The Entourage Edge is one intriguing little hybrid between an eReader and a tablet. It opens up like a book with 2 screens facing the user. There is a 1200 x 825 pixel 9.7-inch eInk screen on one side, and a 1024 x 600 pixel 10.1-inch color LCD on the other. It measures twice as thick as the Apple iPad, but it has 2 screens so that seems fair. It weighs in at 3 pounds, which is kind of heavy for a device that you are supposed to carry around like a book all day. The hinge has a 180° range of motion, which allows you to open it up and lay it flat on the table.
The eReader portion of this device boasts a Wacom enabled screen, where you can scribble annotations and notes on your ebooks. Page turns are at a miserable 3-5 seconds per turn, but that’s normal for an eReader. Battery life when using only the eReader is just over 16 hours.
The tablet runs on Android 1.6 (Donut) which has a Marvell Armada PXA168 processor (1.2 GHz but capped at 800 MHz by the software) and 512 MB of RAM with a resistive touchscreen. Several apps are included in the tablet, but you won’t have access to the Android Market for more apps. Entourage mentioned that they will implement their own marketplace in the future. One interesting app that is included in the tablet is DocumentsToGo, which allows you to view and edit Word, Excel and PowerPoint files. It can even read PDF files, but you probably want to stick with the eReader for PDFs, unless you really need to see colors in your document. Battery life when using only the tablet is only at 6 hours.
Other specs include 2 USB ports, 1 mini USB port, a headphone and mic slot, WiFi 802.11 b/g, 4GB internal flash memory, an SD card slot and a SIM card slot. It doesn’t have 3G connectivity. It’s priced at $499, which is pretty cheap considering that it is both an eReader as well as a tablet.
By now we all know that the iPad is being released on April 3, with pre-orders coming on March 12. Now seems like a perfect time for a study to come out saying people want to buy the iPad. This study comes from ChangeWave, and largely deals with those who own or plan on buying ebook readers.
According to ChangeWave’s study, 27 percent of current ebook reader owners regret not waiting for the iPad, with only 45 percent of current owners still choosing their current ebook readers over the iPad. Among the surveyed, 40 percent of those planning to buy an ebook reader in the next three months expect to buy an iPad. The Kindle came in second with 28 percent, with the Nook and Sony Reader following at 6 and 1 percent, respectively. It is worth noting, however, that only 34 percent of those surveyed cited reading ebooks as the top reason for buying an iPad, with 68 percent saying Internet browsing is the main feature.
The results here really aren’t entirely surprising. The iPad isn’t a dedicated ebook reader, and there are still those who prefer dedicated devices for some uses. What might be surprising is that watching video was the top feature of the iPad for only 24 percent of those surveyed. More people (28 percent) were most interested in reading magazines and periodicals on the device.
Speaking as a happy Nook owner, I can say I am not regretting that choice. The iPad is a nice looking device, and I’ll surely get one eventually, but having the e-ink screen is very nice for reading. What will be most interesting is seeing how these numbers hold up after the iPad release, when the rest of us can compare it to other devices.
Some may be sitting back and waiting for Google Chrome OS, but that is not to say we do not currently have a nice alternative already available with Jolicloud. Now, thanks to a recent post over on the official Jolicloud Blog that good alternative is about to get even better. As for the announcement, the final version of the “Robby” release will become available later this month.
In terms of what we can expect to see in this final release version,
Switching web app platform from Prism to Google Chrome
Keeping our commitment to Firefox
A new desktop mode: use Jolicloud with your nettop and a larger screen (seen above)
An improved Jolicloud Express
Now compatible with 100% of Intel based netbooks
And for those that may not be as familiar with Jolicloud, what I can say is that it is a nice alternative operating system for netbooks. Jolicloud is both fast and easy to use and I can say that I have been a happy user for a while now. In fact Jolicloud is currently the main and only operating system that I have installed on my Eee PC. Bottom line, if you are looking for something speedy, quick and easy for your netbook you may want to check this one out. As with most Linux distros you can choose to install it to your hard drive or give it a test run using a live CD or USB flash drive.
