So much for Amazon's attempts to quell Kindle 2 rumors, eh? Talk of a replacement (or a pair of replacements) for Amazon's popular -- but very oddly-styled -- e-reader has been in the mix seemingly since the first model started shipping, and Boy Genius Report has scored shots of something that certainly looks like it could be in the legitimate pipeline. The revised device appears to address complaints over the original's look head-on, rounding the corners and ditching the oddball angles; the scroll wheel has been replaced with a joystick, the SD slot is gone (don't worry, there's at least a gig and a half on-board), and around back, we have grills that seem to suggest integrated stereo speakers. The display is basically the same size -- no color here yet, sorry -- so unless the sharp edges on your first-gen piece are driving you batty, it looks like this could be safely skipped by current owners while roping in new buyers who wouldn't have considered it before. Thing is, was ditching the scroll wheel and that trick mirrored bar in favor of a joystick really the right way to go?

If you felt like your Western Digital My Book hard drive went too far -- or didn't go too far enough -- in looking like an actual tome, Sarotech is here to turn it up a notch. When you absolutely, positively must have a drive that looks like a fake book, you can do no better than the Wizplat W-31 (yes, really). The SATA-drive-sporting, USB 2.0 device features an internal power supply, ample vents for keeping your drive cool, and a slick, sexy exterior that says, "Hey, I'm a book." All this luxury can be yours for the low, price of ₩121,000 (about $120) for a 320GB version, up to ₩315,000 ($312) for the 1TB model. Too bad this only appears to be available in Korea right now.

[Via Everything USB]

We know, either you're waiting impatiently for December to roll around or figuring out odd jobs to raise upwards of $1,500, but here's a gem from Art that'll take your mind off (momentarily, at least) that other creation. The Finger Folder flash drive describes itself fairly well without any help from us, as the brilliantly simplistic USB drive resides in a manila folder that you're free to label at will. Sure, you could get all fancy and buy a drive with a programmable BCD, but there's just something magical about doing things the old way.

[Thanks, Mike I.]

Just as Dell calls it quits on the PDA market and flexible displays become more and more common, it makes sense to see a concept device that takes advantage of both opportunities. The Flexi PDA, although still stuck on the drawing board, would present a rubber hinged handheld that could fold open much like a book, giving users a device that's a bit smaller and deeper than current alternatives. Additionally, the casing could easily be ruggedized in order to add water, dust, and shock proofing abilities for those with less delicate work spaces. As expected, this novelty would also pack a QWERTY keyboard, double as a cellphone, and triple as a media player should it ever hit the market, but for now we'll just have to settle with the above picture and a faint hint of hope.

Although Chen Hung Ming's Book Style remote control isn't the first gizmo to mimic pages of the past, this prototype device adds a whole new meaning to flipping through the channels. Reportedly crafted for a short-term Philips project, Ming set out to construct a remote that was "perfect for everyone," had a simplistic interface scheme, and would appeal to a broad group of ages. Still, we can't imagine that this "universal" remote would be any easier to program that the internet-savvy controllers that are already available, but the clever colored tabs are indeed a thoughtful inclusion when considering the elderly. Of course, we've no idea if Philips (or anyone else, for that matter) plans on commercialization the design, but click on through for another glimpse anyway.

[Via YankoDesign]

Talk about a long time coming, as what is now Polymer Vision has seemed to finally put all the pieces together and produce an actual working product from the idea envisioned by Philips around two years ago. We knew the spinoff was looking to commercialize the product later this year, but after nearly 24 months of coming up empty, a bit of understandable skepticism begins to seep through. Nevertheless, the firm's rollable, pocket-friendly "Cellular-Book" was out and showing its stuff at 3GSM, proving that there's at least something there to put on store shelves. Although the unit on display was indeed a standalone device -- sporting 16 shades of grey, USB, "10-days" of battery life, 4GB of internal storage, and GPRS, EDGE, and DVB-H connectivity just like we'd heard -- Polymer Vision is actually hoping to integrate its e-paper technology into mobile handset displays in the near future. Sadly, there still didn't seem to be any hints of a release date for the nifty pocket reader, but be sure to click on through for the very long awaited pictures of the Readius in action.

[Via Slashdot]

"Have you tried closing and opening it again?"