@NatCh,
I couldn't agree more. If I had my way, I'd still be using my old HandEra 330 -- greyscale screen with the old green-ish backlight that was very easy on the eyes, didn't even need the backlight in daylight or most other lighting conditions, fast recharges that lasted a very long time, even a virtual graffitti area for lots of screen. Most importantly, compared to the ergonomics of these last remaining Palm devices, it had a thumb wheel, which was great for reading long texts. Sadly, the damn thing was dropped and run over... Don't ask, my teeth still grind just thinking about it.
As for the latest and greatest, a family member thought they were doing me a huge favor by buying me a Sony Reader for xmas, but I find I am actually reading less now than I used to on my eBookwise. I was just contemplating switching back, but I am going to visit said family member this weekend, so now may not be the best time.
Still, as you said, I would gladly still be using the HandEra, given a choice. There were a few others that weren't bad, a Sony SJ-22 and my Tapwave both come to mind, but neither was quite as good, and if memory serves, the HandEra was fairly cheap, too.
Jack