I went and bought it, and have had it for a few weeks now. Really happy with the purchase, great screen and backlight works well. A bit disappointed by the creakiness of the shell, though. Also didn't realize I'd miss physical page turn buttons so much, but I do.
Haven't tried installing the alternate pdf reader. Already ran into a word which is not in the dictionary, so might need to install a better one.
I got a really nice
case from Werktat via Etsy. Made of thick red felt, with leather front.
Thanks again to everyone for the help in making my decision!