Our first CES 2010 post of the day is the press release by Spring Designs of their new eInk/LCD combo eBook reading device, The Alex. The device features a 6-inch eInk screen at 600×800 resolution and a 3.5-inch LCD display with a 320×480 resolution. The device weighs in at 310 grams (11 ounces) and 7500 ePage turns and around 6 hours of media playback. Key features include the Android OS and wireless connectivity to surf the internet, listen to music, or watch video on the LCD screen portion of the device while reading on the eInk screen above.
The price seems to be a bit higher than its closest rival, the Nook from Barnes and Noble, at $399. Still, the form factor and features of this device make it a real winner for people willing to pay a little extra for a fantastic eInk reading experience. Spring Design created the Alex as an open systems device with the ability to download any book or document that conforms to the Adobe ePUB/PDF/DRM standard or .txt or HTML format.
Check out the device on the Spring Designs web site and this video taken at CES 2010.
The Alex eReader
Does this mean I might be able to read Adobe DRM books on my android phone? Does Spring Design make the reading software available separately?