Looks like Spring Design isn’t DOA just yet. Today the company announced pre-orders for the Alex Reader (though the site still says coming soon), but a few things were missing.

-No word in the press release on the Borders partnership announced at CES. Engadget says Spring Design confirmed it is still on for June in Borders stores, but that’s a very long time to wait. The only reason I can think of for a delay like that is that the Borders version will have extra features or special branding; otherwise why restrict sales to online-only through the spring?

-The price started at $399 at CES, dropped to $359, and is now back to $399. Awfully steep, considering on the high end is the iPad, in the mid-range there’s the kindle and the nook, and on the lower end there’s an army of cheap Android devices. Alex needs to be mind blowing to slide in between these at that price!

Gear Diary has inquired with Spring Design’s reps, so check back soon for the answers to these questions. In the meantime, read the press release below and then let us know if you have your credit card at the ready!

Spring Design Launches U.S. Web Store for Alex eReader Orders International Versions to Launch through Worldwide Partners Q2 FREMONT, Calif. – March 16, 2010 -

Spring Design today announced that the dual screen multimedia Alex™ eReader will be available online at www.springdesign.com today for $399 Customers may visit the online store to pre-order their Android-based Alex eReader supporting eBooks in EPUB, PDF, HTML and TXT formats. With Alex’s full Internet browsing using WiFi connectivity, users can read and download connectivity, users can read and download books, access online audio and video content including YouTube videos, communicate using Gmail and chat and use a number Google Android applications. Due to localization of international  versions with partners, pre-orders placed on the Web in the U.S., will be shipped no later than mid-April.

Alex connects to Google’s bookstore with over one million titles, and other bookstores that support Adobe DRM.  Spring has engaged multiple international partners to jointly deliver multi-language versions of Alex for countries speaking Chinese, Spanish, Russian, Korean and Hebrew.  Alex is the first eReader to offer international versions of the product through its local country partners connecting to local bookstores.

Alex features a 6″ EPD (Electronic Paper Display) screen and a full color 3.5″ Android based touchscreen LCD enabling users to multi-task over the Internet while reading their eBooks.   A touchscreen virtual keyboard supports easy searches as well as creation and access to interactive hyperlinks.

Users can move content from the color LCD screen to the 6″ EPD screen for easy reading and vice versa.  The LCD screen complements the EPD text to support more dynamic functions such as annotating and highlighting what they are reading, or linking to relevant audio, video, and web links.  Content can be viewed on both screens simultaneously with the Duet Navigator™ where the LCD screen is used to control the navigation of the EPD screen.

Maximizing the Power of Links

The power of Spring Design LinkNotes™ opens up a whole new dimension in publishing Authors may insert hyperlinks in their books that show up on the EPD reading screen Authors may insert hyperlinks in their books that show up on the EPD reading screen indicating that there is linked-in web-based content available.  Users can click on hyperlinks in eBooks, corporate documents, or periodicals that lead to relevant web-based information or to multimedia content stored on the Alex eReader that will enrich their reading experience. Spring Design anticipates that this feature will be highly valuable in the education market where professors will be able to provide their own study notes, video illustrations, and audio enhancements to augment already-published textbooks.  illustrations, and audio enhancements to augment already-published textbooks.

“By combining a full multimedia browser with the efficiency and flexibility of an EPD screen supported by our open Android-based Alex eReader, we have truly placed a powerful tool n the hands of authors, publishers, professors, and institutions to create interesting interactive eBooks `” said Dr. Priscilla Lu, CEO of Spring Design.  “Whether for entertainment, education, or corporate communication, Alex offers the most dynamic and powerful multimedia eReader in the marketplace for creating new media text.”

The Alex eReader weighs only 11 ounces and measures  4.7″ by 8.9″ and less than a half inch deep.  Users may add their own content or download content to the microSD card offering expansion of user libraries up to 32GB.  The Alex may be updated over WiFi and USB 2.0 and comes with headphones, AC/USB power connector and a padded cover.

About Spring Design:

Spring Design Inc., founded in 2006, designs and delivers eReader products to the eBook market.  Its Alex eReader is the first multimedia, Android-based, dual-screen eReader with a full-function browser.  It offers a hyperlink publishing tool, “Link Notes”, that links eBook text to related video, audio, notes or web addresses. Spring Design Inc. is located in Fremont, California with engineering offices in Taiwan and China. Spring Design’s innovative patented technologies incorporate the seamless interaction of dual display and multi-online access in a single device, benefiting and leveraging the technology and resources of the Web to enhance the reading experience.  For more information please see resources of the Web to enhance the reading experience.  For more information please see www.springdesign.com.