Ok....now what?

Folks, I purchased an EE a few weeks ago and returned it. Cost then was $468.00. Frankly, I missed it and reordered one tonight for a total cost of $273.00 from Amazon via U-Tech. I never put the EE through its paces when I first got it. So, my question to you has to do with what kind of applications does this thing really offer? I know that I could not register it through Adobe, but I'm not sure if that is a real big deal or not...the DRM issue, or something. I upgraded to Ermine (sp?) and that really improved things and I preferred the interface and increased speed.

When it comes to the reader, are there restrictions now? How does one buy or download top-level books? Are there other avenues to take for buying books beyond Adobe? I take it that is why one registered with Adobe - was to buy books, right? If there are other options, which are best?

I would just like some ideas to really understand what this EE unit can really do (it's greatest functions for you guys), and so forth. What are the biggest drawbacks now?

Is getting an extended warranty from Square Trade (3 years for $70.00) a good idea given that there may not be support over the long-haul? The only thing it wouldn't cover is software issues, and I have not read that this has been a real problem with the EE. I trust that Entourage has to support it for at least one year. Any other warranty ideas or suggestions? Is it possible to still contact Entourage at this point for tech support? I have a bad feeling about that one....I don't think they're returning calls, etc..

Basically, I fell in love with this gadget even though I had it for such a short period of time. What is nice is the fact that I fell into saving nearly $200.00 on the purchase the second time around.

I sure would love to hear from some of you - - I think I could use some reassurance since I cannot return the EE this time.....retailers are starting to pull back from allowing returns. Go figure. U-Tech rep/owner told me that the EE's biggest distributor sold him what remained in their stock and that's why he's unloading them and making a little money in doing so. This does not speak well for the Entourage company. I have not heard a thing about Entourage's future, but I guess the CEO or CFO spoke recently at a college....any news about that?

Anyway, I hope to hear from a few of you more experienced users soon. Also, if this cite goes away, is there another at which this group meets...or is planning to meet?

Warm regards,

Roger

Originally Posted by socman123

...Anyway, I hope to hear from a few of you more experienced users soon. Also, if this cite goes away, is there another at which this group meets...or is planning to meet?

Warm regards,

Roger

Roger - MobileRead seems to be the go-to site if enTourage closes its doors:

https://www.mobileread.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=218

Sheesh, socman/Roger -- you threw a lot of questions into that one post!!

Why can't you register with Adobe?

Do you know anything about Calibre? It's a really wonderful (in my opinion) program that handles ebooks. For most of my reading material I go through Calibre on my PC and pick up books from there (to my PE) by wifi or USB cable. Calibre converts files to different formats, so can make almost any other format into an epub or pdf to read on your eDGe. If you want to read the DRM epubs you will have to register your eDGe with Adobe, as you suspected. But there are lots of epubs out in the world that are DRM free. Check MobileRead for more info.

What do you mean by "top level" books? Do you mean bestsellers? There aren't any restrictions (that I know of) as to where you get your books. I get mine from the library or shop around for the best price. I can download straight into my eDGe or sideload from my PC (as described above), but going straight from the library or any of the bookstores will require Adobe registration. You might be able to get around that, but not legally.

On the tablet side you can download apps for the big ebook stores, Amazon Kindle and Borders for 2. Through the Kindle app you can buy books from Amazon and read them on the LCD screen. It is a nice clean interface, but I still prefer the e-ink.

There is so much you can do with your EE. It will probably take you some time to figure it all out.

I should point out that I do not have an EE (yet!) myself, so I am only assuming the Kindle app works as well on the EE as it does on the PE.

I checked out Calibre - very interesting and after watching the demo video, I can see why you like it. Pretty snazy. If you were thinking of an EE purchase, might I suggest visiting Amazon and pulling the trigger on one of the few red EE's that are left? They are listed for $299.99, but I saved when I put the charge on my Amazon Card - $40.00 coupon. What a great deal, but few (if only one) left. Again, thanks for your input. Any other advice or suggestions always welcomed....can't wait to get the EE this time around.

Also, Batman Jr....will check out MobileRead site...thanks for that info.

Roger

I would buy from Amazon today, except I already paid for one through ebay. Haven't received it. Looks like my first bad ebay purchase. I will have to get my money back from that before I can buy again, dang it! Oh well. One way or another I will be getting an EE!

Looks like I got last Blue EE from Tech-U yesterday for 300$ and the day before just missed black EE from them... So it seems definite that Entourage is not producing EE or PE anymore... Maybe they are working on new completely re-designed model??? Just hope. I myself is in sort of the same boat - I have a small company which makes hand-held Landmapper devices for soil mapping and monitoring and we order in batches from manufacturer in Russia - now they just informed me that the enclosure is not available anymore and we need to re-design the whole pcb board etc, it will take more time, money etc. Now as word spread out I have a demand but no supply for my devices... So I am stocking up on EE and PE to use in my R&D...LOL

Entourage CEO speech is today, May 5. Maybe we'll hear something? Maybe Dr. T attended??