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Alex eReader Review
The Alex eReader is something of a newcomer in the e-book reading device market. Even so, it is the winner in the Best of CES 2010 eReader category. The name comes from, rumor has it, the library at Alexandria; one of the most extensive and impressive libraries in history. While the Alex eReader is a genuine reading device, it also has many other features that some users will find very attractive.
The Alex eReader is from Spring Design, Inc. At first glance, the device is sleek and attractive. Its round corners set it off from many other designs, but some users suggest that this also makes the device a bit cumbersome to hold. This is more than likely just a personal preference issue and has no real bearing on the integrity of the device itself. But there is something else that is likely to catch the user's eye.
One striking difference to the Alex is it contains two screens. The first is a small 3.5 inch LCD color touch-screen. The second is a larger, 6 inch Electronic Paper Display that mimics a printed page. Both screens offer users outstanding clarity. The text on the reading screen is adjustable in size, making it easy on the eyes for those who reading from it.
The unit is Android OS optimized for dual screen and is also Android-based for Internet browsing using Wi-Fi or 3G. The ability to move content from the LCD screen to the larger reading panel is easy and seamless.
The Alex eReader is incredibly versatile when it comes to downloading content. The device is designed to handle a large variety of formats, including music, images, and video, not to mention e-book formats--ePUB, PDF, HTML. As of this writing, the Alex does not provide support for MS Word files.
The Alex eReader allows users fast and easy access to over a million books. Users can buy from e-book vendors such as Kobo, eBooks, and BooksOnBoard, to name just a few.
The Alex Duet Navigator™ Browser system incorporated into the device allows users to easily use the Web in true color. The browser is of desktop quality and very intuitive to use. Web browsing, images, videos, etc are shown on the color screen.
The main command buttons for the Alex are located to the left and right of the screens on the front of the device. The buttons are easy to find, easy to use, and big enough to allow for smooth use, even for those with big fingers. Even the device contains a host of features, learning the commands is fairly straightforward and most people will be able to master them in a short time.
In terms of memory, the Alex offers users 256 MB of internal memory. The device ships with a removable SD card (2GB) for those who need more memory. There is also a micro-SD expansion slot that will support cards up to 32 GB.
Users can read material (offline) for about two weeks before a recharge of the battery is needed. With wireless and browser ON, battery life will be less and is dependent on usage.
One feature many users will love is that the Alex has built-in Wi-Fi. This can be used for streaming video or for simply surfing the web at a fast pace. The unit also comes with a built-in MP3 player, which can be used to listen to music or other audio MP3 files. On a minor downside, the unit also includes two speakers. The speakers are small and do not produce high-quality sound for music, but are just fine for voice-over. For music, the better option is to use the 2.5 mm headphone jack with quality headphones. By the way, that is not a typo. The jack is 2.5 mm, not the usual 3.5 mm that most of us are familiar with. Keep this in mind when purchasing external headphones or earpieces.
The Alex eReader offers users a variety of useful features that are not found in many other e-readers. For instance, with the Alex eReader, users can annotate their text in a variety of ways. Users can highlight passages to set them off. They can record notes and comments (in their own voice), and users can even add URL hyperlinks. As the user creates these various annotations, the display updates itself to include markers showing where the annotation are, which