Hmm -
Good question, Bob. I'm staring at them right now, and id' have to say that the iLiad has a "matte" feeling screen while the Reader feels more "glossy."
Tint-wise, they both look grayish with black text. However, the iLiad is slightly lighter gray, lending a slight better image. We're mincing hairs here, however, as both really look good - particularly with text.
Brightness and contrast are a wash. I have loaded my kung fu manual into the iLiad, and the photos display very nicely. I haven't gotten the PDF into the Reader, however, so I can't really compare the two there. At least, not yet.
It's important to note that the Reader is WAY easier to operate. You can bookmark, change books, and move around with ease. When you turn the Reader on, it comes up on the last page you read. The iLiad take a couple of minutes to start up, and then you have to re-open the book you're reading. I think that, plus the lack of available commercial content, is what prompted me to buy the Sony...
