e-books and e-readers: post here
- Thread starter haven
- Start date
Apple just entered the e-book reader in a big way. The Apple iPad is a 9.7 inch color LCD e-book reader that weighs about 1.5 lbs. The iPad will display e-books in the ePub format. You can choose font style and size of text.
The iPad is linked to an online store run by Apple called iBook Store. The iPad uses a bookshelf view of titles stored on the machine.
At the announcement of the iPad, the NY Times displayed a version of its newspaper formatted for the iPad. The layout included video clips embedded with stories. No word on subscription price yet.
The iPad will be delivered in 60 days. Prices start at $499.
The iPad is linked to an online store run by Apple called iBook Store. The iPad uses a bookshelf view of titles stored on the machine.
At the announcement of the iPad, the NY Times displayed a version of its newspaper formatted for the iPad. The layout included video clips embedded with stories. No word on subscription price yet.
The iPad will be delivered in 60 days. Prices start at $499.
iPad vs Kindle
One function the iPad is supposed to be very good at is the presentation of e-books. Let's see how the iPad compares with the Kindle DX and the new Sony Reader Daily Edition.
-------------------
Physical size
-------------------
Kindle DX: 10.4" x 7.2" x 0.38" , 18.9 oz w/ Whispernet 3G
iPad: 9.56″ x 7.47″ x 0.5″, 25.6 oz w/ 3G
Sony: 8.125" x 5.0" x 0.6" , 12.75 oz w/ 3G
-------------------
Screen
-------------------
Kindle DX: 9.7 inch E-Ink screen, 1200 x 824 pixels, 150 ppi
16 levels of grey
excellent daylight visibility
iPad: 9.7 inch color IPS LCD screen, 1024 x 768 pixels, 132 ppi
162,144 colors (18 bit color), same as iPhone and iPod Touch (unverified)
poor to impossible daylight visibility, like a laptop
Sony: 7.1 inches E-Ink Vizplex screen, 1024 x 600 pixels
16 levels of grey
daylight visibility
-------------------
Input
-------------------
Kindle DX: chiclet keyboard at bottom, navigation buttons on right
no touchscreen, no Bluetooth options
iPad: multi-touch screen, navigate by gestures, single on/off button
Keyboard can be attached by dock or Bluetooth
Sony: touch screen, virtual navigation keys, virtual keyboard
-------------------
Other features
-------------------
Kindle DX: Text to Voice, bookmark pages, annotate pages, zoom in on text or graphics (no zoom for PDF files), no bookmarks in audio files?
limited font styles (possible to hack in new fonts)
iPad: Text to Voice, zoom in (including PDF), bookmarks for text and audio books, (not sure about annotations connected to particular e-book page)
Lots of choices for e-book font style and size
Sony: choose from 6 font sizes; highlight and annotate pages using included stylus, make bookmarks, minimize margins setting, export notes to PC or Mac using Sony Reader Library software, built in New Oxford American dictionary
-------------------
Use as Web Browser
-------------------
to access newspapers, periodicals, blogs online
Kindle DX: Whispernet 3G (Sprint), no WiFi
browser speed is limited by the slow refresh of the E-Ink screen
Grey scale screen limits legibility of images
No support for Flash
no charge for Whispernet access
iPad: WiFi or 3G (AT&T)
very fast page refresh, scrolling
color screen better for images, graphics, movies
YouTube app
no support for Flash content
$30 a month charge for unlimited AT&T 3G access
Sony: No web browser, just access to Sony Reader store
no charge for 3G access
-------------------
Purchase Price
-------------------
Kindle DX: $489
includes Sprint 3G modem and 4 GB flash storage
IPad: $629
includes AT&T 3G modem, 16 GB Flash storage
Sony: $400
includes 3G modem, 1.6 GB flash built in, SDHC card slot
------------------
E-Book Price
------------------
Amazon: $9.99 bestsellers, more for other titles
Apple iBook store: $12.99 and up
Sony Reader Store:
------------------
E-Book formats
------------------
Amazon: AZW Amazon proprietary, MOBI, PRC, TXT, TPZ, PDF
Kindle readers for iPod, PC (Mac reader coming)
iPad: EPub, TXT, PDF, others?
E-Pub readers available for iMac, iPod, PC
Sony: ePub, PDF, TXT, Microsoft Word, RTF, Adobe Digital Editions
One function the iPad is supposed to be very good at is the presentation of e-books. Let's see how the iPad compares with the Kindle DX and the new Sony Reader Daily Edition.
