Watch Spring Design Alex push the web to e-reader format (video)
This is frankly a pretty cool little feature of Spring Design's I-swear-I'm-not-Nook-but-oh-the-timing e-reader / Android hybrid, Alex. Browse to whatever web article / Google book / Wikipedia entry you want to enjoy, press the center button, and watch as Alex "prints" the page to the e-reader screen up top for a more comfortable reading experience. We'll admit we're a bit surprised to see a working model already -- hopefully this is a sign of good things to come sooner rather than later. Video after the break.
See more video at our hub!
See more video at our hub!


















That's kinda cool. I like all these new android/ebook combos.
What's up with all this e-reader news? Why do we all wan't to buy an e-book RIGHT NOW?
Oh man I hope the Grammar Police doesn't catch me.
wan't
i love it
@Hotdog: Why? Because if you read a lot it will save you tons of money. Before I went to reading ebooks I was spending on average $2800 a year just on paperbacks. Now I only spend about $200 a year on books.
That's not a bad concept at all. It's not the most attractive design, but it does appear to be rather functional and somewhat versatile. I wouldn't have considered a split screen design in that form. It appears to be a nice hybrid design that would have relatively good battery life.
Worst. Video. Refresh. Rate. Ever.
Pro tip: Please don't say "magically" when explaining how tech works.
Unless you say "automagically", that's allowed.
You don't believe in magic?
recently e-readers popping up like mushrooms
"Magic" mushrooms?
that is a really great feature, very impressed.
Ya much better than B&N
"We'll admit we're a bit surprised to see a working model already "
It's called simultanious or concurrent development, and it's happened for centuries. And it'll happen more and more in a world of 6, 7 and soon 8 billion people. It's the best argument against patents; let technical ability and first mover advantage take over from patents!
Taken to the logical conclusion, it's the best argument against ownership. ;)
price? free 3G?
When will people realize that CMOS cameraphones are not acceptable video quality for showing off a product? Nothing says quality like a picture that blurs and jiggles when there is any movement. When a sub-$100 digicam can take at least 640x480 video with an honest-to-goodness CCD without the blurring and jiggling, there is no excuse for this.
I like the looks and such of this one better than the Nook but B&N does a better job selling theirs by far.
Get this man some coffee.
Thats right the iphone has a 6" Eink screen
Nice work spring design. If you video refresh haters would just read the description of the video at its source, it was shot with a mobile phone - with the promise of bringing a better video. This is an UNOFFICIAL video that engadget posted to be FIRST! don't hate. appreciate (like everyone else).
I like the 'Print' function, that looks cool for dealing with web content, it would be cool if it could print the page and a defined level of on-site links from that page.
No doubt. Since seeing the Kindle DX, I've wished I could print certain articles from my laptop to an e-ink reader, much like is done generating a PDF. Y'know... instead of killing trees 'n stuff.
I like this... need to know how the wireless / wifi is priced.
It would be interesting to know that. I have a G1 phone with it's unlimited data... maybe it will allow (and T-Mobile also) swapping of the SIM in and out of my phone. Or a duplicate SIM?
If they price this equally to or less than the Nook, it belongs to ME.
Game. Changing. The integration between the web and the eink display is unbelievable. The ability to find an article online and then just have it display in eink is really tremendous. Bye bye Kindle. Nook, you almost had my heart. But I'm giving it to Alex.
You should be in advertising!
@bryan
You should advertise for a gay porn site.
The game changer has yet to to come..........the APPLE TABLET........supposed to rejuvinate print media...really nice product though.....better that the nook.......which doesnt make use on android that well
i bet the people who pay for free blogs on a kindle will feel pretty dumb after this comes out
I think the "game changer" iTablet has already been sunk.
I am betting between the capabilities of the Nook, Alex, and the textbook size double-screen ereader Entourage Edge, that the iTablet is going to come up short.
http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/19/entourage-edge-is-the-red-headed-stepchild-of-two-oversaturated/
I like the looks of the lcd touchscreen on the Alex better then the Nook. The one on the Nook seems just a little too small to be useful for anything ecept as a spot for reconfigurable buttons. Alex's lcd actually looks large enough for it to be of some use.
Time for Amazon to scramble to come up with an ebook reader which doesn't look outdated.
Oh yeah, and time for Apple to scramble to try to figure out what part of "game changing" hasn't already been changed. If all they planned was to plop OS-X onto a tablet like MS did with XP on the tablet PC five years ago, then I suspect they will have few sales... even to the most rabid apple fan.
So this web to e-ink is software and not hardware I presume? Any ideas as to whether the nook can pull off such a trick?
Design wise the nook is nicer, I'm not digging that black bar separating the two screens, and I'm sure refresh rates and such will be better on the B&N backed nook.
I could see this being a huge boon in a school environment. Have this (and a keyboard), and use it for everything, INCLUDING replacing heavy textbooks.
Lame lame lame. Not good for your eyes at all. Mediocre screen.
Looks like a nice hybrid, but the browsing screen is very small.
I prefer the Entourage Edge over this because that has big screens both for reading and browsing. It is also a clamshell design which helps protecting the screens.
Wow i was gonna pass on the whole e-reader craze and instead stick with a 9 or so inch netbook, until i saw this. As long as it has a 3g modem and not just wifi i can see myself preordering this. I hope the android is fully functional so i can play some tower defense in between reading sessions.
This is alittle more worth my money than the Kindle.....
Of all the readers that I've looked at, I'd say the features of Alex just wipes away everyone else.
But as others here have commented, I need more details and yes, I agree with Feign:
"I like the looks and such of this one better than the Nook but B&N does a better job selling theirs by far.
Get this man some coffee."
Someone should tell the video guy to turn on a light.