The Dual-Screen eDGe by Entourage Systems

This new product will be an e-book reader and a netbook at the same time.

Reportedly, Entourage Systems announced a new hybrid product, which combines the functionality of several devices. The company based in McLean, Virginia claims its new creation is an electronic book reader and a netbook at the same time.

This product, called eDGe, will come with Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g and Bluetooth connectivity. In addition, it will sport an ARM processor, 4GB of storage, two USB ports and an SD card slot. The operating system will be Google Android and the device will be capable of executing Microsoft Office DOC files “with 3-rd party application”.

The “double-identity” eDGe will be equipped with two displays. Allegedly, the left half of this product will have a 9.7-inch e-Ink 1200-by-825 display with 16 shades of gray. On this half users will read e-books in PDF and ePUB format. Furthermore, consumers will be able to take notes, draw and highlight text using a stylus.

According to Entourage Systems, the right half of the eDGe will feature a 10.1-inch 1024-by-600 LCD touchscreen which users will employ for sending e-mails, instant messaging and browsing the internet. Moreover, it could be used for running various applications, listening to music, watching movies and using the virtual keyboard. The screen will be capable of rotating 90 or 180 degrees, says the manufacturer.

The company says the screens will work together and users will be able to highlight a word or a phrase from the e-Ink display on the left and drag it to the right half to implement a Google search in the internet browser.

Despite not having the built-in access to a dedicated e-book store, eDGe users can take advantage of the ePUB format and the 1 million free books provided by Google. Reportedly, Entourage Systems is working on its own e-book shop.

This new product weighs about 2.5 pounds (≈1.13kg) and will come with a lithium-ion battery with expected life of 16+ hours, or up to 6 hours running the LCD display. The company says the eDGe will cost $490 and will not be available until February, 2010.

List of Specs: http://www.entourageedge.com/<wbr>entourage-edge.html