We haven’t heard anything regarding the Alex e-reader for a long time. I nearly reviewed it, but can say now that due to its performance it really wasn’t fit to be reviewed at the time. I was told then that a successor was in the works, and although we’ve heard no more from them, this week finds a notable change on their site: the Alex is no longer “out of stock,” but has graduated to being “phased out.”
It’s possible that this heralds the announcement of the new device, but it also might just be that they’re in the process of liquidating the company. Of course, if they get the settlement from Barnes & Noble they think they’re going to get, that might just keep them going into the next phase.
And I do think there’s going to be a next phase — some people think e-ink readers won’t survive the tablet onslaught, but I think there will be a place for them as the e-ink tech improves and makes for bigger, lighter, and more flexible designs.