Archive for the ‘edge’ Category

Lenovo leaks ThinkPad Edge, X100e, T410s, W510, T510 and more ahead of CES

Hey Lenovo, your cards are showing. Just weeks after the FCC tipped us off on a new pair of netbooks that are all but definitely slated for a CES unveiling, Lenovo has no one but its web administrator(s) to blame for this one. A “New product showcase” portal over on the outfit’s site has just revealed a half dozen new lappies that are slated to go on sale starting January 5th – 7th, with the ultra-sleek 13.3-inch ThinkPad Edge leading the way. Said rig boasts up to 7.8 hours of battery life, a dual-core CPU, Windows 7, Bluetooth and WiMAX options, integrated WWAN / GPS, WiFi, a spill-resistant keyboard, three USB ports, a 5-in-1 media card reader and an option for a red paint job. There’s also a sub-3 pound ThinkPad X100e ultraportable with an 11.6-inch display, AMD processor and an only-available-overseas Arctic White color option. The T410, T410s, T510 and W510 are bringing up the rear, with their (admittedly brief) specification lists spelled out in the source links below.

[Thanks, Jake and Daniel]

Lenovo leaks ThinkPad Edge, X100e, T410s, W510, T510 and more ahead of CES originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 03 Jan 2010 11:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Dual-Screen Device Combines E-Reader, Netbook

Like Harvey “Two-Face” Dent, a new dual-screen device has two faces to match its double identity: It promises to be an electronic book reader and a netbook at the same time.

The Wi-Fi enabled device, called eDGe, will fold like a book and can be used as an e-reader. It will also serve as a digital notepad you can use to write notes or highlight text, send e-mails and instant messages, browse the internet and run apps, say the device’s creators. Under the hood, eDGe will be powered by Google’s Android operating system.

The left half of the eDGe will have a 9.7-inch E Ink e-paper display. Users will be able to read e-books in PDF and EPUB format and take notes or draw diagrams using a stylus. The right side of the device is a 10.1-inch LCD touchscreen that can be used to check e-mail and surf the web.

The $490 eDGe won’t be available until February, 2010, says its creator, Entourage Systems, a startup based in McLean, Virginia. But the company is taking pre-orders for the device.

Currently, e-book readers and netbooks are among the fastest-growing categories in consumer electronics. Not surprisingly, companies are trying to find ways to meld the two. Netbooks pioneer Asus, for instance, is also working on a dual-screen e-reader. Asus showed a prototype of the device at the CeBIT trade show in March and plans to unveil it at the Consumer Electronics Show in January. Asus’ e-reader will likely have two color touchscreens, a speaker, a webcam and a microphone, along with the capability to make inexpensive Skype calls.

The eDGe will have an ARM processor, 4 GB storage, an SD card slot and 2 USB ports. Weighing about 2.5 pounds, eDGe’s dual screens will work together, the company says. That means a user will be able to highlight a word from the e-paper screen and drag it to a browser on the LCD screen in order to do a Google search on it. (See a list of eDGe’s specs.)

As with many hybrid devices, eDGe runs the risk of not being good enough as either an e-book reader or as a netbook. Also, eDGe doesn’t have the kind of integrated access to an e-bookstore that companies such as Amazon and Barnes & Noble can offer with their e-readers. However, because eDGe uses the EPUB format, its customers can access the 1 million free, public-domain books digitized by Google. Getting the latest Dan Brown bestseller may be more difficult.

Still, the eDGe packs in some appealing extras. The device will come with a text-to-speech function and a 1.3-megapixel webcam. It will offer about 16 hours of battery life in e-reader mode and up to 6 hours when running the LCD screen, says Entourage Systems.

See Also:

• Barnes & Noble Unveils Kindle-Killing, Dual-Screen ‘Nook’ E-Reader …
• New Asus Color E-Reader Folds Like a Book
• 5 Things That Make Us Want Barnes & Noble’s Nook E-Reader
• Sony’s E-Book Reader Adds Touchscreen, Wireless Downloads

Photo: eDGe/ Entourage Systems

Entourage eDGe is the red-headed stepchild of two oversaturated markets

The once-nonexistent intersection of netbooks and e-readers seems to be populating quite hastily these days, first with this morning’s questionable Spring Design Alex and now with the entourage eDGe. On the left side of this dual-screen, dual-function hybrid, where ePub and PDF files are said to open by default, we’ve got a 9.7-inch e-paper display with 16 shades of gray. On the right, a 10.1-inch, 1024 x 600 resolution screen with Android. Both sides are stylus-centric touchscreen — scribbling and note-taking is encouraged here — and other amenities include 3GB memory, 802.11 b/g, Bluetooth, SD slot, two USB ports, 3.5mm headphone jack, a Li-ion battery for up to six hours, and support for EVDO / HSDPA via external modem. No word on what processor’s actually under the hood, but we won’t get our hopes up for anything more than very casual browsing. The site just launched with pre-orders being accepted to the tune of $490, or $530 if you’re wanting any color other than midnight blue, and will ship out February 2010. We also happened to stumble upon a PDF presentation from the company dated back to August 2009, if you feel so inclined to take a trip down memory lane.

Read – Entourage eDGe product page
Read – Aug. 2009 presentation [Warning: PDF file]

Filed under: Handhelds, Laptops

Entourage eDGe is the red-headed stepchild of two oversaturated markets originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 19 Oct 2009 15:51:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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