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Entourage Edge Overview

To be able to truly replicate the entire traditional reading experience, electronic readers should have the capability to dog-ear pages, underline important texts, or write notes on the margins as they would with traditional paper books. It’s a gap in current eReader capability that the upcoming Entourage Edge is trying fill.    

The device, in fact, attempts to go far beyond the average eReader in more ways than one. In addition to full digital writing capability, the Edge also brings a second screen that can be used for Web browsing, email, Microsoft Word processing, voice recording, and playing music and videos.

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Features – Hardware and Software

Entourage calls the Edge a dualbook – appropriately so, as it is made up of two screens, two personalities.

On the left side of the device is an electronic paper display. It boasts of an ample 9.7-inch screen size (same as the Kindle DX) with 8 shades of gray and 1200 x 825 resolution. There are hardware buttons for zooming in, page forward, page button, and a button for launching the journal app. On top of the screen are two rows of smallish icons, with the second row consisting of markup tools (highlighter, pen tip width, paintbrush, etc).

The EPD screen’s real “edge” over the average eReader is its note-taking capabilities. It is Wacom Penabled, and so allows reader interaction with books. You can scrawl notes on the margin or on the space between the lines of the book with a stylus, underline quotes, copy text selections, dog-ear pages, or attach virtual sticky notes.  Audio recording feature is especially useful for recording university lectures.      

On the right side is the Android-powered LCD screen. It measures 10.1 inches and has a screen resolution of 1024 x 600 pixels. You can use it to surf the Web, send email, read/write Microsoft docs, watch videos, and more.

What’s really impressive about the Edge is the way its two screens interplay and work in tandem. Search your library on the color screen, click on a title, and the book will open on the EPD screen. Click on a hyperlink or embedded video in an ebook, and it will run on the LCD screen. Black and white images on the EPD can be viewed as a color version on the LCD screen.

The two screens are connected by a hinge, which allows for a variety of configurations. You can turn it into a tablet or into netbook-style clamshell. You can fold the screens back to back or you can spread it open on a surface like a book.     

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As the device is a combination of eReader and tablet, it supports a wider variety of formats. While the EPD can only open ePUB and PDF books, the device itself can read or edit Microsoft Office applications including Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. The Edge also support a wide variety of video (3GP, MP4, Adobe Flash Lite) and audio (MP3, 3GPP WAV, OGG, AAC, and M4A) formats.

The Bottom Line

The Edge is already available for pre-order for $499. The first eReader to successfully integrate full note-taking and writing capabilities, the Entourage Edge is the long-awaited answer to the call for entire textbook experience.  The device’s vitality and flexibility is also top of the line. You can use it to read eBooks, record lectures, jot down notes, or write a journal entry. When class is over, you can use it to surf the Web or watch videos.

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Pros

The Edge’s writing capabilities is definitely its biggest advantage. The device is especially useful for students. Just in case your Edge goes haywire, the device lets you store backups of your books, complete with text add-ons (notes, scribbles, stick notes, highlights, doodles, etc), on the Entourage web server. In addition to adding notes to a book, people can also use the device as journal or diary. At 9.7 inches, the Edge has bigger screen real estate than most single screen eReaders like Sony Touch and B&N’s Nook, which means less need for zooming and resizing of text. You can get a full page per screen display, and still get ample margins for your notes.

Cons

One of the downside to having two screens is resultant weight. At 3 pounds, it’s twice the weight of the iPad and five times the weight a Kindle. For a device intended for long periods of use, , the Edge simply feels too heavy. Holding it after about 45 minutes to an hour leaves you with cramped arms. Weight is not an issue, though, if you do your reading with the Edge resting on a desk. While the Edge is a solid device, it has a poor user interface. Both screens are outfitted with their own confusing array of control buttons and icons it takes time to figure their uses. There are also several crutch features, such as the back button, the screen rotation button, and the trackball for scrolling down Web pages. It would have been better if these were rather integrated into the touchscreen interface. Like the Kindle, Entourage has a storefront, which can you directly access from the device. The Entourage store, however, has over 200,000 titles only. Sony has over 300,000 and Amazon has nearly half a million titles. The Entourage store doesn’t offer newspapers and magazines as well. Users only get 6 hours of battery life per charge.

What’s in the box:

- Entourage Edge
- Stylus
- Power Adapter
- USB Cable
- Quick Start Guide

Main Features

• Dimension: 8.25" x 10.75" by 1.0"
• Weighs 3 pounds
• Dual-screen device connected by a hinge includes an EPD and LCD color display; both are touch capacitive
• Internal memory of 4GB
• Screen rotation up to 180 degrees
• Stylus input on EPD and LCD screens
• Wacom Penabled EPD
• Portrait and landscape mode
• Tablet powered by Google Android

Key Features:

• eReader + netbook functionalities
• Has a journal application

Bonus Features:

* Audio/video record/playback