Are two screens better than one? Aimed primarily at students, the Entourage Edge is a $499 eReader-tablet combo with a 9.7-inch eInk screen on one side (like the Kindle 2) and a 10.1-inch color LCD on the other. The company calls it a dualbook, and it’s hard not to be impressed by its sheer versatility. You can use this Android-powered device to download and read eBooks, take digital notes with the included stylus, and record lectures. And when class is dismissed—or before, your call—you can check your favorite sites, as well as play music and videos. While we appreciate this gadget’s dual personalities, its design is a bit clunky, there’s a dearth of available apps, and some features are not yet activated. Read on to find out if the Edge really doubles your pleasure.
Design
The 8.3 x 10.8 x 1.0 inch Edge is about the size and weight of a 10-inch netbook, though a bit thinner and slightly longer. Neverless, the iPad is half as thin, though it has only one display. On the outside, the Edge looks a bit like a white Macbook until you examine it up close. The slick plastic chassis lacks ornamentation, leaving all the interesting stuff for the inside. Our review unit came in Glacier White with gray accents, and the Edge also comes in Midnight Blue, Piano Black, Ruby Red, and Ice Blue. All of the color options except Midnight Blue cost $40 extra.
Upon opening the Edge, the first thing we noticed is the hinge that allows for a complete 180-degree range of motion for both of the dualbook’s displays. Users can fold them back to back and use just one display at a time, lay the device flat on a surface, or place either screen at any angle, including 45 degrees; the hinge is sturdy enough to keep each screen in place. To keep the tablet from sliding (and to protect the screens) both the outside chassis and inside edges have rubber grip strips or edges. We wish there was a latch to keep the two displays together when opened, though.
The problem is that 3-pound Edge feels heavy for a device that’s meant to be held for long periods of time. Though comfortable to hold as a tablet in the crook of our arm, after about 45 minutes we felt serious strain. Holding the Edge more like a book helped, with the screens at a 90-degree angle, but the weight became noticeble before an hour was up. This may not be as big a deal for students who will likely do most of their work and reading while resting the Edge on a desk.
Along the outer edges of the electronic paper display (EPD) you’ll find the Edge’s ports. The slots for SD cards and SIM cards (with rubber covers) sit next to the mini USB PC connector port and the Wi-Fi switch along the top edge. Two USB ports, mic, headphone, and the power jack line the side along with the volume control and power button. The removable battery slides in at the bottom edge. The slot for the included stylus can be found on the LCD side.
Buttons for Menu, Home, and Back sit to the right of the 10.1-inch color LCD touchscreen and function just as they would on a phone or other Android tablet. There’s also a button for rotating the screen in 90-degrees increments, giving users the ability to view content in portrait or Landscape mode. A (currently non-functioning) webcam sits above this display.
The buttons on the left edge of the EPD are mostly typical for an eReader: Zoom, Next Page, Last Page. The fourth button switches between the eBook or document and the Edge’s Journal feature (more on this later). This display is also touch-enabled, but you’ll need to use the stylus.
Heat
When we had the screens folded back to back we never felt any discomfort. However, after opening the dualbook to lay it flat, we noticed that the plastic on the back felt very warm. Our heat gun confirmed it: 106 to 110 degrees. While not getting quite this hot, whenever we placed the Edge in a bag with the screens closed, the chassis felt noticably warm.
The Edge’s eReader screen measures 9.7 inches and has a resolution of 1200 x 825 with 8 shades of gray. The 10.1-inch color LCD has a resolution of 1024 x 600, the same as found on most netbooks.
The resistive LCD touchscreen responds to input from fingertips and the stylus (or a fingernail), and we found it to be responsive for the most part. Like most resistive displays, however, the Edge sometimes incorrectly interpreted scrolling for selecting. It didn’t take long for us to figure out how best to work with the panel, but it’s still inferior to a capacitive display.
The matte finish of the LCD is a great companion for the EPD because you won’t have to put up with reflections. However, the LCD has narrow viewing angles, which made it hard to make out Web pages while the Edge was flat on a table. You’ll definitely have to lean over the device.
Entourage designed the Edge so that both screens work in tandem. You browse your book collection and make selections in the Library on the color LCD, and when users choose a file, an arrow indicates if it will show up on the EPD. The device can handle PDFs and EPUB books with embedded media (such as video) and hyperlinks. When clicked, they load in the appropriate program on the LCD side. The EPD displays pictures in books fairly well in grayscale, but if users want to see the full color version, all they need to do is click the camera icon and then the image, and the Edge will load it in Android’s picture viewer on the LCD (if available).
