enTourage eDGe Hybrid eBook Reader / Netbook Gets Official [Marvell and E Ink Announce New Ultra Thin Dual eReader]

What do you say, do we really need a new eBook reader? What happened with everyone out there? So many new devices have been unveiled so far and it looks like manufacturers will not stop yet. Marvell has decided to team up with E Ink and launch a totally new eBook reader concept, a dualbook that works as an eBook reader but also as a netbook.

The enTourage eDGe is the product in question and it combines an “E Ink reader with a netbook, notepad and audio/video player and recorder into one central device.” Details about the product are scarce to say the least at this point but we should have more information about the enTourage eDGe in the near future.

What we do know is that the device will use Marvell’s ARMADA 166E application processor which is a System-on-Chip. The SoC will be able to offer “ultra fast renderings of high resolution PDF documents” and it will be able to deal with all sorts of other activities performed by the netbook. On top of that the ARMADA processor will be very energy efficient as it will bring you a zero power hibernation mode. This whole new technology will be packed into a smaller, slimmer “form factor” that will be cheaper than what the competition already has in store for you. The device is expected to come with WiFi, 3G and Bluetooth connectivity and it will offer support for a bunch of operating systems out there: Google Android, Microsoft Windows Embedded, Microsoft Windows Mobile, Ubuntu and Maemo.

The main idea from the official press release is that the enTourage eDGe will be a very capable and very affordable eBook reader solution in the near future. And by near future we mean of course 2010 when the product should be available to the masses.

So what’s that popular about eBook readers I ask again? If we are to believe a recent iSuppli Research report, eReaders will become quite popular in the following years. It’s being projected that 18 million units or more will be shipped in 2010 compared to 1.1 million units last year. Are you ready to buy your eBook reader?