[Prosto_IA]

What to do, what to do. I'm channelling Buridan's ass here. Let me explain why:

I'd like my reader to allow annotations. Both Kindle and Sony do. I'm not too bothered about handwritten notes, at least, not if the results of my signing for parcels on PDAs are anything to go by. Can anyone comment on the legibility of handwritten Sony notes? I gather Kindle notes can be downloaded from a webpage, how easy is it to transfer Sony notes? I'd rather not be looking at a physical qwerty keyboard all the time, though.

The ability to read Cyrillic is a must. I know the Sony reader can have different firmware flashed in order to do so, the Kindle handles it out of the box. Slight plus to Kindle, but I'm happy to flash. (So to speak, officer.)

Most of my collection is in epub, with the odd pdf. I do, however, have that excellent piece of software Calibre, so conversion to mobi is trivial. Conversely, being a Linux user, to convert the other way I would have to fiddle about with Kindle for PC under Wine, not to mention obscured file names and, most likely, brassica enthusiast applications. If ease of use were the sole criterion, then, I'd get a Kindle and convert from epub, but I have a strong aversion to closed proprietary ecosystems. Big, big minus against the Kindle.

Size. I'm currently doing most of my e-reading on my mobile phone. I like the convenience of something I can just slip into my pocket. The Kindle looks too big for this, whereas, well, the PRS-350 is the Pocket Touch. How portable is the Kindle, in practice?

I've read very good reviews of the PRS-350, but even with the VAT refund it's still about £30 more expensive than the Kindle, and a lot of folk seem well pleased with their Kindles. Given what I have said about my requirements, should I pay the extra for the Sony - which is what I'm leaning towards at the minute - or get the Kindle and have the difference to spend on content?

Please note that for now I am in Russia, and so can't get my hands on either device to try out how they feel. I'll be buying in the UK. Supplementary question, in either case is it safe to assume I'll need a cover?