Spring Design Shows Alex in Pics and Video, Updates Lawsuit Against B&N 2009

By Dan Hope Nov 4th, 2009

The Spring Design Alex has been operating in the shadows of the Barnes & Noble Nook ever since it was announced, despite a lawsuit claiming the Nook copies Alex technology. Today we finally have more than just a press release on the Spring Design Alex. Pictures and video of the device give us an idea of how the Alex works, and frankly, it has made us forget all about the Nook.

As you can see from the images, the secondary touchscreen on the Alex ebook reader is bigger and seems more vibrant than that of the Nook. It’s technically thicker than the Nook, but we’re talking about millimeter differences here, so it’s not an issue. But the pictures really don’t tell the whole tale. It’s not until you get into the video that you really begin to see what the Alex can do.

That Android interface looks pretty standard, but oh the options it provides. We can’t wait to see Android apps programmed for this ebook reader. And the web browsing is a huge advantage over the Nook, although I’m not sure about the advantage of being able to move a web page from the LCD screen to the e-ink screen. Regardless, this video makes us excited to see the Alex in the real world.

Regarding Alex’s future, Spring Design has updated us all on the lawsuit they are currently bringing against Barnes & Noble. The non-disclosure agreement that the lawsuit is based around seems vague enough that Barnes & Noble might get a free pass with the Nook, so nothing is concrete yet. However, Barnes & Noble isn’t nearly as forthcoming about information and documents as Spring Design is, so they may be worried.