Pocket Edge price at Amazon

[sarah11918]

Originally Posted by MasterTec

I'm quite happy with my PE at $125 from WOOT but to be honest I think I'd be quite disappointed if I had spent $300+ for it.

Was it ever worth $300? I think maybe it was. I think those who are buying now are getting great deals, but also have to remember that you're going into it knowing it's a discontinued product.

If you owned (and loved, as most of us did and still do) a larger EE, then saw the smaller one announced, and still were full of hopes and dreams for the device/company, $300 was steep, but not entirely unreasonable. To see a second device launched actually gave the impression the company was moving forward, and I'm sure some bought the second machine at least in part to "vote with their wallets" and show support for the company that hadn't quite yet started to drop off the radar.

Maybe I'm just a little nostalgic as I sit here with my coffee on a Sunday morning, but I just mean to "defend" (if that's the right word) the original PE owners here. Although I don't have a PE, comparing it to the EE I can't imagine it being worth so little as $100 or $150, except for the fact that it's an end of life device. (And even then, it still has so much life left in it, people getting it for around $120 are really lucking out, I think.) At the time people were paying $300-ish for it, Entourage's current product was receiving software updates a few times a month, customer service was engaged (even if message board/development communication had already started to drop off) and devices were getting troubleshooting advice/repaired quickly and to standards that exceeded most people's expectations. There was little reason to think we weren't at the beginning (not end) of a great journey.

Anyway, go back to reporting the ridiculously low prices you're finding on your PEs. It actually makes me feel very pleased that the price is low enough that so many people are now able and willing to take the risk on purchasing them. Just because this product has been discontinued doesn't mean it can't still make a splash and turn heads, and maybe inspire someone to develop an even better product.

[jclmaster]

I have been watching ebay for PE and edge sales. Some people must know entourage is out of business since they are pricing their sales really high!

[remedy]

I picked up a pocketedge off of woot for $125 a few weeks ago and while I like the idea of the device I find the execution and build quality very lacking overall. At this point I'm refusing to sink any more money into it on cases or screen protectors simply because I don't feel that it's worth it. If I didn't have the market working I'd probably have returned it by now.

Before you decide to hate me though here is why:

I already owned a viewsonic Gtablet which costs $75 more than this thing on a good day. For that $75 however it came with a much larger, higher resolution, capacitive touch screen. This device also sports the much touted tegra 2 processor and is comparable to the ipad2 in most ways... except it only costs about $200 bucks.

Despite it's much larger screen and roughly 400% more processing power the gtablet still has twice the running time of the pocketedge on a single charge.

The Gtablet is also of much higher build quality, including a magnesium casing (as opposed to cheap hollow plastic), and is still smaller than an unfolded pocketedge in every dimension....

So ok - the PE sucks as an android tablet, but it's a good cheap ereader right?

Well not really. I also own a jetbook mini which I purchased (on sale I believe) for $50. This thing is small enough that I can slip it into my pocket and forget I have it altogether, and yet it's screen is only an inch smaller than the pocketedge's reader.

It is so very light and comfortable to use, I have great difficulty in making myself use the pocketedge.

As for battery life, well the AAA batteries it came with lasted more than a month under extremely heavy use. Since then I have not been reading quite as much and have switched to cheap rechargeables... I still get about 3 weeks before I have to swap AAAs.

The only real downside of the mini is it only reads Txt or FB2 formats, not that conversion is difficult at all.

I'm not even going into the difficulties and limitations the edge series has with software, but if you have other android or e-ink devices, you know how limited this one is.

To put it simply if someone were asking me for an recommendations on an e-reader or an android tablet, even at $120 this would not make my list for either.

[sarah11918]

Originally Posted by remedy

For that $75 however it came with a much larger, higher resolution, capacitive touch screen.

Sorry you don't like it and bought the wrong machine for your needs/wants.

The reason to buy this machine is for the combination of wacom and e-ink. The tablet (more specifically, the fact that it's an integrated second screen that does some other stuff to complement what you're doing on the e-ink wacom side) is the added bonus, not the point of the device.

No one is arguing this thing is perfect, or even sleek. But people who bought it for what it was specifically designed to do well are generally quite happy.

You're right, it shouldn't be a recommendation for "either an ereader or an Android tablet." The people who don't get it for what it was meant to do will be disappointed. Sounds like you're one of them.

If it works, put it on ebay and see what you can get for it. They do seem to be selling quite well, and you can probably even make a bit of money on it as you bought it at pretty much the super-low-sale price that isn't always around. And that's not a bad outcome!

[emusan]

this device was clearly not made for someone who already has an android tablet and reader that they are perfectly fine with, but for someone who wants both in a relatively small package. You really shouldn't have been expecting the best of both worlds, but rather a mediocre experience from both(though I have found that the e-ink on the PE is far better in terms of refresh rate than most others on the market).

[remedy]

Originally Posted by emusan

this device was clearly not made for someone who already has an android tablet and reader that they are perfectly fine with, but for someone who wants both in a relatively small package. You really shouldn't have been expecting the best of both worlds, but rather a mediocre experience from both(though I have found that the e-ink on the PE is far better in terms of refresh rate than most others on the market).

You are entirely correct that someone with either a decent tablet or ebook reader probably shouldn't pay too much attention to this device, but for someone looking for an entry level into both technologies this is quite a deal at the $120 mark.

Sadly I am a bit of a gadget fanatic who feels like he needs to grab every interesting device that comes my way when the price is low enough. This is my 5th android tablet and 3rd reader so my perspective is more than a bit jaded. Considering it's initial price point however, I really did expect more from this one.

I will say this about the pocketedge though: it's sound quality and volume was far more impressive than I expected. The ability to orient the speakers in different positions helps to make it that much more effective.

[ilovegadgets]

Even though I have a Kindle, Sony 350, dual boot Nook Color and iPad, I was intrigued by the Entourage Pocket Edge and bought one. I enjoy using it and even decided to buy my 73 year old mother one and believe that she will enjoy it also.

[glow]

I have other devices, but the PE has extra versatility with the e-ink, wacom digitizer, etc., and I LOVE the form factor. There is something special about it!

[maspears]

Bought a NEW pocket edge off eBay for 100.00 + 10.00 s&h. love a bargain. I really want a Asus see transformer/docking station. Someone already wants to buy the edge if I sell it.

[garyhgaryh]

Originally Posted by maspears

Bought a NEW pocket edge off eBay for 100.00 + 10.00 s&h. love a bargain. I really want a Asus see transformer/docking station. Someone already wants to buy the edge if I sell it.

great price. do they have any more?

I want to pick up a full size EE or an asus transformer - that's the tablet to get.
Gary

[sarah11918]

Originally Posted by garyhgaryh

I want to pick up a full size EE or an asus transformer - that's the tablet to get.

On Staples.ca, that $100 off tablet coupon works for the transformer, too. (At least they mention the transformer specifically on the splash page)

Never regret my EE, even more so now that they're so much harder to get.

[maspears]

Garyhgaryh, keep checking eBay. The prices varies. As you know, It's a cat and mouse game.