Buying from Italy (a dead product?). QUESTIONS!

HI there,
I'm from Italy and I love this machine, seems like it's the only which can give me what I need.

After months of searches for the best device, today I bought on Ebay.com. Had to order it from a USA shop because on the official "italian" seller site (italo-spoken dutch) says it's sold out.

I registered here to find infos but I'm reading only bad news. Before my product will be shipped I would like to understand:

Am I buying a dead device? I have still time to be refunded, and if there will be no updates or support, I'll ask for refund right now.

and also:

would I experience troubles with the US model? The Ebay seller where I bought it is for the international market, he should send me the device with the right specs for me. I asked him, waiting for answer.

Thank you very much,
Lorenzo from Rome

Ciao, Lorenzo. Unfortunately, we simply don't know what's happending with the company. We've been told that an update to froyo is expected "soon," but no specifics were given.

The US model should work fine - you just need the appropriate electrical cord that works for Italy.

As for questions about the product, these forums are not official sources of information. Go to www.entourageedge.com/support and call/email the company directly regarding your questions.

Are we in a chatroom? U answered me in a second!

Thank you very much. I really hope everything goes fine, as in month of searching I didnt find anything near to the Entourage, it surely can be improved especially in its look, but academics can find no better device on the market for their work, I think.

Unless someone is gonna come out and say that he works fine with iAnnotate on iPad

Hi Lorenzo,

We honestly don't know whether to expect updates or support, but we can tell you that most of the anger here is not related to the actual product itself. Most of us are very pleased with the device, we are just concerned because no one from the company has given any updates in a long time, and we had become used to semi-regular, even if only minor, updates and communication from the company.

All of the talk here is just us trying to make sense of a company that gives us no information. But, there really aren't any other products on the market that do what the Edge does, so it is quite useful. If there are no updates, though, then you will eventually find that Android 1.6 is going to be really far behind. But I would say anyone buying now, providing your device is working properly, should expect to get a good year (Would you all agree? I actually think 2 years if it doesn't break, depending on how long Android 1.6 remains functional) of functionality out of the device, as per it's current, stated specs.

If you can live with only the features it has now, and don't care whether you can add a lot of newer Android apps (and are content with basic email, twitter, web applications), and are willing to spend whatever cost it's being offered at, then I still think it's great device.

If I were trying to decide now, I would say: for the price it's offered at, am I OK with this device never getting any better than what it is right now and using it for 1 - 2 years? If you can say yes, then I do think it's still a worthwhile purchase. If you really have your sights set on the future of this kind of technology, or aren't very "forgiving" with first-generation products, then I would say wait and see what comes out later, or wait until there's some major announcement that causes current owners to sell at discounted prices, perhaps.

That's just how I would look at it, personally.

EDITED TO ADD: that whole 1-2 year thing is really the worst case: the company closes, no longer supports the device. That's why I framed it that way, because I would expect that that is your worst case scenario. There are many more, better case scenarios. But if you can live with the worst, you can surely live with something better!

Originally Posted by lorenzoens

Unless someone is gonna come out and say that he works fine with iAnnotate on iPad

The iPad really is no substitute for what the edge can do, even in its current form, *with respect to pdfs/annotation.*

EDITED TO ADD: The iPad is a better all-around "toy." I would be lying if I didn't say that.

Hi, Lorenzo - I just bought mine 2 months ago, and if I had to do it today, knowing everything that has happened (or not happened) in the forum here, I would do it again. It's by far the best machine for me, and there's nothing else with important things (e-ink screen + annotation of pdfs) anywhere else. Maybe in a few years there will be, but the machine works well for me, and that won't stop even if the company stops (until I step on it, but that will be an accident).

Also, please don't tell Boris that this isn't a chatroom. He doesn't understand that he doesn't have to spend 24 hours a day here, and his information is frankly too valuable for us to allow him to do things like sleep.

Originally Posted by sarah11918

Hi Lorenzo,

EDITED TO ADD: that whole 1-2 year thing is really the worst case: the company closes, no longer supports the device. That's why I framed it that way, because I would expect that that is your worst case scenario. There are many more, better case scenarios. But if you can live with the worst, you can surely live with something better!

This is important: I'm totally fine with the basic software, I just need it to work properly without troubles.

Last december 31 I bought an Asus dr900 and a week later I returned it and got refunded, because it really wasnt able to do what the advertisings spoke about: no annotations, no highlights, and the screen's grey sucked bad.

