It's an e-reader, no a netbook, no a notebook, no an omgwtfbbq!
http://www.entourageedge.com/devices/en ... -edge.html
Microsoft's canceled Courier similarities aside... I think it might be trying too hard... although I must still admit to having an interest.
enTourage eDGe...
-
CrazyBernie
- Captain Magnate
- Posts: 1473
- Joined: November 29th, 2007, 1:11 pm
-
Evnissyen
- Captain
- Posts: 1078
- Joined: July 7th, 2008, 11:28 am
- Location: Elizabeth Warren Land
- Contact:
Re: enTourage eDGe...
Wow, now it opens and closes, just like a real book!
At the risk of sounding like a lousy contrarian... I guess I've always found it a just little bit ludicrous how the makers of e-book readers keep trying to make their devices mimic as much as possible an actual book . . . forgetting that the point of an e-book reader is to allow you to do all the things that you can't do with real, physical books -- such as doing quick-searches. It seems to me they're trying to mimic books because they seem to feel that people would still rather read a book than a computer device . . . which makes me wonder why you don't just stick with the damn book.
Of course, e-books and e-book readers have their uses, and they should be respected for that, and on that note I think instead of trying to mimic books: the makers of e-book readers should go back to the drawing-board, make a list of all the things that e-books and reader devices can do that books cannot, and then try to devise the best and most comfortable sort of tool that accomplishes that. ...Instead of trying to make a gadget that will somehow 'replace books'.
E-books, after all, will never take the place of books, and any manufacturers of e-book readers who harbor such dreams should get rid of them as soon as possible, I think.
(Rant concluded.)
So . . . now is when I go ahead and actually look at the product I just trashed.
For all I know, apart from the opposing pages (redundant, since you can just do a two-page view by turning the device sideways, to landscape orientation) they might be on the right path, regarding much of what I've said above. I'll see... .
(And, admittedly I do have a personal, sort of romantic prejudice, here. While I recognize the advantages of e-books and embrace those elements: I also feel offended by anybody who suggests that e-books could -- or, especially, should -- replace books.)
It's not just the feel of a book, the smell of a book, the mannerisms/behaviors of a book, the way you can 'snuggle up' with a book, the fact that books can be collected and sit on shelves and be physically handed to your friends for them to read . . . there's also the matter of book art, which, sadly, even these days have still not been adequately explored, much less taken seriously as a capitalistically viable art form -- blame Society (with a capital S) for that if you want -- that cannot be reproduced in e-book format, it can only exist in the form of a book, since book art is about the book itself, the book form and the ink on the pages.
At the risk of sounding like a lousy contrarian... I guess I've always found it a just little bit ludicrous how the makers of e-book readers keep trying to make their devices mimic as much as possible an actual book . . . forgetting that the point of an e-book reader is to allow you to do all the things that you can't do with real, physical books -- such as doing quick-searches. It seems to me they're trying to mimic books because they seem to feel that people would still rather read a book than a computer device . . . which makes me wonder why you don't just stick with the damn book.
Of course, e-books and e-book readers have their uses, and they should be respected for that, and on that note I think instead of trying to mimic books: the makers of e-book readers should go back to the drawing-board, make a list of all the things that e-books and reader devices can do that books cannot, and then try to devise the best and most comfortable sort of tool that accomplishes that. ...Instead of trying to make a gadget that will somehow 'replace books'.
E-books, after all, will never take the place of books, and any manufacturers of e-book readers who harbor such dreams should get rid of them as soon as possible, I think.
(Rant concluded.)
So . . . now is when I go ahead and actually look at the product I just trashed.
For all I know, apart from the opposing pages (redundant, since you can just do a two-page view by turning the device sideways, to landscape orientation) they might be on the right path, regarding much of what I've said above. I'll see... .
(And, admittedly I do have a personal, sort of romantic prejudice, here. While I recognize the advantages of e-books and embrace those elements: I also feel offended by anybody who suggests that e-books could -- or, especially, should -- replace books.)
It's not just the feel of a book, the smell of a book, the mannerisms/behaviors of a book, the way you can 'snuggle up' with a book, the fact that books can be collected and sit on shelves and be physically handed to your friends for them to read . . . there's also the matter of book art, which, sadly, even these days have still not been adequately explored, much less taken seriously as a capitalistically viable art form -- blame Society (with a capital S) for that if you want -- that cannot be reproduced in e-book format, it can only exist in the form of a book, since book art is about the book itself, the book form and the ink on the pages.
Certainty: a character-driven, literary, turn-based mini-CRPG in which Vasek, legendary "Wandering Philosopher", seeks certainties in a cryptically insular, organic, critically layered city.
-
CrazyBernie
- Captain Magnate
- Posts: 1473
- Joined: November 29th, 2007, 1:11 pm
Re: enTourage eDGe...
I think it's mostly a comfort thing... people are comfortable with holding a book. Most e-readers aren't like that anyways... they're more like tablets. This is more of a convergence device. It combines the e-paper functionality with stuff like email, internet, apps, etc. It's basically a 2 screen iPad... except one screen allows you to use a stylus for things like taking notes. Plus it's got features like usb ports, sd card storage, replaceable battery, etc; all of the things that the iPad should have come with, but were left out for proprietary reasons, as well as future revisions for iSheep to buy. All that for the same price as the base level iPad. The only thing missing is 3g/4g access... but with Android 2.2 coming out, I could probably tether it with my Droid... ^_^
Soo... part of the problem is that you're viewing it as just an e-book, when it's obviously a lot more.
Soo... part of the problem is that you're viewing it as just an e-book, when it's obviously a lot more.
-
BasiliskWrangler
- Site Admin
- Posts: 3825
- Joined: July 6th, 2006, 10:31 am
- Location: The Grid
- Contact:
Re: enTourage eDGe...
I like it. Android is likely to be the next OS that Basilisk Games officially supports, so more devices = good news.
Since we're on the subject- supporting iPhone/iPad is looking less-and-less likely. Apple has some very strict licensing requirements on iPhone/iPad development. It turns out that Steve Jobs doesn't want people to write one piece of code and port it to as many devices as possible. There are specific development restrictions that make it difficult to do this.
Since we're on the subject- supporting iPhone/iPad is looking less-and-less likely. Apple has some very strict licensing requirements on iPhone/iPad development. It turns out that Steve Jobs doesn't want people to write one piece of code and port it to as many devices as possible. There are specific development restrictions that make it difficult to do this.
Re: enTourage eDGe...
Eschalon on the Droid? Is this possible technically? Is´nt the hardware too weak?BasiliskWrangler wrote:I like it. Android is likely to be the next OS that Basilisk Games officially supports, so more devices = good news.
-
CrazyBernie
- Captain Magnate
- Posts: 1473
- Joined: November 29th, 2007, 1:11 pm
Re: enTourage eDGe...
I doubt he'll directly port Eschalon to the Droid... it'd likely be a "lite" version, or something completely different.vid wrote:Eschalon on the Droid? Is this possible technically? Is´nt the hardware too weak?BasiliskWrangler wrote:I like it. Android is likely to be the next OS that Basilisk Games officially supports, so more devices = good news.