I don't really remember those days. My first ereader was a touch under $300. Prior to that, I had been repurposing other devices: an ancient second-hand Palm, homebrew on the DS, and an XO for reading in sunlight. I probably would have jumped at an ereader if I realized what they were, but I didn't really make a connection between the announcements of eInk-like technologies in the press and existing ereaders.