Spring Design Alex
Filed under 6-inch eReaders
Spring Design’s Alex ebook reader sprung to the scene in late 2009 and has garnered much interest because of its nifty dual-screen display. With its impressive design and hardware capabilities, the Alex is set to be an ereader for hardware enthusisasts.
Design
Slim but tall is perhaps the best way to describe the Alex. While at first glance, it may bear resemblances to the Barnes & Noble Nook, rest assured that the Alex is entirely different and in some ways better. Measuring 22.5cms from top to bottom and weighing in at a surprisingly light 310 grams (as opposed to the Nook’s 317.5 grams), the Alex may be lengthy but it is still solid and sturdy.
The design is made up of two screens stacked on top of each other: a monochromatic e-ink display for reading and an Android powered colour touchscreen for moving around the menus and brwosing. The main e-ink display is 6-inches and has a resolution of 600 x 800 pixels while the touchscreen is 3.5-inches with a 320 x 240 pixel LCD. To give you an indication of its size, the LCD touchscreen is the equivalent of having an iPhone bolted on the bottom which is great as the interface is large and user-friendly.
Although the Alex sports a touchscreen display, the reader is by no means buttonless. In fact, down either side of the colour screen are menu, power, back and home buttons. The Alex caters for the very natural tendency to shift weight and position while reading as the “next page” buttons are located on both sides of the device.
Display
The 6-inch screen is the standard matte e-ink which does well to reduce eyestrain and combat reflective lighting. But when it comes to the lower screen, things really get interesting. In one respect, ebook navigation is similar to the Nook’s in that the faster bottom screen serves as a touch interface for the top screen. In other words, you can browse through your books, etc. on the bottom screen and read them on the top.
However where the Alex really sets itself apart is the fact that it will run any Android application including the browser, email client, and music player apps. In addition to this, you can push content from the bottom screen to the top whenever you want, meaning that you can navigate to a web page on the bottom screen, then once it’s rendered, send it to the top. Smart!
The touch-sensitive screen also houses the virtual keyboard and a slide bar, which makes text entry, skipping to a page, or navigating the menu bar a lot easier. It does take a while to get used to the interaction between the two screens but be patient as it is well worth the wait.
Software
I have always maintained that an ebook reader is only as good as the software that it uses and from what I can see, the Alex has thought of everything and perhaps even a bit more. For starters, because the Alex runs Android, it is capable of doing far more than simply reading books. Outside of downloading and running apps found in the Android market, basic internet needs such as checking email, running Google searches, and playing multimedia content both on and offline are all supported by the device. Taking things a step further, the Alex also supports so called “Web Grabs” which allows users to capture and send selected content from online sites to the EPD screen for better viewing.
In terms of connectivity, the Alex that is currently available has wi-fi access but word on the street is that a more expensive brother with 3G access will be available in June 2010 (but don’t hold your breath). The delay of the 3G version can be attributed to carrier difficulties in that the 3G version would effectively be an Android tablet with full web access so carrier negotiations and internal debates about how to charge customers ensue.
In terms of content, users can download Adobe digital content from Google Books or purchase ebooks, magazines, and newspapers from Border’s Kobo-based store and other Alex partner bookstores. But because the wi-fi version is strictly wi-fi, Google doesn’t bless it with the official Android app package, but it’s running Android 1.5 Cupcake.
A micro-SD slot lets you insert an external storage device into your Alex.
Battery Life
Spring Design promise 7500 page turns or 6 hours of media playback but because the reader has not hit the shelves just yet, this is a hard one to clarify.
In an attempt to conserve battery life, the Alex automatically turns off the lower power-hungry screen when not in use meaning that you should still get a decent battery life from the unit.
Conclusion
Benefits
With its dual-screen system, the Spring Design Alex promises to open up new possibilities with the way we access and interact with content both online and offline. This in turn takes our reading and indeed multimedia experience to a whole new level.
Downfalls
With so much coming down the pike it may be worth waiting a bit more time for this one.
Note: The Alex is now available for pre-order at: https://www.springdesign.com/us/shoppingcart/select.action
