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It's empahtically not genuine leather. It's some form of plastic, probably vinyl. It looks decent, but it is so not leather.
Unlike most of what I rant about here on MR, I actually have professional qualifications in this one. I'm not only a leathercrafter and occasional teacher of leathercraft, but I used to manage a Tandy Leather store, back before they folded and Leather Factory bought out the remnants of the company.
And yes, with soft leather, your nose can be your best indicator. The scent of the chemicals of the chrome-tanning process is distinctive, and nothing like plastic.
The stock Sony cover is a nice synthetic. It looks good and feels good. But it's definitely synthetic, not leather. Not that there's anything bad about that, of course. And it's probably better for the environment; there's a reason that restrictions on the location and operation of tanneries were probably the very first pollution control laws ... thousands of years ago. And that was just oak tanning!
If you're looking for a leather cover, check M-Edge. I have one of theirs on my 505 (they've discontinued this model but they tell me the 600 cover will fit it) and it's just wonderful. My only problem with it is a need for a cover cover, because I'm afraid of scuffing up the leather when I just toss it into something to take it somewhere. I've been using the sleeve from my netbook, which is too large; I'm either going to have to find something that actually fits, make something (but not in leather, or I'd need a cover cover cover!), or commission one of our talented forum members to make me a fabric sleeve.
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