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Barnes & Noble licenses Alex e-reader patents from Spring Design, settles dispute
You can now tack on one more footnote to the end of the Alex e-reader story -- Spring Design has finally settled its longstanding dispute with Barnes & Noble, and granted the company a "non-exclusive, paid-up royalty free license for the entire portfolio of Spring Design patents and patent applications." Terms of the settlement are otherwise confidential, with Barnes & Noble only saying that it is "pleased to add Spring Design's patents and patent applications as a complementary addition to our rapidly growing digital portfolio." Head on past the break for the short and sweet official press release.
Spring Design Alex dies, forever remembered as the one that looked like the Nook
The Spring Design Alex, introduced in late 2009, died today. The causes aren't exactly known, but it is said that the company's investor "stopped the money." We surmise its $399 price point at least put it on life support. The Alex lived a rather short life, in which it battled Barnes & Noble's Nook on shelves as well as in courts. The E-ink and LCD e-reader did, however, live to be rooted and sideloaded with apps. We'll always remember the Spring Design Alex as a brave Android, dual-screen e-reader willing to venture into tablet territories. Spring Design has confirmed the passing, but hasn't said if it plans to bring more children into the world. We wish them the best in this tough time.
Engadget's back to school guide: E-readers
Welcome to Engadget's Back to School guide! We know that this time of year can be pretty annoying and stressful for everyone, so we're here to help out with the heartbreaking process of gadget buying for the school-aged crowd. Today, we have e-readers in our sights -- and you can head to the Back to School hub to see the rest of the product guides as they're added throughout the month. Yes, it's the next round of buying advice for those of you condemned to start hitting the books at the end of the summer. But, with one of these e-readers, you might just have fewer books to hit -- or at least lighter ones. Sadly most schools are still dependent on texts of the pulpy variety, but that doesn't mean an e-reader can't make your life a lot easier at school, and possibly even save you some money if you're reading the classics.
Borders' Kobo-powered eBook Store now live with 1.5 million titles, Android and BlackBerry apps (update)
Exactly how many eBook stores do we need? Depends. If you own a dedicated e-reader then one is all you get. Own a tablet or smartphone and the world of eBook stores is pretty much yours for the taking through competing apps. Borders looks to be taking a hybrid approach by offering up the $150 Kobo, $120 Aluratek Libre (available July 20th), $170 Sony Touch, and $150 Sony Pocket eReaders and today's launch of a self-branded eBook store powered by Kobo's catalog of more than 1.5 million titles -- "thousands" of which are free and available in a variety of formats including ePub (primarily) and PDF. Borders also has desktop PC and Mac apps ready for download in addition to a few apps listed as "coming soon" for both Android and BlackBerry devices -- these join the apps already released for Apple's iOS. It just went live so why not hit the source and have a browse. P.S. Funny enough, there's not a single mention of Spring Design's Alex on Borders' new site. Funny sad, not ha ha. Update: The Android and BlackBerry apps are now live.
Amazon Kindle dual-screen e-reader patent granted, Barnes & Noble Nook potentially in trouble
Looks like the battle for e-reader dominance between Amazon and Barnes & Noble could soon expand beyond the recent spate of price drops and into the courtroom as well: the USPTO just granted a 2006 Amazon patent on e-readers with secondary LCD displays (like the original Kindle's scroller-navigation panel), and several of the claims are potentially broad enough to cover the Nook and many other devices with both electronic paper and LCD displays. What's more, Amazon agreed not to file for any corresponding foreign patents during the four-year approval process and thus wasn't required to publish the patent application -- meaning this is likely a complete surprise to the entire industry. Yeah, it's juicy. Here's one of the claims that could cause problems for Barnes & Noble -- in plain English, it potentially covers any device with both an electronic paper display and a second smaller LCD display next to it. A handheld electronic device comprising: a housing; an electronic paper display disposed in the housing and having a first surface area; and a liquid crystal display (LCD) disposed in the housing proximate the electronic paper display, the LCD having a second surface area that is smaller than the first surface area of the electronic paper display. That's pretty sweeping -- it doesn't take much to look at the Nook and see that it has both an electronic ink display and a smaller LCD located next to it. Now, we don't know if Amazon has any plans to actually sue anyone over this patent yet, but we're guessing there's a flurry of legal activity happening at all the major e-reader manufacturers right now, and we're definitely curious to see what the fallout looks like -- remember, Barnes & Noble is already involved in a trade secret dispute over the Nook with Spring Design, which claims that B&N saw its Alex reader under NDA and then copied it for the Nook. That case isn't scheduled to wrap up before November, so there's a chance B&N and Spring Design could end up simultaneously fighting each other in one case while taking on Amazon as allies in another, which would be... messy. We'll see what happens -- while we've no doubt Barnes & Noble will put up a serious fight if it comes to that, we're curious to see if the shift away from e-reader development to general-use tablets hastens as the market contracts, margins shrink, and the cost of litigation becomes prohibitive. The ball's very definitely in Amazon's court now -- stay tuned. [Thanks, Anand]
Alex e-reader rooted, five users overwhelmed with joy
Well, it was only a matter of time before the Alex e-reader got it's Android sportin' self hacked, right? According to e-reader enthusiast (and oddly named pirate) Bluebrain, this is exactly what he did over the weekend! You're psyched, right? Want to see pics? Get instructions? Try it out for yourself? What else are you going to do on a Monday morning -- work? Hit that source link to get started. Update: Bluebrain sent us a brand-new direct download for the zip file, with 100 percent less irksome advertising. Check it out!
