Thanks for all your kind suggestions.
Asawi, I checked my reader and nothing is pressing on the buttons; I checked the reset hole to be sure and can hear a 'click' sound when the paperclip hits the reset button, so I don't think there's anything pressed on the button either.
Shopaholic, I bought it from B&H online through a concierge service. I live outside the US. The reader is not sold in my country and B&H had a really good offer then, so to save the time/hassle of verifying my credit card details, I used the concierge service. I wasn't clear in my previous post but I have gone through the Sony manual, done a search in this forum/wiki and googled for the possible methods to revive the reader. If I were to send the reader to Sony US for servicing, I estimate I'll have to pay at least US$40 for return international shipping, which I'd rather save up to spend on a new reader.
I do have a AC non-USB charger which came with my phone; when the USB charger didn't work, I tried using it but the reader still doesn't power up.
Poppaea, I've tried the hard reset methods in the wiki but the problem is nothing appears on the screen when I try to turn on the reader even after it's been charged for 24 hours.
delphin, I've tried several combinations of pressing the reset button and holding the power slider switch while the reader is connected and disconnected from the PC/AC charger. 5 sec reset press + long hold on power switch, quick reset press + long power on, long reset press + sliding power switch 3 times (came across this method in my search)... nothing shows up on the screen
