These posts are ahead later today or tonight in the TeleBlog, or maybe early tomorrow morning.

I will say there’s a reason why I haven’t jumped on the news about the new PRS-505 models replacing the current PRS-500. Boredom.

Yawn, yawn

Unless Sony has some new details to add—I’d hope that the new models would come with with the improved Vizplex displays, but things are still a bit vague–I can’t get that excited. On-board memory can hold 160 rather than 80 books. BFD in the era of cheap add-on cards. Plus, you’ve got silver and blue models and perhaps one other color, and menu keys in a different position. Oh, wow. And get this: still no Sony Reader software for the Mac, except from third parties. The price? Apparently a boring $299: yep, the current one.

Like Iraq: Incremental

It’s a little like Iraq. All this incremental stuff—leaked out after a store ad hit the Net ahead of time—is a letdown. Wait! I’m just gonna skip a full-fledged Sony item all together. Here are links to coverage from MobileRead and the Wowio blog. Actually I think that Dr. H’s post on Readng e-books on your Nintendo DS is more interest.

What would have made my heart pound over the Sony: A steep price drop or really improved ergonomics, beyond the possible Vizplex. The Sony Readers have nice touches, But we’re a long way, in thoughtfulness of design, from the original Rocket eBook. How long until there’s a nice, long lever we can press to turn the page? Not that Sony’s the only offender by omission.

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