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15 Comments
- A11YND, on 11/04/2009, -0/+11Looking at both of them side-by-side they share basically the same shape and both have two screens.
The Nook hardly copied the look and feel of the Alex, the Nook lacks the side buttons has a much smaller multi-touch screen as opposed to the Alex's screen. The Nook's page buttons are in the same place but look to be built into the item as opposed to actual buttons. The entire basis of this case most likely rests on the idea of two screens, but again, they're completely different in terms of not just size but specs. There are only a few ways to build an e-book reader, and from what I can tell the Nook doesn't infringe anything. Sure it has a same general concept, but they're different.
- just my 2 pence. - MacHarborGuy, on 11/04/2009, -0/+10The Nintendo DS has 2 screens 2, and that dates back to 2004
- Tenareth, on 11/03/2009, -0/+7Depends how the NDA was written.
- Tenareth, on 11/03/2009, -3/+10Maybe Alex was unwilling to realize the huge second screen was idiotic and made the device too bulky and stupid looking.
The Nook looks good though. - enderu, on 11/04/2009, -1/+6What "research?" He stated an opinion, and after watching a video on YouTube I think he's absolutely correct.
- L0NER, on 11/03/2009, -2/+4This should test the strength of nondisclosure agreements.
- ZeroCubed, on 11/04/2009, -2/+4...they don't really look that similar...Alex's device has two screens and has buttons all over. The Nook is one screen, and some very discreet buttons. Also, one is dark gray, the other is white. They're just sore that no one's paid attention to their e-reader.
As for the features, they are essentially what's been done in Apple's iPod Touch and iPhone - hardly "new" and "stealing" more like "oh you're gonna make your shirt glow in the dark? We're gonna do that too". - njb444, on 11/04/2009, -0/+2This would be like Ford suing all other car companies for making cars with four wheels.
- RJ0534, on 11/04/2009, -0/+2Whether or not the functionality of the Alex is better, the form factor of the Nook is simply more appealing. Unfortunately, consumers would rather have something that looks pretty than something with awesome features (i.e. original ipod vs. other mp3 players)
- Halsfield, on 11/04/2009, -0/+1Thought this article had some nice pics of the Alex/Nook:
http://www.slashgear.com/?s=barnes+and+noble+nook
A 2d image of a device is nothing compared to an image of someone actually holding/using a device so you can see exactly how big it really is. The side-by-side comparison is nice as well so you can see just how much bigger the touch screen is. I think adults are going to lean towards the larger reading screen because that is the whole reason they are buying it (to be an eBook), but Spring Design might snap up the people that want more of a versatile eNotebook.
I can't say anything about whether B&N stole the idea from Spring Design, but if they did I hope Spring Design gets the Nook scrapped and a good chunk of money. I think they might have a tough time considering how different in design the two devices are, but I'll be keeping an eye out for updates. - Halsfield, on 11/04/2009, -0/+1@Tenareth - I did a bit of research on the size of the screens of both devices. They in fact both have a main screen measuring 6in and a secondary screen measuring 3.5in. It is fine if you dislike the Alex and love the nook, but the reasoning you're giving isn't based in reality. The only reason the Alex looks bigger is they used two different scale pics for each device.
http://www.slashgear.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/1 ... if you want to see a side-by-side comparison that is properly scaled.
The one with the "huge" main screen is in fact the Nook. So...
@RJ0534 - The original iPod had a really great interface and functionality compared to a lot of the competition, so it had looks and function(and the backing of the really popular commercials).
I think people are going to buy the Nook based on the fact that not many people know who the hell Spring Design is whereas nearly every book enthusiast knows Barnes & Noble. I don't think looks will even come into play, because the majority of people won't even see the Alex (unless this lawsuit works and they force B&N to sell the Alex instead or something wild). - Mateo2, on 11/04/2009, -3/+2Alex kills the Nook in usability. The Alex lcd is full Android UI. You can browse web sites in the Android display, find an article (or book) you like and press a button and it appears in the e-ink display. That's feature alone blows away anything the Nook or Kindle offer (i'm a kindle 1 owner, by the way).
- Kazbaeden, on 11/04/2009, -3/+2The nook is two screens. That's kind of the whole deal with it.
- sunyata, on 11/04/2009, -3/+2i hate this kind of stuff... basically, if they can claim the dual screen concept as their concept and prove lack of pre-existing art.. then they probably have a good case. i say take them to the cleaners. as a developer i hate it when people just steal a good idea.
- Mateo2, on 11/04/2009, -6/+2Buried for not doing your research. Check out the video of the Alex in action on YouTube, then get back to me.
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