Alex Dual Screen eReader review

eReader Review HQ brings you a review of the Alex Dual Screen eReader by Spring Design

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The Alex might not be amongst the big three (Nook, Kindle and Sony) if you're considering the eReader market but it's certainly noteworthy because of its design and functionality. From your initial glance the first thing that enters your mind is that it undeniably has a few tricks up its sleeve. Then your thoughts go to a more familiar eReader which appears to be alike in many ways. Afterwards you have a light bulb moment and think "oh" it's also for navigating the eReader just like in the Nook". Spend more time with the Alex and you may recognize that you are in for a big surprise.

At the time they designed the Alex, Spring Design quite possible visualized a hip student and her/his requirements on a daily basis. We're speculating that the designers probably interviewed this demographic much more than any other. While looking at the Alex one cannot deny that it's eye candy. It looks elegant with its dual screens, lends an air of "coolness" for the all-black models and "crispness" for its all-white one. This eReader has two displays: an EPD and a 3.5-in LCD. The perfect sized LCD display is the main reason the eReader is longer than its other competitors. With the dimensions at 4.5 x 8.9 x .6 inches it might not fit a compact handbag but it will lie comfortably in a high school or college student's backpack. Weighing 16 oz. it may look heavy for an eReader but I'm sure the additional functions will make the additional weight worthwhile. The primary screen is much like any normal eReader at 6 inches long; E Ink technology ensures great readability in artificial as well as natural light. The secondary LCD screen is an Android powered 16-bit color touch screen. Not everybody is crazy about the device's ergonomics because it only has a sole forward page turn button and one backward button , one on either side of the reader. This makes working with it challenging when reading single handedly.

The functions that the Android supported LCD screen has are multimedia and browsing capabilities. You can view news clips, movies, Flash videos or MP4s. Listen to music, news broadcasts and lectures whilst you read using the built-in MP3 media player and speakers, or connect earphones to listen in private. The fact that you can browse the internet while simultaneously using the eReader screen is awesome. Another feature is its energy saving settings. Unlike other readers that have a colored screen and whose battery life is only a couple of hours long, the Alex means that you can read offline for as much as 2 weeks. The sole down side we see would be the price, a whopping $399! This high price would hinder a prospective buyer mainly because if he or she adds another hundred dollars they would have an iPad. In our opinion, for the Alex to be high on a Christmas list would not be difficult;but for the parents to shell out the money to buy them one is another story!

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