Spring Design Alex starts shipping tomorrow
We'd gripe about the wait, but given all the e-book readers we saw at CES that've fallen off the radar or been delayed to oblivion, we're actually pretty proud of Spring Design for shipping the Alex at last. Orders will start going out tomorrow for the $399 dual screen reader. Not sure it's worth the price? Well, we're not positive either. Check out our review for a bit of help deciding.
Spring Design Alex review
We realize that the e-reader market is about as crowded (not to mention overwhelming) as a Walmart on Black Friday, but ever since the dual-screen Spring Design Alex surfaced and we mistook it as the Barnes & Noble Nook, we've been incredibly intrigued by it. Though its 6-inch E-Ink display and 3.5-inch Android LCD form factor may seem like a riff on the Nook, the Alex has quite a few more tricks up its sleeve, including a full Android browser and the ability to extend what appears on the LCD to the E-Ink screen. And that's just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to all the unorthodox extras baked into the $399 Alex. Still, games and gimmicks only get you so far, and you're probably wondering if it has what it takes to pull up next to the majors like the Kindle or Nook and knock them from the top. We've got that answer and lots more details on what it's like to use two screens rather than one just after the break in our full review. Join us, won't you? %Gallery-88668%
Spring Design Alex finally up for pre-order, Borders eBook store launching in June
Well it's about time, Spring Design! After missing its February ship date, the company is finally ready for you to whip out the plastic and pre-order its Alex -- that dual-screen, Android-based ereader we liked so much at CES. While you can shell out the $399 today, you'll still have to wait until mid-April for the mailman to drop off the package. We'd like to say the wait stops there, but we've also learned that early buyers won't have access to the promised Borders eBook store until June. When we chatted with Spring Design CEO Priscilla Lu last week she confirmed that Borders will officially launch its store in the "June time frame," which will be around the very same time that the 3G version of the Alex will be ready to hit the market -- at least there's access to Google Books and an micro-SD card slot for sideloading in the meantime. With so much coming down the pike it may be worth waiting a bit more time for this one, but our own Alex arrived just last night so no matter what it'd behoove you to wait a few days for our review before you hit the source link to pre-order. Update: Well, this is odd. Even though this news hit the wires today, the shop page on Spring Design's website is definitely non-functional right now. Instead, you'll see a message to check back soon. We'll keep doing just that until we see signs of life... or hear otherwise. Update 2: And we're back...the pre-order page is finally up! %Gallery-88293%
Spring Design Alex still not available for pre-order, 'early spring' ship date still planned
The first week of March may have brought warmer weather and an awesome episode of the Engadget Show, but unfortunately we're still missing a Spring Design Alex pre-order page. The company had promised to have its dual-screen, 3.5-inch Android and 6-inch e-ink e-Reader ready last week after the original February delay, but we've now been told that there were some slight issues with the order page and that it should be up within the "next week or two," and Spring Design still plans to have the reader in customer's hand's by "early spring." We've got no choice but to wait, but we can tell you we are looking forward to this whole spring thing in general.
