Thanks for all the helpful answers!
Guess I forgot to mention that I'm indeed in the USA.
I was considering the following:
- Sony PRS-300
- Sony T1
- Kindle basic 4th generation
- Kindle Keyboard (3rd generation)
Didn't want to mention it right away so I could get unbiased recommendations
What is interesting to me is that none of you mention any "newer" models - so I didn't miss any recent development as far as lower-end devices are concerned?