Yesterday, Steve Ballmer, CEO of Microsoft addressed students at the University of Washington. Ballmer revealed the new direction for Microsoft as a whole, confiding that 70% of employees were currently engaged in work that is cloud-related. In one years time, Ballmer expects that number to to jump to 90%.
"We're all in," he says. "This is the bet for our company." -Steve Ballmer
The cloud, of course, is the term used when data is stored online, not locally. Google has been prodding businesses and users to move their data to Google’s cloud through services like Gmail and Google apps that store content online which is accessible by a host of devices. Microsoft has reluctantly followed, dealing with how the move changes their entire business plan. Microsoft is re-engineering for the future and adjusting their business plan accordingly.
The cloud was part of just about everything Ballmer spoke about. From Windows Mobile, an older OS based on voice to Windows Phone based on cloud communications. From Office docs that were once stored locally to new versions coming in June that will free the data and make online sharing a priority.
Ballmer also let an interesting quip fly: “the cloud wants smarter devices.” Does that mean we’ll see more powerful mobile computers and software from Microsoft to compliment that? Or does it refer to Windows Phone and more powerful chips?
Haven’t caught all of the Gadgetell news this week? Here's your chance to catch up on this week’s top 10 articles!
Microsoft and Amazon reach agreement ” Microsoft and Amazon have announced an agreement that would give the companies access to each other's patents. The deal includes both the popular Kindle and Amazon's use of Linux based servers, and Microsoft's FAT, ClearType, and other technologies. “Microsoft’s patent portfolio is the largest and strongest in…” MORE »
Ubuntu 10.04 to support iPhones and iPod touches ” It seems at the beginning of every year, almost like clockwork, someone has to declare the next year to be “the year of the Linux desktop.” We haven’t yet reached the point, and it is doubtful if we’ll ever…” MORE »
iPad to cripple AT&T? CEO picks WiFi version as winner “AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson spoke at a conference yesterday and let drop some interesting bits about the iPhone and iPad. Stephenson didn’t confirm iPhone exclusivity, other than saying it will be an important part of AT&Ts line up for “quite some time.” However, Stephenson did comment on how…” MORE »
Judges puts a temporary hold on Apple vs Nokia patent fight ” The Apple vs. HTC patent war may be the tech story of the week, but it’s not the only patent fight involving Apple. The company is also involved a patent dispute with Nokia in which both companies accuse the other of violating their intellectual property. That fight…” MORE »
A Clear Indication Where Technology Is Headed: Skinput ” I feel like technology is at a point where a new mind-blowing, game-changing discovery is just around the corner. Well if Skinput is any indication as to how we will be interacting with data and devices, than I’d say we are…” MORE »
Better than a iPad? Mobile Surface could reshape mobile tech landscape “This week, Microsoft will show off some projects in development to employees at the Microsoft Research showcase in Redmond. The employee-only event will show off new directions for the company that the rest of us may see in…” MORE »
RIM says goodbye to the Pearl Flip, Curve, and Storm ” According to a leaked document from RIM, three of the manufacturer's BlackBerry smartphones are soon to be no more. The Pearl Flip, original Storm and Curve 8330 are on their way to retirement says the document, which lists them as “Current devices with…” MORE »
ASUS officially unveils the DR-900 e-reader ” Despite last hearing, and seeing images of the DR-950 e-reader from Asus we have seen the official unveiling of the DR-900. Asus made the DR-900 official…” MORE »
During World War II, US citizens were encouraged not to talk about locations or plans of our military for fear the enemy would hear. Much later, Geraldo Rivera would be chastised for drawing a map of where he was embedded with troops in Iraq. Today, an Isreali raid was called off when leaders were alerted to a Facebook update, which revealed the location.
