Partly an eReader, partly an Android tablet, partly an e-writer, the Entourage Pocket Edge is targeted for students and businessmen who want to a device that lets them do a lot of things. Unlike other multimedia devices, the Pocket Edge can do more than just read books or browse the web. The Entourage Pocket Edge lets you add notes to books, keep a journal, and record/play university lectures or conferences.

Features – Hardware and Software

Though the Pocket Edge retains the twin screen form factor of its older sibling, the device is scaled down to 7.5 x 8.2 x 1 inches. It also shed some weight, and is a lot lighter at 1.35 pounds. Instead of a trackball, the device now sports an optical touchpad.

Full e-writing capability, however, is still intact. Like the Edge, the Pocket Edge lets you underline/highlight text with included Wacom pen, write down notes on the margin of books, or keep a journal. What’s more impressive is that you can then save the marked up page or journal entry as a PDF file, move it to the LCD screen, then e-mail it to a contact.         

Owners can buy books from the Entourage Edge Store, which currently offers over 225,000 eBooks (including 65 NYT Bestsellers) and over 1500 e-periodicals, and from other sources such as Google Books and Project Gutenberg. Downloaded books are automatically opened in the eInk screen and shelved in your library.  

The Pocket Edge has 2MP camera, audio recorder (with dual microphone), microSD card slot, and 4GB onboard storage. It connects to the Internet via WiFi. Battery life depends on what you do. If you use both screens simultaneously, you only get 4 hours of use. If you turn off the LCD screen, you have 16 hours.

The Pocket Edge still uses the older Android 1.6 version.

The Bottom Line

The Entourage Pocket Edge Reader has a lot of promise as a textbook replacement, but Entourage has to iron out several issues including frustrating touchscreen, slow writing experience, poor battery life, and hefty form factor. For those who want a device that lets them read and write decently, however, the Pocket Edge Reader is now available for pre-order for $399.

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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