Spring Design shows 2-screen e-reader with Android
updated 07:30 am EDT, Mon October 19, 2009
Alex reader has e-paper, color touch
Spring Design today unveiled Alex, its own take on e-book reading. Beating Barnes & Noble to a dual-screen reader, the design has both a 6-inch e-paper screen for reading as well as a 3.5-inch color touchscreen for navigation and viewing related content. The entire platform is based on Android and is customized to integrate both displays, such as caching a web article to read it on the e-paper screen.
The reader is a reference design for other companies but can support 3G cellular data either through EVDO or HSPA while still having the option for Wi-Fi. An SD card slot provides the bulk of Alex's storage.
Spring says the reader is due to ship before the end of the year but so far says the device will ship through "selected strategic partners" rather than as a strictly self-branded device. No clues have been given as to which firms would use the Alex, though an EVDO version would largely be limited to North America.
uh
10/19, 09:32am reply
What a weird looking device. If I'm reading a book why do I want that big-old color screen at the bottom? I can't even guess what I'm supposed to be doing with all those photo icons shown in that photoshop mock up.
malax
Fresh-Faced Recruit
Joined: Aug 2006
That is rather puzzling as
10/19, 11:19am reply
to why those photos would be lumped at the bottom. No newspaper would have something like that. It's probably just a mockup to show the difference of e-ink versus the color screen. I'll admit I don't quite understand how this would work in real life unless you could browse two separate pages. Reading articles at the top while watching youtube videos at the bottom or something like that. I'm not knocking it, I just don't get the split screen part.
iphonerulez
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Joined: Nov 2008