-------------------
Physical size
-------------------
Kindle DX: 10.4" x 7.2" x 0.38" , 18.9 oz w/ Whispernet 3G
iPad: 9.56″ x 7.47″ x 0.5″, 25.6 oz w/ 3G
Sony: 8.125" x 5.0" x 0.6" , 12.75 oz w/ 3G
-------------------
Screen
-------------------
Kindle DX: 9.7 inch E-Ink screen, 1200 x 824 pixels, 150 ppi
16 levels of grey
excellent daylight visibility
iPad: 9.7 inch color IPS LCD screen, 1024 x 768 pixels, 132 ppi
162,144 colors (18 bit color), same as iPhone and iPod Touch (unverified)
poor to impossible daylight visibility, like a laptop
Sony: 7.1 inches E-Ink Vizplex screen, 1024 x 600 pixels
16 levels of grey
daylight visibility
-------------------
Input
-------------------
Kindle DX: chiclet keyboard at bottom, navigation buttons on right
no touchscreen, no Bluetooth options
iPad: multi-touch screen, navigate by gestures, single on/off button
Keyboard can be attached by dock or Bluetooth
Sony: touch screen, virtual navigation keys, virtual keyboard
-------------------
Other features
-------------------
Kindle DX: Text to Voice, bookmark pages, annotate pages, zoom in on text or graphics (no zoom for PDF files), no bookmarks in audio files?
limited font styles (possible to hack in new fonts)
iPad: Text to Voice, zoom in (including PDF), bookmarks for text and audio books, (not sure about annotations connected to particular e-book page)
Lots of choices for e-book font style and size
Sony: choose from 6 font sizes; highlight and annotate pages using included stylus, make bookmarks, minimize margins setting, export notes to PC or Mac using Sony Reader Library software, built in New Oxford American dictionary
-------------------
Use as Web Browser
-------------------
to access newspapers, periodicals, blogs online
Kindle DX: Whispernet 3G (Sprint), no WiFi
browser speed is limited by the slow refresh of the E-Ink screen
Grey scale screen limits legibility of images
No support for Flash
no charge for Whispernet access
iPad: WiFi or 3G (AT&T)
very fast page refresh, scrolling
color screen better for images, graphics, movies
YouTube app
no support for Flash content
$30 a month charge for unlimited AT&T 3G access
Sony: No web browser, just access to Sony Reader store
no charge for 3G access
-------------------
Purchase Price
-------------------
Kindle DX: $489
includes Sprint 3G modem and 4 GB flash storage
IPad: $629
includes AT&T 3G modem, 16 GB Flash storage
Sony: $400
includes 3G modem, 1.6 GB flash built in, SDHC card slot
------------------
E-Book Price
------------------
Amazon: $9.99 bestsellers, more for other titles
Apple iBook store: $12.99 and up
Sony Reader Store:
------------------
E-Book formats
------------------
Amazon: AZW Amazon proprietary, MOBI, PRC, TXT, TPZ, PDF
Kindle readers for iPod, PC (Mac reader coming)
iPad: EPub, TXT, PDF, others?
E-Pub readers available for iMac, iPod, PC
Sony: ePub, PDF, TXT, Microsoft Word, RTF, Adobe Digital Editions
A few recent announcements:
Amazon has acquired a small company with expertise in controlling
touch screens. Amazon is also advertising jobs for people who
know about multi-touch programming. These developments fuel
speculation that the next version of the Kindle will have a color
multi-touch display.
A few months after Apple released the iPhone and the iPod, prices were
cut to increase sales. I have read estimates that Apple will make $200
on the $499 (lowest priced) iPad, and much more on the more expensive
models. That leaves Apple lots of room to cut prices this Summer.
Amazon strong-armed publishers into accepting the $9.99 price for
best selling ebooks. But the publishers are not happy with this low
figure. A publishers' revolt is under way to raise the price to $13 or
$14, which, not coincidentally, is the amount Apple says ebooks will cost
in the new iBookstore.
The Barnes and Noble nook (they prefer the lower case "n") will
receive a firmware update 1.20 this week. The nook sold out during
the holidays, and only recently returned to B&N's web site. Price
for the nook, which has the same 6" e-ink reading area as the small
Kindle, is $259.
