Portable Ebook Reader

Are you interested in a small, compact, and elegant e-reader with two integrated displays? Designed for future, this is the first digital e-reader in the CES to run on Google’s Android operating system. Cool design, fast browsing and high developed reading experience: Alex Digital Reader is your perfect companion both for home, school and business. Before getting it, don’t miss the chance to check out here some specs and features of Alex.

Coming with two displays, the Alex e-reader combines the efficiency and reading comfort of EPD and LCD displays. The full color 3.5 inch LCD display is perfect for web browsing, while 6 inch EPD screen looks nice for your extended reading experience. Alex is actually an Android device which is familiar with famous Android applications as well as new ones from Android developers. Standard apps include the Calculator, Email, Gallery, Music, Settings, and WebKit browser.

With Alex DR in your hands you can start building your own library on the go. Spring Design allows Alex users to download ePUB format digital books from Google Books and Alex partner bookstores. Don’t worry also the device’s memory, as it comes with a 2GB removable memory card and the microSD expansion slot supporting cards up to 32GB. This e-reader supports various file formats included ePUB, PDF, HTML, and TXT files as well as any MP4 or Flash video and many audio file formats.

Speaking about connectivity…Alex Digital Reader has WiFi, 3G, EVDO/CDMA and GSM capabilities. Alex e-reader comes with Android’s Wbkit browser on the board. The e-reader has a native ability to read Flash driven website content. Spring Design has also announced a new feature called Link-Notes. This means that users can add hyperlinks or clicking on hyper text within e-books visit a web-page.

You can also read your favorite e-books offline without recharging the battery with browsing and wireless off. The battery used for the device is 3.7V 1530 mAh Lithium Polymer that can deliver up to two weeks of standby time. Long and narrow, Alex e-reader has an interesting shape measuring 8.9 x 4.7 x 0.4 inches. It has only been a few days since the Alex Digital Reader from Spring Design has been announced with an available price of $399. The stylish and powerful Alex DR began shipping on April 16, 2010.

With the growing e-readers’ production these handheld reading devices are making a huge impression on their expanding category in the electronic gadget world. As everyone notices the iPad launch getting ever closer, other manufacturers are starting to show their part in the digital readers market.

The Asus electronic manufacturer has its big piece of the pie in the electronic gadget world too. Recently, one of the talked about e-book reader at the CES is the DR-900 produced by Asus. This device is perfect to maximize the reading experience, expand the reach of the reader, and attract them with its features and specs. As the company announced, the DR-900 is the first 9-inch e-book reader by Asus. The Asus DR 900 is a stylish and affordable e-book reader based on the Linux operating system.

The Asus DR 900 is quite light in the hand, it weighs just 370 grams and has dimensions of 222mm x 161mm x 9mm. Text is clear and very natural looked on SiPix 9-inch e-paper touchscreen display. Featuring 1024 x 768 resolution this e-ink display takes about a second or two to refresh the read document. Asus DR-900 is expected to support various file formats including MP3, ePUB, PDF, HTML, JPEG, GIF, PNG and TXT formats. There is also auto-rotate function that allows you to choose exactly how you’d like to orient your device.

Speaking about the apps, the Asus DR-900 comes with pre-loaded range of applications including a web browser, handwriting recognition, onscreen keyboard as well as music player application, study tool along with the eBook application. There’s also talk of text-to-speech and RSS apps on the board. The Asus Digital Reader is equipped with 4GB internal memory, which is perfect for holding books. User is able also to add more memory thanks to the SD card slot.

For connectivity the Asus 900 e-reader includes optional wireless 802.11g connectivity and 3G. The 900’s browser is well developed that will allow users to enjoy high speed performance and RSS feature. When producing the DR-900, the company was also serious about the battery life. It is very attractive, and can deliver 2 weeks without Wi-Fi and 4 days with Wi-Fi. This electronic gadget is thought to be launched this spring, but the pricing of the device isn’t available yet.

Plastic Logic is a spin-off company from the Cambridge University’s Cavendish Laboratory and specializes in polymer transistors and electronics. Plastic Logic’s Mission is to lead a revolution in the way people acquire, organize and consume information. The headquarters of Plastic Logic is in Mountain View, California.

Plastic Logic unveils QUE, the first proreader designed for the business professional. QUE is built using unique plastic electronics technology, and was designed to have the benefits of paper, but without weight and clutter. The Plastic Logic QUE ebook reader was designed by industrial design firm IDEO and is the best-looking device in its category.

The QUE borrows a certain Apple-like quality as it’s both extremely thin and very minimalist. The Plastic Logic QUE is an e-reader that enables you to carry reading material wherever you go. After three different debuts, we know QUE will be size of 1/3 inch thick and weighting 16 oz (453 grams), less than many periodicals (about a pound). Besides compact size the QUE is also a beautiful device. The company clearly put a lot of effort into everything from the design to one-touch navigation.

QUE features a crisp, clear screen that looks and reads just like paper. QUE has a lighter 10.7 inch display which is possible more durable than a glass screen. The screen displays your latest emails and calendar, pulled from Outlook along with your favorite subscriptions and books. The user is able to interact with the documents with the touch of a finger. Today the QUE has the largest E link display among ebook readers, as well as the touchscreen interface.

The device’s touchscreen display includes a virtual onscreen keyboard allowing the user to add notes, to include comments, highlight text, scribble free form, and even add a stamp to emphasize a point. No stylus is needed for the QUE.

Plastic Logic’s strategy is to aim its product at business professionals, given the large screen and support for Excel, Word, PowerPoint, and PDF. Plastic Logic has also given it email and calendar support, together with Outlook sync. QUE users will be able to connect to content and download wirelessly via Wi-Fi and AT&T’s 3G network, the nation’s fastest 3G mobile broadband network. With the QUE software, it’s easy to quickly transfer content from your PC, Mac computer, or BlackBerry smartphone to your QUE.

The company has also lined up a host of business publications to provide content for its platform, including the Dow Jones Company and The Wall Street Journal, Barron’s, and All Things Digital, Forbes, and Fast Company. The standard 4GB model can hold 35,000 documents or so, and an 8GB version pumps that up to 70,000 or so and the latest adds 3G connectivity. As nice as it is, Plastic Logic promise to reveal the Plastic Logic QUE in March. Preorders for the QUE proreader will be priced at $649 USD for the 4GB model with Wi-Fi or $799 USD for the 8GB model with both Wi-Fi and 3G.

Here’s the original preview article we posted in May 2009 about the QUE. Seems like Plastic Logic is really taking their time to get it perfect.