A Prospective Student User

On windows 7 OneNote is probably the best for taking handwritten notes that are searchable.

OCR for handwriting exists. Just convert a journal from the EE to an image and send it to evernote and you will see what I mean.

Originally Posted by sarah11918

The difference is that scanning doesn't capture the meta data of input strokes, and there are already Windows tablet PC applications that are able to use this data to make handwritten notes searchable. That is, since they can convert to text (and as much as I'm not a huge fan of Windows OS, Windows 7 actually does an exceptional job of converting handwriting to text), the stroke data is stored along with the graphic of the handwritten word, and even if you don't explicitly convert it to text, it can search it as if you did. I can't remember the name of the program I was playing around with years ago (not Agilix Go Binder but a similar "multi-binder imitation" program) and it did this incredibly well, even on Windows XP Tablet edition before the handwriting recognition improved leaps and bounds.

In order to get a scanned pdf to be as useful, you'd need OCR for handwriting (not sure that exists yet) and at the very least a graphic/pdf editing tool if you want anything other than a static representation of the paper notes. Don't these software tools cost a few hundred dollars themselves? Throw in the cost of the scanner and perhaps you can do more for the same price as an edge, but you can't do this one task nearly as well.

Granted, the edge isn't there with the handwriting functionality yet, but it has the potential to be. It captures strokes (because you can use the "stroke erase" tool) so it's just a matter of time until that data can be put to even better use. It might be a *long* time, but that's been one of the most requested features on this forum, so it would make sense that that's a reasonable direction for this device to go. I'm not holding out for immediate solutions, especially given that I know how inferior Apple's handwriting recognition is compared to Microsoft's. If it were easy, Apple's should be comparable and the edge would already have it, so I get that it's not an easy feature to add. But handwriting recognition aside, at least these documents are currently editable in their electronic format. (Of course, paper is editable, too, but it's much more difficult and/or costly to edit once it's been scanned.)

So, while I agree with the value of having an electronic form of notes, not all e-forms are created equal. There is huge potential in creating the document electronically, to take advantage of the stroke input data for sure... and to avoid all those little paper bits from ripping it out of a spiral notebook at the very least!

Originally Posted by lisa031825

MS Paint is horrible for editing. OpenOffice and Preview work alright but it takes significantly more time than using a stylus on the EE.

For resizing and adding/coloring standard shapes and text, MS Paint is fine. I've produced graphics for calculus handouts with Paint for three years now and it's never been a problem (except when I have to include a plot, which the Edge can't do for me either [app needed!!!!!] so it's a wash). I agree that Paint's pretty rough for general drawing...but seriously, how often do students need to do that kind of editing of their notes? If push comes to shove they can print, edit with a pen or pencil, and re-scan.

I agree that Edge makes this process more convenient...but the price tag is pretty high for the small amount of extra convenience it offers for most high school students.

Also, students overlook many of the annotations, notes, etc. inserted using these other methods. They pay attention to the handwritten notes and comments created with the EE.

Wow, it's pretty amazing that there have been studies done on the difference in attention paid to notes on the Edge compared to other types of insertions considering the device has only been out for a few months and has largely escaped the public eye.

Hi,
I would like to know if it is possible to open a book on the tablet or lcd side and work on it like take notes on the ereader side.Also when solving problems is it possible to bring a calculator without closing either side i.e bring it to the front and use it?Also is it possible to sync mac's ical with edge?

Originally Posted by spb_sachin_surya

Hi,
I would like to know if it is possible to open a book on the tablet or lcd side and work on it like take notes on the ereader side.

Yes, that should be possible. Just open one copy on the reader side and another copy on the LCD side. You'll be able to annotate the eInk side easily.

Originally Posted by spb_sachin_surya

Hi,
when solving problems is it possible to bring a calculator without closing either side i.e bring it to the front and use it?Also is it possible to sync mac's ical with edge?

You can accomplish this by long pressing the home button; a popup will show the last 6 used apps, letting you quickly switch back and forth. The apps will remember what they doing when they reopen.