FT Press, a technical and business publisher, just announced a series
of short ebooks. These are abbreviated versions of longer works, and
also newly published material. Length ranges from 1000 to 5000 words,
or 4 to 20 pages, using the rule of 250 words per printed page. The
shorter works are sold for $1.99 in the Elements series. Longer works
are called Shorts, and are priced at $2.99.
FT Press offers about 250 titles today in the Elements and Shorts series,
and expects to offer about 500 by the end of the year. They are
available through Amazon.com and Barnes and Noble ebook stores.
Cynics might say these abbreviated books pander to the short attention
span of today's readers. Others hope this might revive the lost art of
the essay. We'll see.
Amazon has acquired a small company with expertise in controlling
touch screens. Amazon is also advertising jobs for people who
know about multi-touch programming. These developments fuel
speculation that the next version of the Kindle will have a color
multi-touch display.
A few months after Apple released the iPhone and the iPod, prices were
cut to increase sales. I have read estimates that Apple will make $200
on the $499 (lowest priced) iPad, and much more on the more expensive
models. That leaves Apple lots of room to cut prices this Summer.
Amazon strong-armed publishers into accepting the $9.99 price for
best selling ebooks. But the publishers are not happy with this low
figure. A publishers' revolt is under way to raise the price to $13 or
$14, which, not coincidentally, is the amount Apple says ebooks will cost
in the new iBookstore.
The Barnes and Noble nook (they prefer the lower case "n") will
receive a firmware update 1.20 this week. The nook sold out during
the holidays, and only recently returned to B&N's web site. Price
for the nook, which has the same 6" e-ink reading area as the small
Kindle, is $259.
FT Press, a technical and business publisher, just announced a series
of short ebooks. These are abbreviated versions of longer works, and
also newly published material. Length ranges from 1000 to 5000 words,
or 4 to 20 pages, using the rule of 250 words per printed page. The
shorter works are sold for $1.99 in the Elements series. Longer works
are called Shorts, and are priced at $2.99.
FT Press offers about 250 titles today in the Elements and Shorts series,
and expects to offer about 500 by the end of the year. They are
available through Amazon.com and Barnes and Noble ebook stores.
Cynics might say these abbreviated books pander to the short attention
span of today's readers. Others hope this might revive the lost art of
the essay. We'll see.
Alex e-reader
The Spring Design Alex e-reader is available for pre-order now. Delivery is schedule for mid April. Price: $399, which is reasonable for an e-reader that offers full Internet access as well.
The Alex has two displays. One is for reading books, the other for general computing. The upper screen is about the size of the original Kindle display. The lower screen is the size of the typical smart phone screen, turned sideways.
The upper screen: trans-reflective greyscale LCD, 6 inches diagonal, 600 x 800 pixels, 167 pixels/inch, 8 levels of grey
The lower screen: backlit color LCD, 3.5 inches diagonal, 320 x 480 pixels, millions of colors, touchscreen
If this sounds familiar, the Barnes and Noble Nook has a similar layout. The Nook's small color touchscreen is used primarily to navigate through ebooks currently loaded onto the reader. The Nook was originally sold without a web browser, but third parties have figured out how to "jailbreak" the Nook and add web browsing. The Nook costs $259.
Spring Design says the Alex is compatible with Adobe's version of the ePub format, which offers digital rights management features to publishers. Several web sites, including the Google Books web pages (http://books.google.com/books) offer lots of books and magazines in ePub format for free.
The Alex includes a "Touch and Extend" feature that lets you view content on both screens simultaneously. I'm unclear about how this works, or when you'd want to use it. Perhaps you can expand a web page to browse it more easily. This might be one way to read publications that are available online in various formats, but not available for download in ePub format.
Overall size of the Alex is 4.7 x 8.9 x 0.4 inches, weight 11 ounces. The Alex has 2GB of flash memory internally, and has an SDHC card slot for removable storage. The built in battery is rated for 7500 page turns or 6 hours of multimedia playback.
The computer controlling everything is based around a Marvell ARM smart phone processor and the Android OS. The Alex device includes a WiFi radio for access to the Internet. 3G cell phone links are optional.
http://www.crunchgear.com/2010/03/1...-u-s-for-399-a-pop-starts-shipping-mid-april/
https://www.springdesign.com/us/index.action
The Spring Design Alex e-reader is available for pre-order now. Delivery is schedule for mid April. Price: $399, which is reasonable for an e-reader that offers full Internet access as well.