My main concern is about these functions on the e-ink screen. Do they work flawless at present?

Plus I have to say, I would really hate to buy a device which cant even last 2 years. That would be a waste of money and bad environmental threatening. I hope it can last at least four-five years. I just care about functionality, dont look after trends or animated menus or hd vids: need a mobile pro tool to work on texts...

Originally Posted by gecko

Also, please don't tell Boris that this isn't a chatroom. He doesn't understand that he doesn't have to spend 24 hours a day here, and his information is frankly too valuable for us to allow him to do things like sleep.

These forums are highly addictive

Originally Posted by gecko

if I had to do it today, knowing everything that has happened (or not happened) in the forum here, I would do it again.

Same here. I love my PE.

Originally Posted by lorenzoens

This is important: I'm totally fine with the basic software, I just need it to work properly without troubles.

I do still stand behind this device, if you're OK with it being more functional than flashy. Check some of the older threads (you know, when we actually talked about the DEVICE :P) and make sure you know things like we still can't read pdf's in landscape etc. (and the pdf tools people have discovered to cut, change columns, rotate at the source to get around this, for example) so that you know exactly what the machine can and can't do. I love mine, and don't regret the purchase at all, but pdf annotation and journaling software (to replace pen and paper) was my #1 criteria. I'm also an early adopter, so I'm comfortable with devices that can seem unpolished.

I think your research was correct: the edge is the best pdf annotator we currently have.

Originally Posted by lorenzoens

Plus I have to say, I would really hate to buy a device which cant even last 2 years.

Please remember this is just me talking, having owned quite a few devices over the years, and thinking about how long they last before they get too slow etc. When I say "lasts" 1-2 years, I really mean how long the tablet Android side can keep up IF (and that is an IF at this point) our Android version is never updated. In terms of physical hardware, there's no reason not to expect it to keep on chugging for 4 - 5 years (maybe an iRex Illiad owner can comment? Franky, is it?). Heck, I bought a *used* mac laptop (powerbook) back in 1997 that still "worked" when I finally put it to rest in 2007.

I have another 3 year old product that has been "abandoned" by Nokia that is starting to show signs that it can't keep up only because a lot of apps are no longer being developed or even supported, but the hardware is still in perfect condition, and for programs currently installed, they work as well as they did day one.

I just want to be clear about the fact that I am only trying to give reasonable, worst case expectations. I don't know anything more than anyone else. I just do have some experience with end-of-life products, which we can't even say the Edge is.

Sorry people, I edited my answer while you were answering me, so I repeat:

Originally Posted by lorenzoens

This is important: I'm totally fine with the basic software, I just need it to work properly without troubles.

highlights & notes: my main concern is about these functions on the e-ink screen. Do they work flawless for you, at present?

I'm asking it because I've read about a software update which solved the too frequent refreshing (I know how can it be frustrating)

A few quick notes re: notes and highlighting

re: Notes:

The journal software is pretty awesome. Just about as good as Journal Note on a tablet PC. I don't think anyone has any complaints about the functions of the journal as a writing app, other than maybe wishing files could be attached to it.

You can add "notes" (like post-its - typed, using virtual keyboard) to pdfs, and they even show up as entries in the table of contents. Handy especially if your pdf didn't have a TOC to begin with - now you have one.

You can scribble a note on a pdf, and I think the only issue with the big edge is that the scribble maintains its position on the screen even if you change the zoom of the document. Since my pdfs tend to be single column, and I don't need to zoom, I don't have any trouble. Search the threads for other people's experience using phrases like "two column" or "zoom annotations"

re: Highlighter
Also like notes, a highlighter mark creates an entry in a table of contents. So if you're reading an article "10 ways to..." you can simply highlight each #1, #2 etc. and you have an instant table of contents! By default the TOC entry will be whatever words you've highlighted, but you can edit that. So that's what's particularly cool about highlighting.

Downside: depending on how the document was formatted, some files don't separate words/highlights in their own meta data very well, and that means getting exact highlights (starting and stopping on just exact text) can be tricky because whatever data the edge is reading to decide what is a separate word or line might be compromised. If I want exactly certain words highlighted only, I may have to try 2-3 times to get it the way I want it. More often, I use highlighting only to reference a particular place (not line of text) because it might never work out perfectly, so search the threads for "highlighting" and see what you get.

Thanks very much Sarah, very useful hints to understand this machine.
I'll search the forum using the keys you indicated.

Let's hope the Edge's entourage will make us know something asap.
Lorenzo