[Prestidigitweeze]

It will be interesting to see whether Sony continues to offer innovations and features that keep us interested in their hardware. Too much of what was great about the Reader has been incorporated into the Simple Touch for Sony's price tag to seem viable, and certain features missing from Sony's lowest-end reader, such as Wifi and an SD slot, have been incorporated into the Simple Touch. A few features I need have been left out as well (usable pdf options and a pdf viewer that doesn't freeze the device -- see the mobiletech review), but beyond better construction and a faster processor, I wonder what Sony could add to steer people away. At this point, the font selection and UI seem superior on the Simple Touch and file flexibility seems on par. I'm guessing Sony will switch to Android as they've done with the PSP NGP, but that only makes them competitive, not better.

I will say this about the Simple Touch's construction: It looks and feels great now, but how will it age with constant use? I know from using hard silicone cases with my other devices how nice they can be for periods of six months to a year. But nothing's more brittle than a velvety hard silicone case that's gotten old. I'm not quite seeing why that wouldn't happen to the Simple Touch over time.

Of course, most buyers probably won't expect to use theirs for the next three years, since the price is reasonable and new and improved versions will be coming out long before: Shiny, shiny.

To be viable, Sony's next line of readers is up for a slimming in terms of size and price. That has to mean different kinds of materials will be used for the body.