Originally Posted by cheyennedonna

You can accomplish this by long pressing the home button; a popup will show the last 6 used apps, letting you quickly switch back and forth. The apps will remember what they doing when they reopen.

I actually didn't know that, either! Thanks for the info!!

Welcome to the forums, spb_sachin_surya

Originally Posted by spb_sachin_surya

I would like to know if it is possible to open a book on the tablet or lcd side and work on it like take notes on the ereader side

If you tap and hold a PDF (document or ebook) in the Library, the popup menu has "Open in Reader" and "Open in Tablet" (LCD) options. The latter actually uses the PDF to Go app. DRM-protected EPUB ebooks won't have the "Open in Tablet" option because the eDGe doesn't come with software to read them on the LCD side. However, if you got the book via B&N or Kobo, or you bought a Kindle book, you can use the corresponding company's Android reader app on the LCD side. Then you can use the Journal on the eInk side to take notes.

Only the eInk side allows you to make annotations on eBooks. Current versions of reader apps on the LCD side have very limited, if any, annotation capabilities.

Originally Posted by spb_sachin_surya

Also is it possible to sync mac's ical with edge?

Not with the built-in Calendar.

Thanks a lot.Also is it possible to connect to the internet by inserting a usb modem in the usb port when you dont have a wifi connection?

USB modems aren't officially supported by enTourage. However, some may work so you'll have to plug in and try

A recommended alternative is a "mifi" device, available from most cell phone carriers, that acts as a mobile wifi hotspot, providing a celluluar broadband internet connection.

thahks a lot for all your help.

Dear Edge users,
Hi !
I'm new (prospect) to this forum and weighing my options to buy an Edge soon. Well, I'm a Ph.d scholar and u know our life revolves around PDFs mostly (be it book/journal article/notes/manuscript).
I understand Edge has an Edge over all those e-readers out there in market till date (I did consider "adam" as well). However I'm bit unclear on the following with regard to Edge:
1. How good an A4 sized scientific journal article (elsevier/sciencedirect) looks on 10.1" Edge ? I request you to post portrait and landscape views (from front), if u could. Say, with the best scaling option, is it possible to read through one page completely without a need for zoom or scroll ? Can we annote in landscape+portrait on same pdf?
2. Has anyone tried remote connection to your PC/laptop via Teamviewer V60.100 Beta (http://www.teamviewer.com/download/mobile.aspx) ?. By this way, I think Edge can remotely run Mendeley/Calibre with DropBox folder, which will ease file transfers between Edge and Pc/laptop, absolutely from anywhere. Although, the best option would be when Mendeley is made available for Android but is not expected soon..
3. Will all the annotations (penned+texted) get imported with their PDF and be shown in Edge ? Also, is there a tool to convert penned notes on PDF/Doc to text on the fly or later? ...(This could be useful to store all our annotations in text format while sharing with others ! )
4. How about Edge apps for Doc/xls/ppt files and "touch/stylus" experience for these files ?

Kindly share your experience on these. I hope some of the senior members (researchers) can share why the Edge has the real Edge w.r.t the above asked details..
Thanks.

Hi kpal. Welcome to the Forums (in behalf of Boris )

I'm a postgrad research student myself and I bought the eDGe for a similar reason to yours (also considered the Adam but finally decided that I can't wait for it and it does not do annotations, which is one major reason for my buying an eDGe; and when I bought the eDGe the Adam was still suspected as vaporware). I'll try to answer some of your questions though I don't have my eDGe at the moment (it's in RMA) so I can't send you images and I'll trust other forum members to correct me if my memory doesn't serve me right.

I have no problem reading the normal size PDF on the eDGe. I usually don't zoom in and out because I annotate a lot and I just adjust the PDFs to have some space in the margin for my notes. With my nearsightedness I don't find reading the adjusted PDF a problem, with the eDGe open like a book on my desk. You can't open a PDF in landscape orientation (yet, we hope it will be included in the next update). But you can rotate the screen 180 degrees so that you will have the reader on the right (my preferred side because I'm right-handed, though sometimes I inadvertently hit the buttons.)