"On Wednesday we clean up Qatanah, and on Thursday, god willing, we come home," the soldier wrote.
Qutanah is a village in the West Bank and the raid was intended to find suspected militants. Facebook friends reported the questionable post to the military. Their plan potentially uncovered, the planners scrapped the mission.
The soldier has since been relieved of combat duty and will serve 10 days in prison. We suspect he was probably un-friended by a lot of folks too. How do you come back from that, an “I am sorry” post? Or simply kill the account and start over?
The issue highlights the inherent potential danger of social media and the military. The US has recently made changes that grant full access to sites such as Facebook so families can stay in touch. Previously, many sites were blocked for fear of just this type of mistake made that could put more soldiers in harms way.
“Service members and DoD employees are welcome and encouraged to use new media to communicate with family and friends — at home stations or deployed — but it's important to do it safely. Keep in mind that everyone has a responsibility to protect themselves and their information online, and existing regulations on ethics, operational security, and privacy still apply. Be sure never to post any information that could be considered classified, sensitive, or that might put military members or families in danger.” - new Pentagon policy.
FROM GAMERTELL - Gamertell learns more about the ‘s new HitMaster audio monitor which is being marketed as an accessory to music games including Guitar Hero and Rock band… MORE »
Welcome to another week gone that you are not getting back. No matter how much we loathe the week, it’s in the books and no amount of illegal narcotics is going to change that fact. For these nominees, who I suspect are on crack, this week hasn’t been kind. Let’s get to it:
Microsoft loses the keys; the F1 key Sony Walkman Phone imminent BlackBerry mixing up a new batch of phones? Google v. Apple; what this is really about.
“Where did I put my damn keys?” Microsoft
It’s a common phrase in my house. I can’t ever find the keys to my car and the fact that my keys are now keyless only seems to exacerbate the issue as I don’t have to know where they are on me, just if they are near me. Thanks Toyota.
Microsoft seems to have lost the F1 key. See it on your keyboard? It sits there all smug, feeling good about being named numero uno. Oh God, don’t touch it! No seriously, don’t touch it. Our Sue Walsh reports, “Microsoft is warning XP users not to press the F1 key if a website prompts them to. The company urges them to ignore the warning saying it could be an exploit using a newly discovered vulnerability in VBScript.”
Fantastic. We are trained to download junk when prompted, to hit “OK” 8 million times to set up our Outlook server and now we can’t hit F1. What is next, F2? They wouldn’t dare.
Sony can’t resist Walkman phone
I’ve been poking fun at Sony’s antiquated Walkman brand ever since I lifted a pen here at Gadgetell. The seeming idiocy of continuing to use a brand that died with portable CD players made me think less of Sony. Now it seems they’ve figured this out (or have just been punking Ericsson all these years) and according to rumors, will announce a Playstation Phone or a PSPhone. (pronounced Pee-sphone).
From our hot little sister site who wears her skirts too short: Gamertell, “The Wall Street Journal reports that Sony will release a new smartphone in 2010 that will rival the iPhone. The phone is said to be made by Sony Ericsson. It will be capable of downloading and playing PlayStation games.”
More and more we hear how 9/10 apps on iPhones are games. Is a game-centered phone so out of focus for Sony? It looks like a real possibility as it looks to fight back advances made by Apple’s iPhone and iPod touch (the funnest iPod ever according to their marketing).
Could a PSPhone find a home in more than gamers hands? Could casual gamers pick this up with the stigma of being a gamer (if such a things exists, easy Gamertell)? Could Sony really hold itself back from slapping the Walkman brand on it somewhere?
BlackBerry hits the playground, heads for the slide(r).
Oh boy. Blackberry has made it’s fortunes as a great email device. When candy bar QWERTY phones ruled the landscape, BlackBerry had a monopoly. With the iPhone, Palm Pre, Droid, Nexus One all vying for our attention, BlackBerry looks like the freak in the back dressed as Barney the Dinosaur.
