entourage

The e-readers of CES 2010: Where are they now?

Prior to each year's Consumer Electronics Show, we like to write previews of what buzz-worthy products might appear at the show and what trends you might expect to hear about. We'll do that, we promise. But before we do, let's take a look back and see what we left behind.

Last year, as expected, the e-reader was front and center at CES, the hot new category if there ever was one. It had its own little pavilion on the show floor and we spent some time snapping photographs of all the new wares companies were proudly showcasing. … Read more

Dual-screen Android Pocket eDGe (hands-on)

Sometimes, convergence between two devices happens so naturally that you hardly notice. You wake up, and your iPod and your phone are the same thing, and you wonder how you ever managed them as separate devices.

Some convergence is a bit more blunt. Case in point--the Entourage eDGe, a dual-screen tablet and e-book reader CNET reviewed in March of this year. In a perfect world, there would be one screen that offers e-ink readability as well as LCD features like color, photos, and video playback. Not content to sit and wait for this mythical color e-ink technology to arrive, Entourage literally links the two screen types together to deliver the best of both.

Is it an elegant solution? Nope. But it works, and it delivers the experience of marking and annotating e-books like nothing else on the market. Its biggest problem (aside from the $490 price) was its unwieldy size.

To answer this criticism, Entourage is now selling the Pocket eDGe--a scaled-down version of its original product offered at a scaled down price of $399.

The two connected screens of the Pocket eDGe include a 6-inch e-ink Wacom tablet on the left, and a 7-inch (800x480) resistive LCD touch screen on the right. Like the original eDGe, the Pocket version includes Bluetooth, Wi-Fi b/g, and USB sync and host ports. You also get a microSD memory slot to expand on the 3GB of internal memory, built-in microphone, and built-in 2 megapixel camera capable of video and stills.

During our hands-on demonstration of the Pocket eDGe, we noticed that the modified Android 1.6 OS performs much faster than original eDGe we tested in March. We're told the performance boost is entirely due to software optimizations Entourage has rolled out to users over the past few months.

Compared with any other popular e-reader on the market, the Pocket eDGe is still a little chunky at a half inch thick when open, and an inch thick closed up. Still, we have to admit, it's a much more portable proposition than its predecessor. … Read more

Celebrity fantasy leagues on Facebook

Links from Thursday's episode of Loaded:

Google gets out of its FTC investigation with only a slap on the wrist

Google launches Google Place Search for local business listings

T-Mobile will be the first to sell the Samsung Galaxy Tab on November 10

Sony may be making a PlayStation Phone

Outlook for Mac came out this week

FanSwarm will launch on Facebook this weekend as a way to play celebrity fantasy leagues

Verizon could get Entourage Edge

On Monday, I relayed some hot gossip about Verizon's Android device roadmap for the rest of the year. The Boy Genius had originally uncovered the information, and I added new details that I received independently from someone in the know. I apologize, however, for making a mistake when reading my notes on the carrier's upcoming Android-powered tablets. Please find the correct dish below.

The Samsung P1 tablet, which is due in September, will not have the dual tablet/e-book reader design that I mentioned in my first blog. Instead, Verizon should offer the Entourage Edge dual book sometime … Read more

Microsoft updates Office 2004, 2008 for Mac

Focused on security and stability, Microsoft has released updates to its Office 2004 and 2008 suite of productivity applications for Mac.

The update to Office 2008, now version 12.2.6, plugs a security hole that would allow potential hackers to access your Mac's data by overwriting memory with malicious code. The update is recommended for all users of Microsoft Office 2008 for Mac (Home and Student Edition, Special Media Edition, Student and Teacher Edition, and Business Edition).

The update for Office 2004 also provides security upgrades as well as continued stability improvements. It is recommended for all users … Read more

Entourage Edge: Less than the sum of its screens

The Entourage Edge ($499) has all the makings of a technological success story. Unfortunately, as badly as I'd love to tell you that a start-up company combined a large-format e-book reader and Android tablet to create the textbook of the future, the reality just doesn't match up.

Instead, the interesting story here is a case study of when a convergence device gets it wrong. As someone who spent the past three years watching MP3 players slowly get devoured by smartphones and portable gaming devices, I'm particularly aware of the effect of convergence and the appeal of doing … Read more

Microsoft releases Office 2004/2008 updates

Microsoft has released a few updates to its Office 2004 and Office 2008 suites for OS X. These updates address security bugs in the programs, and for the 2008 version they also improve application stability.… Read more

Escort Entourage CIS silently tracks your wheels

Escort, a company most often associated with radar detectors, has collaborated with Blackline GPS to create a vehicle tracking system that lets drivers keep tabs on their rides via the internet. Known as the Escort Entourage CIS, this device is hidden in your vehicle where it monitors its GPS coordinates and intermittently checks in via a GSM/GPRS cellular connection. If something goes amiss, the owner is notified via SMS, e-mail, or a BlackBerry phone application.

With the CIS installed in our CNET test vehicle, we staged a few mock thefts to see how the device would help us to … Read more

Escort Entourage tracks your car on the Web

Escort, a name typically associated with high-end radar detectors, showcased a pair of security solutions for car at CES 2010. The Entourage PS and CIS are GPS tracking devices that allow users to keep tabs on their wheels from anywhere in the world via the Internet.

The Entourage PS is a portable device that can be tossed in the glove compartment or in the trunk for simple, no-install tracking. The PS charges at home or via your car's 12-volt power outlet and can continuously broadcast its location for up to 10 days thanks to an internal battery. The PS … Read more