Just when you thought the eReader/tablet war was heating up between Barnes and Noble, Amazon, and Apple, comes a new and exciting entry into the crowded field. McLean, Virginia-based enTourage Systems is showing off their new eDGe dualbook ($499) at this year's CEA Line Shows in New York City this week and it offers a number of unique features that nook, Kindle, and the iPad can't match.
The most obvious difference between the eDGE and competitive eReaders and tablets is that the eDGe is actually a little bit of both: it offers dual-screen eReader/Tablet with e-Ink on its eReader screen and a full-color LCD touchscreen for surfing the web, viewing photos and videos, and using Microsoft Office. Not only does the eDGe posses a 3 megapixel camera, but it can also record audio and video. The unit comes with 3GB of internal memory, a SD/MMC card slot, and two USB ports (are you listening Apple?) for connecting an external keyboard (if the virtual one doesn't strike your fancy), as well as attaching external hard drives.
The eDGe is WiFi-enabled and will certainly turn heads at your local Starbucks. The e-Ink display is 9.7" (1200x825 pixels) and has one nifty feature that the other eReaders lack; it can be written on with the included stylus. Not only can you make notes on the screen, but you can transfer them to the color LCD screen on the other side of the hinge, quickly and easily. You can also highlight text in a book (both ePub and PDFs) and search for it online. Similarly, you can select any image in an ebook and move it over for full color viewing on the 10.1" WXGA LCD screen.
The operating system is embedded Linux with Google Android; which means that many Android apps will work on the eDGe. The eDGe will playback MP3, WAV, MP4, AAC, OGG, and 3GPP audio formats through the stereo speakers or the 3.5mm headphone jack. With 3GB of internal memory, you can store more than 1,500 eBooks making it a serious rival to the nook, Kindle, and iPad.
The $499 retail price makes it a more expensive alternative to the nook and Kindle, but it does so much more and so much faster that it offers some real competition to the iPad.
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