The Alex has two displays. One is for reading books, the other for general computing. The upper screen is about the size of the original Kindle display. The lower screen is the size of the typical smart phone screen, turned sideways.
The upper screen: trans-reflective greyscale LCD, 6 inches diagonal, 600 x 800 pixels, 167 pixels/inch, 8 levels of grey
The lower screen: backlit color LCD, 3.5 inches diagonal, 320 x 480 pixels, millions of colors, touchscreen
If this sounds familiar, the Barnes and Noble Nook has a similar layout. The Nook's small color touchscreen is used primarily to navigate through ebooks currently loaded onto the reader. The Nook was originally sold without a web browser, but third parties have figured out how to "jailbreak" the Nook and add web browsing. The Nook costs $259.
Spring Design says the Alex is compatible with Adobe's version of the ePub format, which offers digital rights management features to publishers. Several web sites, including the Google Books web pages (http://books.google.com/books) offer lots of books and magazines in ePub format for free.
The Alex includes a "Touch and Extend" feature that lets you view content on both screens simultaneously. I'm unclear about how this works, or when you'd want to use it. Perhaps you can expand a web page to browse it more easily. This might be one way to read publications that are available online in various formats, but not available for download in ePub format.
Overall size of the Alex is 4.7 x 8.9 x 0.4 inches, weight 11 ounces. The Alex has 2GB of flash memory internally, and has an SDHC card slot for removable storage. The built in battery is rated for 7500 page turns or 6 hours of multimedia playback.
The computer controlling everything is based around a Marvell ARM smart phone processor and the Android OS. The Alex device includes a WiFi radio for access to the Internet. 3G cell phone links are optional.
http://www.crunchgear.com/2010/03/1...-u-s-for-399-a-pop-starts-shipping-mid-april/
https://www.springdesign.com/us/index.action
nwoods
Expedition Leader
haven said:
haven said:
Okay, personally I really like my Kindle, but I cringe every time a book I want exceeds $6.99. I don't mind paying $7 for it, but when it creeps up to $9.99 or higher, I seriously hesitate, and often don't buy the book. Instead, I go to the excellent little used book store near my house and pay $3.50 for something with more permanence.
If books are going to escalate in price to over $10, I just don't see myself "buying" them in a traditional sense. E-books (the material, not the device) are basically single use products. A solution is going to have to be found where people can rent, exchange, or group buy books under some sort of fractional ownership model.
I suspect the format war is going to be instrumental in all this. I note that they all read PDF. Someone is going to figure out a way to convert these formats to open source PDF's, and pu them on Torrent sites. I don't support music piracy, because its not single use (who listens to a song just once?). But books are different. By raising their prices, I predict ebook piracy will grow exponentially.
I find this all very depressing.
Marvell Moby, $99 e-book reader
Here's an interesting new development: Marvell, the semiconductor manufacturer, has announced a plan to introduce a $99 e-reader for the education market. The tablet, called the Moby, was described to an audience of publishers at the Future of Publishing conference in NYC this week.
The Moby probably won't be sold to the public at first. Instead, the target audience is school districts, colleges, and similar groups that can order large numbers of the devices. Marvell announced a pilot program with the Washington DC public school district, in which Marvell will donate devices to every child in a school.
If a school district were to purchase e-books instead of physical copies of the books, they would save a fortune on the cost of purchasing, storing and distributing the physical books.
Publishers could make money on the deal, too. The production and distribution of physical textbooks is expensive. Publishers also take back and refurbish textbooks for resale. Distribution of the textbook in e-book form will save lots of money, reduce problems in distribution, and be friendly to the environment. In a single file download, a publisher could license a school district to install a fixed number of copies of a textbook onto Moby tablets.
E-books are exciting to authors and editors of textbooks for several reasons. First, color graphics can be used without concern for cost. Adding color to a textbook is expensive. The potential of using multimedia and hypertext to help in the instructional process is practically unlimited. And textbooks in e-book form can be quickly updated to provide access to new research and to correct errors.
According to Marvell, the $99 Moby tablet has a pretty complete set of specifications
-- Marvell ARMADA 600 processor, gigahertz-class processor speed
-- color LCD display with touch capability
-- 1080p full-HD encode and decode, support for Adobe Flash
-- Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity
-- GPS capability (this might help in the recovery of lost equipment?)
