[Prestidigitweeze]

I'm saying the Nook has more features for less money, not fewer for less.

The post-Simple-Touch Sony Touch Edition has a few additional features which are software-based. Those features are not hardware-based, where it seems to have fewer features.

Sony's edge has traditionally been its hardware and, in the reader market specifically (since Sony has less stake than anyone else in their proprietary market), its relative freedom in content and user choices.

All I'm saying is that, since the Simple Touch erases most of that edge, I'm curious as to what Sony's next move will be.

I'm not talking about hardware in the sense of the current models' construction. Obviously, Sony destroys the competition in that sense.

No one seems to have noticed my comment about the Nook's silicone-case-grade body. I'm curious what those who have handled the Simple Touch have to say about it. I worry that the thing will get flimsier and dingier over time, as my silicone cases for my smartphones always do. The finish on those is remarkably similar to the Simple Touch's.

Yes, Sony's always had the edge in terms of construction and materials. But I wonder whether the materials will be the same next time around.