I'm reserving judgement until I get my review unit, but it looks like a very interesting departure from the conventional form factor they've been exploring.
My initial reaction is that it's a step back aesthetically, but it also seems like it's a better ergonomic experience for one-handed case-less reading, which happens to be one of my preferred reading setups.
The price is high, but I also think this isn't a device marketed at "everyone" the way the Paperwhite is so they'll probably get away with it. And the case is included, so that offsets the cost a bit.
I continue to think that waterproofing is more valuable on a spec sheet than in the real world, but to each their own. I'm not at all bothered by its absence, but I
do think they chose a strange name for the device considering they didn't waterproof it.
I
wrote up my initial impressions if anyone's interested.