enTourage has offered up some instructions on how the owners of the eDGe can download content to their device directly from the Google eBook store without having to load the Android app. That will keep you reading for the foreseeable future. As for new apps, enTourage recommends the Amazon App Store and points out that there are apps available there that Google would never allow its store access to.

The big news here for people that own the device and have content still on the eDGe store is that they only have a few more days to download that content. As of May 27, the store will close and any content not downloaded will be lost. Entourage also says that the server hosting the registration information that allows the user to download content from other sources will stay online for the foreseeable future.

[via Android Community]

The Pocket eDGe runs Android and has WiFi b/g, Bluetooth, 3GB of internal storage, a 2-megapixel camera and a microSD card slot. There’s also a microUSB port and a headphones socket. The two displays work hand-in-hand thanks to Entourage’s tweaks to Android, so you can flip webpages over from the LCD to the E Ink for easier reading and annotation.

At $399.99 it’s still not cheap, but it’s an interesting alternative to the Huawei S7 and Samsung Galaxy Tab. More information in the video below.

[via Android Community]

Press Release:

WORLD’S SMALLEST DUALBOOK, POCKET EDGE, ENABLES MOBILE LIFESTYLES WITH MULTIMEDIA TABLET, NETBOOK AND E-READER FUNCTIONALITIES

McLean, VA – Consumers who crave portability, but don’t want to be weighed down by numerous consumer electronics can now easily read, write and surf the Web on-the-go with enTourage Systems’ Pocket eDGe – a device that gets users through the day with its comprehensive professional and entertainment applications, combining the functionality of a touch screen tablet, e-reader and notepad.

The Pocket eDGe is a compact, multi-purpose, WiFi-enabled device, weighing just 24 ounces as the smallest dualbook available on the market. It is comprised of hinged LCD and E-Ink screens that interact for better communication and engagement with multi-media materials. Available content includes a vast array of e-books, periodicals and music available through enTourage Systems’ Web store.

The 7” LCD screen is ideal for Web browsing or viewing videos. The LCD side allows users to send emails to quickly stay in touch and manipulate Microsoft Office documents. Users can take advantage of useful applications that are already incorporated into the software, such as the built-in calendar app which makes it easy for users to keep track of appointments. The Pocket eDGe also operates on the Google Android operating system, providing access to numerous helpful Android applications available at enTourage Systems’ application store and other third-party developer sites.

The other side of the product contains a 6” E-Ink screen for accessing any e-books and documents in EPUB. It is also compatible with PDF documents. The E-Ink screen is Wacom Penabled, allowing for easy annotation or note-taking with an included stylus, when the Journal function is activated. With this technology, users can mark up documents, such as notes, recipes or contracts, and then send them as PDFs to friends and colleagues.

The two screens uniquely interact. Users have the ability, for example, to search terms and key words from e-books in Google, a dictionary or via Wikipedia on the LCD side. The Pocket eDGe has built-in speakers, a microphone and a camera – letting users record lectures and meetings, or capture images, listen to music and watch videos. The mobile professional or student can also project presentations through a USB-Video adapter.

“Consumers are becoming increasingly mobile and demand technologies and information access regardless of their location,” said Asghar Mostafa, CEO of enTourage Systems, Inc. “The Pocket eDGe is compact and lightweight, but full of all of the features and tools an on-the-go user would need for work, school or recreation anytime, anywhere.”

To-date, enTourage Systems has secured more than 250,000 trade books and hundreds of New York Times best sellers, in addition to the more than one million free public domain books digitized by Google, that are all available at its e-book store. enTourage Systems provides access to over 1,300 newspapers from 82 countries and 39 languages, and also has enhanced its e-store with more than 8 million music tracks and albums from major and independent labels – creating a one-stop solution for digital content.

The Pocket eDGe inspires a green lifestyle, allowing users to store all notes, documents and books digitally to decrease paper waste.

The Pocket eDGe can be oriented to view the LCD vertically or horizontally, or it can be held like a book, propped open like a laptop, or opened the full 360-degrees to view only one screen.

The Pocket eDGe will be available in November 2010 at major online retailers for $399. For more information, please visit www.entourageedge.com, the enTourage eDGe Facebook page or @enTourageeDGe Twitter feed.

Unfortunately, the E Ink panel is the company’s previous-gen Vizplex screen, not the newer Pearl as seen on the third-gen Kindle.  The camera has switched sides, from above the LCD to above the e-paper display, and the controller nubbin on the right has been swapped for an optical trackpad.  It’s also lost some connectivity, being down to a single USB Host port, and the full-sized SD card slot of the original eDGe has been replaced with a microSDHC slot due to size constraints; the battery is now non-removable.

