Wow, a lot of internet buzz over a SINGLE, UNCONFIRMED, and QUESTIONABLE article from the Sony Insider. I spent a couple of hours reading articles from different sources on the internet and they all harp back to that one source, yet they vary wildly (embellish?) what that one rumor states. I would not get too exited until more facts surface. For one thing, any device with WiFi or 3G has to get FCC approval in the USA, and I checked the FCC site yesterday and could find NO applications for readers from Sony. They might have applications pending, but i was unable to find one.

I personally hope Sony stays in the competition as that will be good for the industry. But knowing Sony, I suspect they will either drop out of the reader business like they did the PDA business, or they will continue to offer lackluster touchscreen technology that is simply horrible. If they do replace the 300, their last remaining non-touchscreen reader, with a touchscreen model, they will probably exit the reader business whether they intend to or not. If they are smart, they will re-introduce a 6" non-touchscreen model.

But regardless of new models, Sony needs to create a better eBook store and reader software. Get rid of that crappy garbage that is developed in Flash and hire some real programmers to get it fixed. Then Sony needs to decide to push reader technology rather than simply taking a half-hearted approach. Until Sony puts their corporate weight behind it and shows they are truly committed to readers and ebooks, they won't be a serious competitor.