The initial setup of Intel Edison (image credit)
The initial setup of the Intel Edison can be hard for some people. There is a ton of things you can do with Intel Edison, but for the first step in the Linux area, you need to be familiar with the command line. With additional accessories, such as a rechargeable battery, external antenna, or with extra software like HELIOS UB2, you can have a fully functional system that does pretty much everything you need.
If you are a Mac user, in this guide you can find all the steps necessary to get started with Edison. The steps are pretty the same for Linux and Windows users.