Take a closer looks at the Pocket Edge from Entourage--a dual-screen tablet with an e-ink display and an Android-powered color LCD.
Donald Bell
Donald Bell has spent more than five years as a CNET senior editor, reviewing everything from MP3 players to the first three generations of the Apple iPad. He currently devotes his time to producing How To content for CNET, as well as weekly episodes of CNET's Top 5 video series.
As a shrunken version of the original Entourage Edge tablet/e-reader, the Pocket Edge brings the same dual-screen concept to a smaller, more convenient, more affordable ($399) product.
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The Pocket Edge is composed of two screens attached by a common hinge. The left screen is a pen-responsive e-ink display measuring 6 inches diagonally. The screen on the right is a 7-inch color LCD running a custom version of Android 1.6.
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Here you can see the Pocket Edge next to its official retail packaging.
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The two screens of the Pocket Edge fold up into a relatively convenient book-size shape. It can't beat the slim form of the Kindle or Nook, but its capabilities are far more advanced.
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A stylus pen is tucked into the lid, allowing you to interact with either the e-ink display or resistive touch screen LCD.
Here, you can also see the USB host and sync ports. Using the host port, you can connect an external keyboard or load content using a thumb drive.
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The Pocket Edge measures 1 inch thick when closed. The unique hinge holding the screens together rotates 360 degrees, allowing the device to fold down with the screens facing inward or outward.
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In addition to the flexible hinge, the Pocket Edge's LCD can be oriented to face in any direction. Coupled with an external keyboard, the Pocket Edge effectively doubles as a word processor or e-mail/Web terminal.
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The BlackBerry-style trackball used on the original Entourage Edge has been replaced by an optical trackpad on the Pocket Edge. We can't yet say if it makes for a more effective interface. If nothing else, it means you won't have grunge collecting on a trackball.
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Here's what the Pocket Edge looks like during a typical use case. On the left, you have your marked up copy of "Wuthering Heights," and on the right, you have a Wi-Fi-connected Android tablet ready to pull up a Wikipedia reference, manage your bookmarked entries, or view any color images that might be associated with the book.
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For those times when an Android tablet just isn't necessary, you can fold the Pocket Edge's color LCD behind the e-ink display.
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The color screen of the Pocket Edge runs a custom version of Android 1.6, and includes apps for music, photos, videos, Docs to Go, and more. It does not, however, include Google's Android app store, so the potential for expanding the Pocket Edge's capabilities with apps is limited.
