Ok guys, here are the updates.
I have finally received the part that Sony sent. And guess what they have sent the light guide, which is a thin plastic sheet. I called again and they are telling me that the digitizer is $199.38. I am going to call them again to return the part.
In the meantime, I have ordered a 6.5" resistive digitizer from Mouser:
http://www.mouser.com/Search/Product...4DJrRFjNIx0%3d
It's $29.92, but it transmits 86% light compared to the standard 80%. One problem though, since it is 6.5" and not 6" it looks like it will not fit without trimming the sides by a couple of millimeters.
BTW, I was wrong before: the digitizer and LEDs are separate modules. The digitizer is 14cm by 10.6cm, and 1~2mm thick. It has 4-wires.
After I opened the device, I tested the effect of the digitizer on the screen quality. Apparently, most of the complaints I hear are due to the lower half of the digitizer panel. When it is removed, the screen looks more contrasty and clear.
Here is a picture:
Given the dimensions of the touch panel, I have decided to try something different first. Instead of replacing the digitizer on the front, I will move the digitizer to the back of the device and swap the left-right connections. I have seen this sometime ago in Pop Sci:
http://www.popsci.com/gear-gadgets/a...re-fat-fingers
The idea is to put the touch screen on the back of the LCD and overlay the images of the fingers. Now, obviously I will not have the overlay, but I think it is still very usable with the digitizer attached to the back, except the onscreen keyboard perhaps. This should retain the touch screen capability and the gorgeous e-ink screen.
What do you think?