-- support for either Google Android or Windows Mobile operating system
Marvell is one of the original sponsors of One Laptop Pre Child (OLPC) program, Nicholas Negroponte's initiative to reduce the cost of computing in education.
This web page has a photo of the Moby prototype that was shown to the attendees of the Future of Publishing conference
http://armdevices.net/2010/03/18/marvell-announces-99-moby-tablet-to-revolutionize-education/
Here is Marvell's press release
http://www.prnewswire.com/news-rele...esigned-for-the-worlds-students-88376967.html
Here's an interesting new development: Marvell, the semiconductor manufacturer, has announced a plan to introduce a $99 e-reader for the education market. The tablet, called the Moby, was described to an audience of publishers at the Future of Publishing conference in NYC this week.
The Moby probably won't be sold to the public at first. Instead, the target audience is school districts, colleges, and similar groups that can order large numbers of the devices. Marvell announced a pilot program with the Washington DC public school district, in which Marvell will donate devices to every child in a school.
If a school district were to purchase e-books instead of physical copies of the books, they would save a fortune on the cost of purchasing, storing and distributing the physical books.
Publishers could make money on the deal, too. The production and distribution of physical textbooks is expensive. Publishers also take back and refurbish textbooks for resale. Distribution of the textbook in e-book form will save lots of money, reduce problems in distribution, and be friendly to the environment. In a single file download, a publisher could license a school district to install a fixed number of copies of a textbook onto Moby tablets.
E-books are exciting to authors and editors of textbooks for several reasons. First, color graphics can be used without concern for cost. Adding color to a textbook is expensive. The potential of using multimedia and hypertext to help in the instructional process is practically unlimited. And textbooks in e-book form can be quickly updated to provide access to new research and to correct errors.
According to Marvell, the $99 Moby tablet has a pretty complete set of specifications
-- Marvell ARMADA 600 processor, gigahertz-class processor speed
-- color LCD display with touch capability
-- 1080p full-HD encode and decode, support for Adobe Flash
-- Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity
-- GPS capability (this might help in the recovery of lost equipment?)
-- support for either Google Android or Windows Mobile operating system
Marvell is one of the original sponsors of One Laptop Pre Child (OLPC) program, Nicholas Negroponte's initiative to reduce the cost of computing in education.
This web page has a photo of the Moby prototype that was shown to the attendees of the Future of Publishing conference
http://armdevices.net/2010/03/18/marvell-announces-99-moby-tablet-to-revolutionize-education/
Here is Marvell's press release
http://www.prnewswire.com/news-rele...esigned-for-the-worlds-students-88376967.html
Marvell's announcement is interesting in another way. Since the guts of
the Moby is similar to a smart phone, I think this means that other
manufacturers of smart phones could produce similar devices at a similar
price point. I expect other companies that build cell phones to start work
on competitively priced e-book models.
the Moby is similar to a smart phone, I think this means that other
manufacturers of smart phones could produce similar devices at a similar
price point. I expect other companies that build cell phones to start work
on competitively priced e-book models.
Root Moose
Expedition Leader
I noticed that an Amazon Kindle app is coming to the app store for the iPad. I don't have the URL handy...
Kobo is a company that develops e-reader software. They have an online store for e-book purchases, and free books, too. The web site is http://www.kobobooks.com/ Kobo has a partnership with Borders Books to develop their e-book store, and to deliver e-book readers for several mobile platforms, including iPhone, Palm Pre, Google Android and Blackberry.
Kobo recently unveiled a design for an e-book reader. The big news is the price: $150! That's $100 cheaper than most competitors. The Kobo lacks any 3G connection. Instead, you download the e-books via USB from a computer with web access. The Kobo is not a web browsing tool, just an e-reader.
Here are two web pages that offer a few details about the Kobo
http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/24/kobo-ereader-is-kobos-149-e-ink-play-for-borders-we-thumb-thr/
http://gizmodo.com/5501866/kobo-ereader-looks-pretty-nice-for-150
If the $150 level has fallen, can the $100 price point be far behind?
Kobo recently unveiled a design for an e-book reader. The big news is the price: $150! That's $100 cheaper than most competitors. The Kobo lacks any 3G connection. Instead, you download the e-books via USB from a computer with web access. The Kobo is not a web browsing tool, just an e-reader.
