by Adobe. Maybe this is what robot meant?

Originally Posted by thenzero

Can you link that discussion? Some quick googling shows there are a few devices using ARMv5 or even the exact same Marvell ARMADA PXA168 (they incorrectly have the processor down as 166, but it was confirmed by users to be the 168) that are running Android 2.2.

Here was robot's original post

He mentions that the Edge's auxiliary MMX processor can be used to supplement the ARM5's deficiencies but makes it sound like it would be a pain in the neck to get approval from the chip manufacturer and Adobe.

Awesome, thank you.

Originally Posted by Corpulent One

I don't know if I'd go that far if he has an identifiable need for the device. We haven't had any significant software updates since last autumn, so it's not like we lose much by ESI going belly up if that happens. I would load up immediately on every accessory you think you may need if you do decide to purchase.

As for alefor's point about 2.2, recall that our erstwhile Edge hacker, robot, has expressed serious doubts about whether it's even possible to fully implement 2.2 on an ARMv5-based device such as the Edge. So a hardware update may be the only update to hope for.

If 2.2 is not feasible on the eDGe, I would hope that entourage could at least bump it up to the newest version possible, be it 2.0 or 2.1. That would at least allow some additional apps to work.