GearWERKZ TechBlog

I have ben engaged in a dialog with enTourage Systems since just prior to the release of their device, the enTourage eDGe. While I continue to wait for a demo unit for review, I was able to conduct an interview via email with their VP of Marketing and Business Development. Peep the responses below for some insight into the company's view of the market and their own immediate future. Thanks to the folks at enTourage for this discussion.

Follow up:

GW: Please give us some background on how the staff and the company were pulled together and formed. Was the company led by the desire to design and produce the enTourage eDGe concept and then the necessary talent was assembled to realize the device? Or was there a group of people that knew they could create “something”, that got together, and then the device design flowed from that pool of creative talent?

DA: A number of executives on the enTourage Systems, Inc. team have worked together for many years on a few successful start-ups. The idea for the enTourage eDGe came because we saw a gap in the e-reader market for a device that could combine reading with the capabilities to take notes, surf the Web, send email, work in Microsoft Office, and play and record music, which would ultimately enhance the learning process. CEO Asghar Mostafa’s kids confirmed this, saying they couldn’t do much with only a dedicated e-reader. They wanted Internet connectivity, email, social networking options, and games; this tech-savvy generation has high expectations for personal electronics and demands more functionality from a single device.

GW: Were there business reasons as well as technical ones that led to the selection of Android as the operating system? While Android clearly represents a zero cost for licensing in device design and product, how does the company see Android in terms of its long range impact on cost and its supportability? Does the company foresee firmware updates, OS refreshes that are backwards compatible, adding apps or modifying layers of the interface?

DA: Android is a great mobile platform and allows enTourage eDGe users to customize their devices with the apps they need. As we’ve seen with smartphones, there is mass appeal from consumers today to be able to outfit their mobile electronics with quick applications. This will us allow us to work with talented third-party developers to create apps specifically for the enTourage eDGe that will enhance the product.

GW:The eDGe is clearly aimed at the academic environment, or even the academic hobbyist or life-long learner. Does enTourage foresee releasing new devices that are variations of the enTourage eDGe that are more suited towards other lifestyles? If so, what other targets and use-case scenarios does enTourage see as viable?

DA: The enTourage eDGe was created with students in mind, shrinking a backpack into a multi-functional, portable device that enhances the learning experience. However, the device offers numerous capabilities that mainstream consumers find appealing. As the e-reader and tablet markets heat up – the enTourage eDGe will become more attractive as it offers both in a cost-effective platform, adding to mass appeal.

The enTourage eDGe will satisfy other niche markets in addition to education, such as the legal, medical and government fields. Professions that are document-heavy will benefit from this device that lets them read, write, access the Web and communicate with colleagues conveniently from a single place. For example, a lawyer can take notes during a briefing on a previously PDF-ed statement, email it to his team while surfing the Web for additional information, attaching relevant lectures/Web pages.

We will continue to evolve the product, but cannot release any further details at this time.

GW: There do not appear to be a lot of social networking hooks in the enTourage eDGe interface, or at least they are not surfaced so as to be prominent. Was this a conscious design decision based on a perceived market dynamic? With consumers clamoring so much for more and more social network tethers, what was enTourage’s view of the market that made this less of a priority for the enTourage eDGe?

DA: We do offer sharing between devices, generating a social aspect amongst enTourage eDGe users. Customers can access their favorite social networks via the Web and third-party apps, as they would with a personal computer or smartphone.

GW: What other types of business and distribution partnerships is enTourage pursuing? While I understand you can certainly not mention names, are there hopes to have the enTourage eDGe offered through university or community college book stores? Has there been interest in having the enTourage eDGe provided in secondary schools for municipal education areas? What avenues is enTourage pursuing to make the enTourage eDGe a mainstream device versus a niche gadget, or is the intent to make it exactly that; a niche gadget?

DA: We are working to bring the enTourage eDGe into well-known retail outlets, and are also bringing the device to the education market through college bookstores. The enTourage eDGe is certainly a niche gadget, but also has mass appeal for users who are on-the-go, but need to easily digest, create and share content – so we are evaluating ways to promote the enTourage eDGe to a variety of consumers.

GW: While the choice to design a hybrid device has led to an innovative approach, this essentially makes the enTourage eDGe compete in two markets. With a bevy of competitors in both the netbook/tablet market and the e-reader market, how does enTourage plan to evolve the device to remain competitive in the face of a stream of consistently new hardware in those markets?

DA: While the enTourage eDGe shares functionalities similar to products available on the market today, it is the first of its kind. The enTourage eDGe is spearheading a new product category as the world’s first dualbook. The convergence of the E-Ink and LCD screens allows users to interact with content in ways they can’t with a dedicated e-reader or tablet/tablet.