Spring Design's Alex e-reader hits the FCC
Spring Design's Alex e-reader has certainly had one of the more interesting product launches in recent years and, with an actual release now seemingly imminent, it's finally turned up in the FCC's hands. There's not many surprises left at this point, but the agency has at least treated us to a peek inside the device, and offered us our first look at the device's user manual. Head on past the break for a few more exciting images, and hit up the link below for the complete rundown, FCC style.
Spring Design's Alex pushed to first week of March
February 22nd came and went with nary a word from Spring Design about its Alex availability. Now, after a bit of prodding, we're being told to check back during the first week of March; that's when you'll be able to order your dual-screen, 3.5-inch Android and 6-inch EPD e-Reader. So, $359 for Alex or $499 for the iPad launching just a few weeks later... decisions, decisions.
It's February 23rd, do you know where your Spring Design Alex is?
We hate to be the bearers of bad news, but it looks like the lovely Spring Design Alex has quietly missed its ship date. Back at CES the word was Febuary 22nd and, after spending a little quality time with the thing, we've been counting the days. Here we are on February 23rd and the only thing up for sale at the Spring Design website is a "coming soon" note, and we already have more of those than we know what to do with. Even more discouraging, the Borders site is still listing only Sony Readers up for sale. We've reached out to Spring Design to see what's up, so hang onto your pulp until we get a response. [Thanks, Matthäus]
Engadget Podcast 177: CES 2010 Day 3 - 01.08.2010
It took every bit of geeky fortitude we had left in our bodies to tear ourselves away from @LadyGaga's tweeterfeed for an hour and produce this podcast for you, but we did it. Feel appreciative?Hosts: Joshua Topolsky, Nilay Patel, Paul MillerProducer: Trent WolbeSong: Bad RomanceHear the podcast01:40 - Live from Palm's CES 2010 press event03:25 - Palm swings open doors to App Catalog's innards03:35 - Palm gets serious about 3D gaming on webOS04:00 - Video recording coming to all webOS devices in February (updated: Flash, too!)04:10 - Palm Pre Plus and Pixi Plus first hands-on (video)!04:40 - Palm introduces Palm Pre Plus: 16GB, coming to Verizon on January 25th06:30 - Palm Pixi Plus: WiFi-equipped and heading to Verizon23:10 - Palm intros Mobile Hotspot app, guaranteed to make your router jealous25:47 - Live from Dell's CES 2010 press event26:42 - Alienware M11X netbook gets official, costs less than a grand26:55 - Alienware M11x hands-on27:20 - Dell teases the Streak?29:00 - Dell slate (secret) hands-on30:00 - Dell 5-inch slate press pics want you to study them30:30 - Dell Mini 3 lightning hands-on33:17 - Live from NVIDIA's CES press event33:35 - NVIDIA announces Tegra 2, tablets en route35:00 - Plastic Logic QUE proReader in-depth video hands-on38:20 - Live from Paul Otellini's Intel CES keynote39:50 - Intel launches AppUp Center app store for Atom-powered devices (updated with hands-on impressions)40:25 - Intel announces WiDi HD wireless display technology43:27 - LG GW990 hands-on video48:12 - Spring Design announces partnership with Borders, lowers price on Alex reader49:35 - Notion Ink Adam prototype hands-on: it looks nothing like the render, but it's still pretty wild52:32 - Boxee Box confirmed to have Tegra 2, Boxee Beta now open to all Subscribe to the podcast[iTunes] Subscribe to the Podcast directly in iTunes (enhanced AAC).[RSS MP3] Add the Engadget Podcast feed (in MP3) to your RSS aggregator and have the show delivered automatically.[RSS AAC] Add the Engadget Podcast feed (in enhanced AAC) to your RSS aggregator.[Zune] Subscribe to the Podcast directly in the Zune MarketplaceDownload the podcastLISTEN (MP3)LISTEN (AAC)LISTEN (OGG)Contact the podcast1-888-ENGADGET or podcast (at) engadget (dot) com.Twitter: @joshuatopolsky @futurepaul @reckless @engadget
Spring Design announces partnership with Borders, lowers price on Alex reader
What do you do when one major book retailer (allegedly) steals your design and makes their own version of it? Why, you go and make a partnership with that major book retailer's major retail competitor, stick out your tongue, and hope for the best! That's what Spring Design seems to have done, signing up with Borders to sell the luscious Alex e-reader that we finally got to play with the other day. Borders will provide retail space for the reader and will create a branded digital book store as well as some "mobile eBook applications" of indeterminate nature. The most interesting part of the announcement? A new price for the device of $359, which makes it exactly 40 dollars more attractive than it was this morning. Full release after the break.