Here are two web pages that offer a few details about the Kobo
http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/24/kobo-ereader-is-kobos-149-e-ink-play-for-borders-we-thumb-thr/
http://gizmodo.com/5501866/kobo-ereader-looks-pretty-nice-for-150
If the $150 level has fallen, can the $100 price point be far behind?
Here's a rumor: Barnes and Noble will introduce a Wi-Fi only version of the Nook e-book reader sometime in June, price $199. Since the original Nook with AT&T 3G and Wifi costs $259 today, I wouldn't be surprised to see the original Nook at $199 this Summer.
Another rumor: There's a firmware upgrade coming soon that will remove any limit on where the web browser can be used. The current WiFi program doesn't play well with WiFi connections that need additional dialog, like a connection in a hotel room that needs to authorize a charge.
Another rumor: There's a firmware upgrade coming soon that will remove any limit on where the web browser can be used. The current WiFi program doesn't play well with WiFi connections that need additional dialog, like a connection in a hotel room that needs to authorize a charge.
Paradigm Shift $130 ebook reader
Paradigm Shift is a Chinese company that wants to get into the business of manufacturing ebook readers. Back in December, they announced they would be producing models with 5 inch and 7 inch screens. (The standard Kindle and Nook have 6 inch displays.)
Today, Paradigm announced specs and pricing for the 5 inch model, which they call the EER-051D. The price is $130, which gets you a 5 inch color LCD screen. (Color is considered important for the education market) The device supports several e-book formats (TXT, DOC, PDF, HTML, and EPUB among them). In addition, the EER-051D offers an MP3 music player, an MP4 video player, built in FM radio, and a photo viewer. The reader has 2 GB flash memory built in, and has an SD slot for memory cards.
No mention was made of WiFi or 3G connectivity. I guess you have to tether the device to a PC via USB and transfer the files you want to display. And no mention was made of projected battery life.
From the press release, I gather that the company sees systems integrators and large companies as its primary market. I can see school districts deciding to buy a $130 color e-reader instead of a $499 iPad for instructional purposes. This device could easily be rebranded for retail sales through an outlet like Sears or Radio Shack.
See photos and the press release here
http://www.engadget.com/2010/04/21/paradigm-shift-debuts-130-eer-051d-e-reader/
Paradigm Shift is a Chinese company that wants to get into the business of manufacturing ebook readers. Back in December, they announced they would be producing models with 5 inch and 7 inch screens. (The standard Kindle and Nook have 6 inch displays.)
Today, Paradigm announced specs and pricing for the 5 inch model, which they call the EER-051D. The price is $130, which gets you a 5 inch color LCD screen. (Color is considered important for the education market) The device supports several e-book formats (TXT, DOC, PDF, HTML, and EPUB among them). In addition, the EER-051D offers an MP3 music player, an MP4 video player, built in FM radio, and a photo viewer. The reader has 2 GB flash memory built in, and has an SD slot for memory cards.
No mention was made of WiFi or 3G connectivity. I guess you have to tether the device to a PC via USB and transfer the files you want to display. And no mention was made of projected battery life.
From the press release, I gather that the company sees systems integrators and large companies as its primary market. I can see school districts deciding to buy a $130 color e-reader instead of a $499 iPad for instructional purposes. This device could easily be rebranded for retail sales through an outlet like Sears or Radio Shack.
See photos and the press release here
http://www.engadget.com/2010/04/21/paradigm-shift-debuts-130-eer-051d-e-reader/
Spring Design Alex e-reader has 2 screens
http://jkontherun.com/2010/05/01/first-look-spring-design-alex-dual-screen-e-book-reader/
The Alex reader ($399) has started shipping. The blog post above says the
Alex has a build quality as good as the Kindle, and has the advantage of a
second 5" diagonal color touchscreen below the reader's main display. The
smaller color screen can be used for web browsing via WiFi.
The second screen does draw more power. While the Kindle can run for days,
the Alex is rated to run for only 6 hours while web browsing.
http://jkontherun.com/2010/05/01/first-look-spring-design-alex-dual-screen-e-book-reader/
The Alex reader ($399) has started shipping. The blog post above says the
Alex has a build quality as good as the Kindle, and has the advantage of a
second 5" diagonal color touchscreen below the reader's main display. The
smaller color screen can be used for web browsing via WiFi.
The second screen does draw more power. While the Kindle can run for days,
the Alex is rated to run for only 6 hours while web browsing.