[Prestidigitweeze]

Piper: I was just looking at the TuffLuv cover before leaving for BestBuy, since I'm not sure how I feel about the pleather (or whatever it is) on that $49.00 Sony cover with the light.

It's kind of adorable that you cover the silver glare with a little piece of velvet. Some day, perhaps we'll be able to train genetically enhanced miniature chinchillas to lie there just so.

Bookworm_Girl: I appreciate the tip on font substitution, since I, too, noticed I preferred the ones installed on the Kindle (and even the Nook). Generally, the Sony seems the most flexible and best-made ePub reader, which is why I was sad to find the silver so troubling.

Polly and B_G: The 650, too, was silver at my local BestBuy. I'm thinking of visiting the Sony Style store in midtown to see how I like the black option in person, and whether the increase in size and cost would prove worth it.

Poppaea: Wouldn't purchasing a blue 350 from Germany, as per your great suggestion, bring me perilously close to the cost of a 650 (unless, P., you're aware of a deal that would justify the additional shipping and so forth)? 350s can be had for $129 in the States, and the black 650's $229 at the mome. If the blue 350 turned out to be closer to $179 and then had expensive shipping and duties on top of that, wouldn't the total cost approach the 650's? Of course, if I did chance upon a used blue 350, or a 350 that truly cost $179 with no additional fees, I'd pick it up.

Fortissimo: I'd wager that virtually everyone on this thread would prefer their eInk screens to be as ivory-colored as a fresh printed page and the text to be even blacker. When a color eInk screen makes its way to the market, I'll be interested to see what happens to that background color.

Kartu: It makes me happy that I'm far from alone in my avoidance of silver, and I thank you for affirming that, but I'll have to pass on the idea of putting black tape on an expensive eReader with an attractive aluminum casement.