Spring Design's Alex e-reader gets February 22 release date, $399 price
If you like us were concerned that the Spring Design Alex e-reader would get mired down in legal battles and never find its way into the caressing hands of book lovers everywhere, you're not alone. Thankfully that doesn't seem to be the case, with the company indicating the dual-screen uberbook will be shipping toward the end of next month; February 22 to be precise. That's the good news. The bad? A price of $399, putting it nearly $150 higher than its closest competition at this point, the Nook, and while our brief hands-on time with the device left us with a much better impression than Barnes & Noble's device did when we got to play with it, we're not sure just how many people are going to be willing to pay that much of a premium for it. What say you?
Spring Design Alex hands-on (Update: video!)
Spring Design was poised to take the official wraps off of its dual-screen, Android-based ereader this Thursday, but we were able to catch an up close and personal glance at the device today here at CES Unveiled. Highlighted over at the Marvell booth (understandable given the choice of processor), the reader was intensely thin and remarkably snappy. We had some gripes with the speed of the Nook, but every action we took on the Alex was relatively lag free. We even downloaded a book and watched it open up immediately, and the touchscreen response was also satisfactory. Spring Design also opted to expose the microSD card slot on the rear; you simple mash your card into the slot and listen for the click, and mash it once more to eject it. You better hope nothing pushes it by mistake, but hey, at least you're not stuck removing some rear cover just to swap cards. We've gotta say -- we're digging this thing based on our brief time with it, and we'd invite you to have a peek at the gallery below till our demo video is prepped. Update: Video is after the break! %Gallery-81573%
Spring Design denied injunction on sales of Barnes & Noble Nook
This shouldn't be seen as an indicator of future rulings, but Spring Design has been denied its injunction to halt Barnes & Noble from selling the Nook. According to court documents, there is "genuine dispute" over whether the Nook was derived by Spring Design's contributions or was independently developed prior -- in a nutshell, there's no way for the court, or anyone at this point, to know what's really going on here. The creator of Alex, who as we've previously chronicled had many behind-the-scenes meetings on developing the Android-assisted e-book reader before BN pulled out of the deal, can take solace in an expedited pre-trial process to accommodate for an earlier hearing date. So now the only thing stopping Barnes and Noble from selling Nook is... Barnes and Noble itself. Turns out that's a pretty formidable foe. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Spring Design Alex comes out to play and show off Marvell's Armada chip
You'd think a pending lawsuit and a grainy official video would be enough exposure for one little dual-screen e-book reader, but Marvell's decided to bring out Spring Design's Alex as a way of showing off their new Armada chip, which claims a faster three frames per second refresh rate along with the usual assorted reductions in cost and power consumption. Maximum PC got the opportunity to see the Alex first-hand at the meeting, and note that while it's definitely thicker than the kindle (blame goes to the larger battery and second screen, naturally), it's a smart little device. Hit up the read link for more pics.
Spring Design sues Barnes & Noble over the Nook
We knew something was up with the Spring Design Alex dual-screen ebook reader the instant we saw its hastily-prepared web site published the night before Barnes & Noble's Nook launch, and it appears that our hunch was right: Spring Design just filed a trade secret lawsuit against B&N, alleging that their designers showed the Alex to the bookseller's execs before the Nook was developed. According to Spring Design, the two companies had been in contact with each other over ereader designs since the beginning of the year, with various executives exchanging calls, meetings and product details under NDA -- which would certainly explain why there are suddenly two Android-based ereaders on the market with dual electronic ink and capacitive LCD touchscreen displays. Definitely suspicious, but we'd also note that the Nook and Alex actually work quite differently: users browse the web on the Alex's touchscreen and then "print" the content they want to read to the electronic ink display, while the Nook doesn't have a browser and the touchscreen is only used for navigation, not content. We're digging for as much info as we can, and we'll hit you with more info as soon as we get it -- stay tuned.