The solution: whip up some hip devices the kids out there will love. Only their next purported version, the Slider, looks like it won’t get any dances at the Middle School Spring Dance. Oddly shaped, chunky, possibly a hair lip, BlackBerry appears to have been listening a bit too much to Mom, “it doesn’t matter what you look like, it’s whats inside that counts.” Sure Mom. And girls make fun of me cause they are in love with me, right? Look how that worked out.
How about a new form factor: the pirate eye-patch phone. The Aye-Phone?
Google v. Apple; what it is all about
I normally don’t review stories I’ve written about, but this one is big. This one could change the mobile landscape. I’ll let me from a couple of days ago tell the story: “Yesterday, the world was abuzz with Apple's lawsuit targeting 20 alleged patent violations by HTC. Many of these devices named in the suit run Google's Android operating system. Google preemptively sent a statement regarding the issue, refusing to sit idly by while HTC took the punches.”
Let’s put this into perspective. You and I make stuff and we’re good friends. I am on your board of directors, you grab some of my cool map stuff for your little thing and we get along. Then, I decide my side gig is going to be a conflict of interest, so we build a fence - I can’t see you, you can’t see me. I resign from your board. Then you buy a map company and it kinda bums me out, you liked my map stuff yesterday. I build a phone store and only sell my phone. You have built lots of stores, so I figure, “what do you care?”
But you do care. I’ve been hanging out with Heather Trixie Cunningham (HTC for short) quite a little bit. I saw you spying on us a the movies, perv. And so, in a jealous rage, you lawyer up and sue Heather (aka HTC). She’s my girl, so I’ve got to say something like, “I am totally with this chick.”
So where does that leave us? We’re not going to work this out. Lawyers are going to run the show, getting rich off both of us and someone is going to have to change some code. There will be late nights for programmers. There will be no, “if the glove doesn’t fit, you must acquit” fun phrases to come out of this.
Microsoft is warning XP users not to press the F1 key if a website prompts them to. The company urges them to ignore the warning saying it could be an exploit using a newly discovered vulnerability in VBScript. A security advisory provided more info:
“The vulnerability exists in the way that VBScript interacts with Windows Help files when using Internet Explorer,” read the advisory. “If a malicious Web site displayed a specially crafted dialog box and a user pressed the F1 key, arbitrary code could be executed in the security context of the currently logged-on user.”
The Polish researcher that found the bug calls it a "logic flaw” and says a hacker could gain access to a users' computer by using it to feed them a fake Windows help file with malicious code embedded in it.
Users of Windows XP,Windows 2000 and Windows 2003 are affected by this bug but Vista, Windows 7, and Windows Server 2008 users are safe. Microsoft has not announced an ETA for a fix and lashed out at the researcher who notified the public of the bug, saying it was irresponsible and put customers at risk. Maurycy Prodeus fired back, saying he notified Microsoft 4 weeks before going public.
HP has recently unveiled its latest Vivienne Tam Edition netbook, which is also known as the Mini 210 and is sporting the “Butterfly Lovers” design. As for the design, the netbook features a specially designed lid and includes matching desktop wallpaper. Additionally, if you are looking to complete the Butterfly Lover package you can also add in the optional and matching wireless mouse.
In terms of specs, most notable is the operating system which is Windows 7 Home Premium as opposed to the netbook standard of Windows 7 Starter. Of course, that makes sense, after all they had to be able to make use of those wallpapers.
Other features of the Mini 210 netbook include a 10.1-inch 1024 x 600 resolution display, a 1.66GHz Intel Atom N450 processor, 2GB of RAM, 250GB hard drive and a 3-cell battery which is said to give up to 5.5 hours of run time.
As far as pricing, expect to pay $599.99. Finally, the Mini 210 Vivienne Tam Edition netbook will begin shipping as of March 19, however it is currently available as a pre-order item with Amazon.