I also have synced my eDGe, netbook and laptop using Dropbox. My netbook and laptop have Mendeley and Dropbox. The Dropbox I use as final repository of my PDF's since I have to go back and forth my university-issued PC (which has Endnote and will not permit software installations) and laptop, which stores my university back-up files. So with my eDGe, I get access to my articles via Dropbox which gets updated every time I upload a PDF into my laptop folder for research articles, which is a watched folder for Mendeley (I hope you still can follow).

If you annotate on the eDGe you have an option to save the annotated PDF and you can email it to your account. I haven't tried saving the annotated PDF into Dropbox since I had my eDGe only for 10 days before it had to be sent back to the US for replacement.

The eDGe comes with DocsToGo which allows you to open word, excel and ppt. It works quite nicely. These files open on the LCD side (the touchscreen) and you have an option if you want the image of the file to show on the reader side. I found this especially helpful when I confer with my research supervisor. He looks at the Word document on the LCD side. Then I take notes of his comments and instructions on the document image on the reader side (using the stylus).

Hope this enlightened you a bit.

1. How good an A4 sized scientific journal article (elsevier/sciencedirect) looks on 10.1" Edge ?

Part of how well an A4 pdf document will look on the Edge will depend on how it was created. Meaning, it depends on the font size used in the pdf, as well as, the margin spaces, etc. Some work better than others. It seems a lot of scientic pdfs are created with columnar text, and based on what I've heard from others, these can be a little more problematic. When some of the others on the forum are in their daylight hours, I'm sure they will provide you with some excellent information on this.

Say, with the best scaling option, is it possible to read through one page completely without a need for zoom or scroll ?

Part of this is answered above, re font and margin size in pdf. What I do is find the best zoom level to display the text and allow me adequate annotation room and work from there. That way I don't need to be continually scrolling and zooming. There are, however, some cases where this does not work... it depends on how good your eyes are, I suppose

Can we annote in landscape+portrait on same pdf?

Landscape (on the ereader side) is not supported, at this time, but is the most requested new feature. Entourage is working on it.

I can answer your team viewer question, yes it works. I found manipulating by touch on the resistive screen a little awkward and meant to experiment with using a mouse, but haven't had time yet. I have not run across an android app that converts hand writing to text yet, although PC software exists for this - but it really never does a good job. I agree with the others about the readability of PDF files - it depends on your eyes. I have trouble with 2 column pages and really cannot wait for the ability to rotate a PDF to landscape mode, for now I use the LCD side in landscape mode to read those files and use the reader side to make any notes I need.

This thread has been dormant for a while, but as I review it, it seems that something has gone missing.

Tools like the Entourage eDGe are nice enough as a standalone book-reading and note-taking device, but it's time to think beyond that. The eDGe needs to be paired with a good Learning Management System (LMS) like Moodle or Canvas.

The beauty and genius of the eDGe are that one can be reading on one side (in beautiful, easy-on-the-eye typefaces) while participating in the www on the other. Coupled with Moodle, for example, the user could be reading a text on the e-Ink side while taking a quiz, writing notes in the journal, or dialoguing in a forum on Moodle. Hypertext links which the teacher prepares on Moodle could be dragged to, linked/highlighted on the eDGe's reader side. The Moodle glossary could be linked to key terms in the ebook with story-specific instances, page references, and examples.

There is NO WAY an iPad or Kindle could even come close to that. Absolutely no way. It will take some time for us to get used to thinking in a different paradigm, rather than the standard note-taking, book-reading.

The eDGe when paired with a good LMS is about interacting, connecting, and multitasking - things you just can't quite do with a notepad, pencil, book -- or even an iPad or kindle.

We need to stop thinking in a Web 1.0 environment and start living in a Web 2.0 world.

i wish we could hear an interview with the designers and programmers of the eDGe. Never happen, but they probably had clear ideas of how they envisioned the eDGe being used -- and I suspect that they didn't merely design it to be a book-reading note-taker. You guys can probably go light years beyond me in this. It would be great to have someone thinking along these lines and demonstrate the use of eDGe and Moodle in the classroom. Wow. It would be incredible.