Alex eReader Available For Pre-Order Today (New Hands-on Video)

March 16th, 2010 by K. T. Bradford  

Today Spring Design made a lot of gadget geeks very happy by announcing that the dual-screen, Android-driven Alex eReader is finally available for order. That’s right, you can now lay down some cash for the eReader we awarded Best of CES. Sadly, you’ll have to wait until mid-April to actually touch it.

The Alex caught our attention not just because of its dual screens — a concept we saw all over the place at CES — but also because it incorporated them into a slim, sleek device that can still be considered pocketable. Plus, unlike the Nook, the LCD screen was actually large enough to be useful on its own. And since it runs Android in a more or less traditional manner, users will be able to add apps. Unitasking eReaders, beware.

The excitement isn’t just limited to US geeks — the company is taking an international approach with the Alex, working with local partners to sell versions of the device localized for speakers of Chinese, Spanish, Russian, Korean and Hebrew. Thanks in part to their relationship with Kobo — the eBook store Borders invested in last year — Spring Designs is already able to offer books in several languages across the world.

The version of the Alex you can pre-order today costs $399 and comes with wi-fi, but not 3G. The company is still working with carriers to bring that version to market, possibly at a subsidized rate, around the end of July. For those of you who just can’t wait that long, the Alex can be had for $399 via the Spring Design website.

We’ll have a full review for you soon; in the meantime, check out our latest hands-on video below.







Comments (7 Responses) 

Our Related Content

From Other Sites

Related Deals

 

7 Responses to “Alex eReader Available For Pre-Order Today (New Hands-on Video)”

  1. carmelra Says:
    March 16th, 2010 at 12:27 pm

    I wonder if the Alex eReader will truly support Hebrew ePub as it claims.
    eBooks can be found at http://www.mendele.co.il which is currently the only web site to offer Hebrew ePubs.

  2. karid Says:
    March 16th, 2010 at 11:55 pm

    Hey – that’s a great intro! Thank you! Much better than what I’ve seen on YouTube (w/ the prerelease versions). I am interested in seeing more comparison between Alex and Nook. Do they both turn pages with the same speed? Is the book/folder organization comparable? Do the touch screens have the same responsiveness, etc. I really like the Alex but was disappointed it wasn’t released with the $359 price tag. At $399, not sure it is worth the extra $150 over the Nook.

  3. karid Says:
    March 16th, 2010 at 11:58 pm

    Also, if you’re going to use the Alex for mostly reading books – does the extra 1″ on the bottom “get in the way”? Even though the weight is a little less than the Nook, the Alex looks like it might be more cumbersome to hold for long periods of time, like if you really want to read books and not just browse a magazine or the web.

  4. K. T. Bradford Says:
    March 17th, 2010 at 12:48 am

    Karid,

    all will be revealed in the full review! But I can say that page turn times are very close to the Nook. we’ll also provide more head-to-head comparisons in a blog post.

  5. Zaid Amir Says:
    March 17th, 2010 at 11:02 am

    Guess I’ll hv to wait till the holidays season for a possible price drop then, 399$ for an eReader is way too much. And to see the flaws that will come pouring our way when the device gets delivered and ppl start using it.

    I was really hoping to pre order this as soon as it gets released but the price tag and the fact that Spring Design so far has the worst possible tech support I have ever encountered. Sent them a couple of questions, over a month now and still no reply from them, nit even an auto-rep for confirmation. Makes u wonder.

    And BTW what are the supported eBook formats for Alex, and does it accept non-DRMed PDFs.

  6. Bic Says:
    March 22nd, 2010 at 8:14 pm

    Does it have a built-in dictionary?The bottom screen would be annoying most of the time I’m reading the top screen, plus it will likely run down the battery. How often are you really using the bottom screen? I would have preferred a larger e-screen instead (8 inches).

  7. BlueVaping Says:
    March 22nd, 2010 at 9:59 pm

    I have to agree the best intro for this device on the net I have found. I emailed the company about shipping and there were quick to answer a question, next morning. That may be the difference between sales and tech support. Haha… Its going to be a tough choice to pick from full lcd (Ipad), full reader wifi (onyx boox) or combo Alex. Thanks for the review.

Leave a Reply

Featured Sponsors