Those following along with the webOS 1.4 game saw the update come available for Sprint, O2 and Movistar, then Verizon Wireless—and now its available for Bell. Nothing overly surprising in store for Bell customers, but hey, 1.4 means you can now start to record videos. In order to get the update, just hit up the Update app and then sit back and wait a little bit for the download, unpack and install process to run its course.
FROM APPLETELL - Apple has announced that iPad pre-orders will be accepted starting March 12th. WiFi models will be delivered April 3rd, while the WiFi/3G model will arrive in late April. MORE »
Insiders say Verizon will launch a Microsoft branded phone next month. Code named Pink, the phone is an oddly shaped slider designed by Danger, makers of the popular and sometimes cursed Sidekick for T-Mobile. A year ago the Pink was positioned as an iPhone killer, but then the Droid and Nexus One came around while Microsoft dragged its feet on a release. It appears now it will be aimed at a young, consumer audience as a messaging phone instead, and not a real stand out of one either. It won't run the much hyped Windows Mobile 7 (Microsoft has already announced it would like those phones to be offered by AT&T as its "preferred provider") and its features, like those of the candybar version also on the way, can't hold a candle to Android or iPhone. Many experts say Microsoft has simply missed the boat with this one.
FROM GAMERTELL - The Crazies are invading Facebook, iPhone and comic book shelves with a variety of merchandise. Oh, and there’s a movie in theaters, too. MORE »
YouTube has expanded its auto-caption functioning to make it easier for deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals to access content on the website.
Previously available only in beta, auto-captioning will use the same speech-to-text engine available in Google Voice to transcribe the words spoken in YouTube videos. There are some early drawbacks to this method similar to the comically bad Google Voice transcription. Speech-to-text has difficulty deciphering accents and some technological terms get jumbled when converted (in a demo, the phrase “SIM card” became “Salmon). There will also be problems if a video has background noise or music that may make it difficult to recognize speech patterns.
Google thinks the new caption function will be especially useful for educational purposes. Universities have already participated in the beta of captions, and it has proved valuable to deaf users. The closed captioning currently supports only English, but will eventually support other languages and transcribing from English to other tongues.
Important notes from Google’s conference and blog announcement
YouTube users will be able to search for specific content with auto-captioning
YouTube search will have a filter to deliver only results that have captions
Video owners can upload their own captions with a written transcript to ensure accuracy and decrease processing time
Yesterday, Steve Ballmer, CEO of Microsoft addressed students at the University of Washington. Ballmer revealed the new direction for Microsoft as a whole, confiding that 70% of employees were currently engaged in work that is cloud-related. In one years time, Ballmer expects that number to to jump to 90%.
During World War II, US citizens were encouraged not to talk about locations or plans of our military for fear the enemy would hear. Much later, Geraldo Rivera would be chastised for drawing a map of where he was embedded with troops in Iraq. Today, an Isreali raid was called off when leaders were alerted to a Facebook update, which revealed the location.
Those following along with the webOS 1.4 game saw the update come available for 
Insiders say Verizon will launch a Microsoft branded phone next month. Code named Pink, the phone is an oddly shaped slider designed by Danger, makers of the popular and sometimes cursed Sidekick for T-Mobile. A year ago the Pink was positioned as an iPhone killer, but then the Droid and Nexus One came around while Microsoft dragged its feet on a release. It appears now it will be aimed at a young, consumer audience as a messaging phone instead, and not a real stand out of one either. It won't run the much hyped Windows Mobile 7 (Microsoft has already announced it would like those phones to be offered by AT&T as its "preferred provider") and its features, like those of the candybar version also on the way, can't hold a candle to Android or iPhone. Many experts say Microsoft has simply missed the boat with this one.
YouTube has expanded its auto-caption functioning to make it easier for deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals to access content on the website. 
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