Last week we got more information on the forthcoming Barnes & Noble eReader, and today Engadget points us towards another eReader/browser hybrid from a company called Spring Design -- and this one runs on Google's Android.
The Spring Design device is called "Alex" and like the Barnes & Noble eReader, it features a dual-screen. The top portion of the screen is a 6" E-Ink EPD display and the lower display is a 3.5" color LCD. This seems to be the popular work around for taking advantage of the readability and energy saving features of E-Ink, while also offering support for color graphics and multimedia.
Spring Design has patented what it calls its Duet Navigator dual-screen technology, which allows hyper-linked content and images to show-up in the lower screen, while text shows up on the EPD. Spring Design says users can toggle where data shows up in order to save battery life.
The device has both Wi-Fi and support for mobile networks like 3G, EVDO and GSM (which makes it sound like it could be customize for multiple carriers) and has an SD slot for more storage options and for viewing other media. There's also a headphone jack, which emphasizes the multimedia nature of this type of device.
There's no word on price or partnerships -- but Spring Design says they are working with a number of content providers and plan to release it by the end of the year.