Android e-reader boasts dual displays

“Touted as the first Android-based e-book device to provide full
Internet browsing, the Alex features a 6-inch EPD display from
E-Ink, as do most e-reader devices, including Amazon’s Linux-based,
market leading Kindle 2. Yet the Alex appears to be alone in also
providing a 3.5-inch color LCD display. In addition, the device
features earphones, speakers, and side-mounted control buttons,
says the Fremont, Calif.-based startup.

“For communications, the Alex provides both WiFi and a cellular
data modem that supports 3G, EVDO/CDMA, and GSM, says the company.
Cellular telephony does not appear to be supported. A removable SD
card is said to enable enables users to expand their text with
multimedia add-on editions, says the company.

“The Alex’s dual-display technology is dubbed by Spring Design
as the “Duet Navigator.” The idea is to offer the reader a way to
explore multimedia content and other background information related
to the text in a separate, but linked display. The Android OS is
said to be optimized to support integration between the color and
monochrome displays while preserving battery life. Users can
capture and cache web content on the LCD screen, and toggle to view
it on the EPD screen “without taxing the battery life,” says the
company.”

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