![]() But if you don't have a handy mobile computer or smartphone and welcome the opportunity to social network, surf and play games on your ereader, the Alex sings its siren song. Do you already own a smartphone, notebook and/or netbook? Android on the bottom might seem redundant- why pay extra for functionality you've already got? After all, Alex costs $399 while the nook and Kindle 2 are only $259. That brings me to the great divide: do you want an ebook reader because you love to read and abhor interruptions like the evil temptations of email, Twitter and the web? Alex isn't for you. Then using a file manager you can browse to the microSD card (a 2 gig card is included) and install apps from the card. If you're a clever little hacker, you can get apps on Alex, but first you'll have to find a way to download an Android file manager from the Net using Alex's web browser. But there's also no Android Market, so there's no way to download your favorite Android apps like Twitter, Facebook and more (an Alex Market is supposed to be in the works). It's perfectly easy to use, but a warning: there's only a small subset of the usual Android applications here, and in some cases that makes sense- there's no point to have phone-centric apps on a device that lacks a cellular radio. At 480 x 320 pixels, it has the same resolution as entry level Android phones like the MyTouch 3G and Motorola Backflip. Alex's touch screen measures almost 2" tall by just under 3" wide, giving it dimensions similar to a smartphone. It would be quite awkward to interact with vanilla Android given those dimensions. ![]() While the nook's lower touch screen also measures 3.5" diagonally, it's much shorter at 1" tall by 3.5" wide. ![]() Thumb through the manual that's pre-installed on Alex (you like to read, don't you?), and you'll discover that a long press of the back button functions as the home key and a long press of the page forward button works as the menu key. You'll also be confused since a few Google-mandated buttons have gone missing and they're hard to live without: the home button and the menu button. If you've ever owned or played with an Android smartphone, Alex's lower screen will look very familiar. Rather than using a very customized user interface that hides the standard Android experience, Spring Design lets it shine though. The good news is that Spring Design continued with their idea of the perfect dual-screen ereader with a 6" e-ink display up top and a 3.5" Android touch screen below. Spring Design worked on the nook, but they and B&N parted ways just before the nook launch in what seemed to be a less than pleasant situation. The latest kid on the block is the Spring Design Alex, an eBook reader that shares some DNA with the Barnes & Noble nook. Gone are the days when you could choose between the Sony Reader and the Sony Reader, or the Sony and Kindle. ![]() What's hot: Android in the roomy touchscreen.Ĭhoice is a good thing, even if it makes your life (temporarily) more difficult. Home > Gadget Reviews > Spring Design Alex
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