Otherwise the controls are basically the same as before, as are the CPU and the apps the Pocket eDGe will launch with.  As for that launch, no word on pricing but both the WiFi-only and the Verizon models will apparently drop late in October 2010.

According to the rumors, the Verizon ereader is due sometime this month and will have a roughly 7-inch display, rather than the 9.7-inch panels used on the existing model.  That should make it a little more pocket-friendly, though it’ll still be thicker than the Kindle and nook thanks to the hinged design.

Full specs are unclear, but the original eDGe had an E Ink panel on the left (with a Wacom digitizer) and a touchscreen LCD on the right, and ran the Android OS.  With September halfway done, we shouldn’t have long to wait to see if this particular model pans out.

[via The Digital Reader - thanks Nate!]

Unsurprisingly technical specifications aren’t exactly flooding the roadmap, so beyond the two devices having 7- and 10-inch displays there’s no indication of hardware.  If indeed Entourage are the hardware manufacturers, they’ve used Android as their OS before now together with both E Ink and touchscreen LCD displays.

The physical design has plenty of flexibility – you can use it like a book, or in landscape orientation, or even flip one display completely round to focus on the other – but is heavy to carry comfortably for extended periods.  As for the touchscreens, the LCD’s resistive layer is only average and its viewing angles shallow, though the active digitizer (which requires a special stylus) on the E Ink screen performs better and, at 9.7-inches, it’s a large display.  Unfortunately handwritten notes increase page-turn times, down to 4s each time.

Despite a 1.2GHz processor LAPTOP reckon the Android portion of the eDGe feels a little more sluggish than the Motorola DROID, and the on-screen keyboard is particularly laggy; boot time from cold is just over a minute.  There’s also no Android Market and the webcam is currently unused in any of the apps, while battery management doesn’t seem to be doing it’s job, leaving the LCD on unduly.  In the end, the eDGe has promise to a perhaps niche market, but LAPTOP aren’t quite convinced at this early stage.

While the headline claim is of up to 16hrs reading, that’s if you’re using the power-frugal E Ink panel.  Using both displays – E Ink and LCD touchscreen – simultaneously, or erring on the side of the LCD, will see up to 6hrs of runtime.  Still, given the way Entourage expect people to use the eDGe, opening webpages and ebooks from the color screen on the E Ink panel, and dragging monochrome images from the E Ink across to see them in color, that mixed usage seems most likely.  The eDGe is available to order now, priced at $499.

Video demo after the cut

The regular touchscreen (on the right) is used for browsing folders and directories of content, or searching the web; Entourage are positioning the eDGe as ideal for students looking to collate all of their reference materials together.  Once you’ve selected a file, it opens up on the e-ink panel, where you can read it, annotate it and then print or email the marked-up results.

The system is similar to the Barnes and Noble nook and the Spring Design Alex, which have small Android-based LCD touchscreens that are used to quickly navigate through content before displaying it on a larger e-ink display.  However the eDGe has the benefit of being a fully-functional netbook, too.

Video demo after the cut

Like the nook, the eDGe runs Android, using the color touchscreen to browse files and the internet before displaying ebooks and webpages in eye-friendly monochrome on the facing display.  Various controls are positioned roughly where your fingers would regularly rest while holding a book; we’re not sure exactly how heavy it is, however, though they’re saying you’ll see up to 6hrs runtime from a full battery charge.

Happily the production model – expected to launch officially at CES in January 2010 – looks a whole lot slicker, with a slimmer chassis.  Full specifications here; pricing is believed to be around $490, though optional WWAN wireless will push that up somewhat.

The cool device is a 10.1-inch screen device with touch interface that allows you to surf the web, watch movies, listen to music, and read eBooks. Users can also use a Bluetooth keyboard for faster typing. The other side of the machine is a 9.7-inch e-Ink display with a resolution of 1200 x 825 with 16 shades of gray for reading eBooks and other supported documents. The overall dimensions of the system are 8.25″ x 10.75″ and is 1″ thick when closed.

The device has 4GB of internal memory with 3GB available to the user. The e-paper side is Wacom Penabled and the device runs Android as the OS. Connectivity options include 802.11b/g and 3G when fitted with an optional EVDA or HSPA modem. The device is set for availability in February 2010 for $490.