(PR Newswire, January 5, 2009) NEW YORK, Jan. 5 /PRNewswire/ -- McGraw-Hill Education today announced a strategic alliance with enTourage Systems, Inc., to deliver McGraw-Hill's higher educational content to the enTourage eDGe(TM), a revolutionary interactive dualbook(TM) that combines the features of an e-book reader, notepad and tablet netbook in one device. Students purchasing McGraw-Hill titles for the enTourage eDGe will not only be able to read the text but take and share notes online, search for phrases in the text, listen to accompanying audio and view images and video in full color.
 
"McGraw-Hill is committed to delivering high-quality content through innovative channels, and providing learning solutions to empower students to achieve academic success," said Ed Stanford, president, McGraw-Hill Higher Education. "We are very pleased to expand the reach of our digital content through alliances with enTourage Systems, as well as other educational technology companies and e-book distribution channels. Through these alliances, McGraw-Hill is providing learning tools that contribute considerably to students' understanding of subject matter and course mastery."
 
This collaboration marks the first higher ed content partnership for enTourage Systems. As e-books become increasingly popular, America's colleges and universities are embracing this digital learning solution to achieve improved student retention and pass rates while at the same time lowering the overall cost of instruction. The added functionality of the enTourage eDGe makes it especially well suited to the higher ed market, which requires note-taking capability and often features content with highly detailed graphical elements.
 
As part of the alliance, McGraw-Hill will make nearly 100 of its top-selling higher education titles available for purchase through the enTourage Systems' e-book store, spanning disciplines such as business, economics, science, math, humanities, foreign languages and social sciences. Some key titles include Managerial Accounting (Garrison, 13th edition); Principles of Economics (Frank, 4th ed.); Biology (Mader, 10th ed.); Elementary Statistics (Bluman, 5th ed.); Puntos de Partida (Knorre, 8th ed.); The Art of Public Speaking (Lucas, 10th ed.) and American History (Brinkley, 13th ed.).
 
"We're excited to collaborate with McGraw-Hill to bring world-class higher education content to students on the enTourage eDGe," said Asghar Mostafa, CEO and president of enTourage Systems, Inc. "Today's college and university students demand easy access to educational content whenever and wherever they want it without any compromises, and our strategic alliance addresses this need."
 
In addition to the e-paper side that is used to read e-books, take notes and draw diagrams, among other functionalities, the dual-screen enTourage eDGe also features an LCD side that allows users to send e-mails and instant messages, browse the Web, take pictures, and record and play audio and video content. The device is WiFi-enabled and features optional access to 3G networks for fast and easy data transfers. The eDGe runs on the Google Android operating system, allowing individuals to customize the device with applications and tools, and backs up all documents on enTourage Systems' servers. It will officially launch at the International Consumer Electronics Association trade show, taking place this month.