We Americans have had the opportunity to pick up Sony's Reader for what seems like eons, but you poor bookworms holed up in the UK have been neglected unjustly. No more, as Sony has just opened up the phone lines for folks eager to claim their spot in line the queue. No need in rehashing the specifications you already know -- it's still the same ole PRS-505, just way more expensive in US dollars.

[Via MobileRead, thanks Alex]

Truth be told, only a portion of the world was totally shocked when FCC documentation gave us all reason to believe that Amazon was indeed diving head first into the hardware biz, but even now, it still seems a touch awkward to see a label most commonly spotted on corrugated boxes plastered on an e-book reader. Nevertheless, Bezos' baby did indeed take on the aforementioned sector, though it took an outlandishly long time to go from FCC-approved to bookworm-ready. After missing a gazillion (give or take a few) proposed due dates, the cleverly-named (and questionably designed) Kindle finally made itself available on -- gasp! -- Amazon.com some 14 months after its original coming out party.

As with most highly-anticipated devices, this particular one was also met with its fair share of critics and proponents, but judging by the initial difficulty it had remaining in stock, it seemed well on its way to e-reader stardom. Granted, we've no clairvoyant on staff, but we're guessing a few of those orders went to a few of you all. Assuming that's the case, why not give ole Jeff and company something to think about for Kindle v2.0? Yeah, we know you've been enjoying those unannounced easter eggs and whatnot, but now that you've had ample time to flip through a few paperless pages and really get a read (ahem) on this thing, what alterations would you make going forward? How's about a color screen, for starters? Maybe a little more responsiveness? A little less '80, a little more '08 in the design? Or, say, native Engadget support in the RSS reader? We're only partially kidding on that last one, but feel free to agree and tack on a dozen more worthwhile changes in comments below.

'Twas inevitable, really. Shortly after Amazon's Kindle hit the hands of eager early adopters, someone with a extra dash of curiosity showed us what the guts looked like, and now it's time for Sony's own Reader to experience the same. One dutiful owner managed to strip the proverbial spine right off, leaving the pages bare and the circuitry exposed, but hey, that's exactly how we like it. Go on, peep the read link for the whole set -- they always said to never judge an (e)-book by its cover.

[Via Igorsk]

Those sitting tight for Cybook's Gen3 e-book reader can finally do something other than just wait for it. That's right, Bookeen's latest is finally on sale, and just as promised (the second time, that is), it's available now (read: in October) for $350. If you're wondering what all that coin will get you, you can look forward to 8,000 page flips without a recharge, a daylight-readable 800 x 600 resolution display, 2.5-millimeter stereo headphone jack, 64MB of storage, an SD expansion slot and USB connectivity. So go on, bust out that credit card and count down the minutes till it arrives on your doorstep.

[Via Teleread]

That was snappy. Just hours after hearing that Sony's PRS-505 eBook reader would be available "this month" for $300, the outfit is now selling the product right in its own webstore. For $299.99 (to be precise), users can snap up the Digital Book in silver or dark blue, and you'll even get 100 Connect eBook Classic titles (and two lines of engraving, if you wish) gratis with the purchase. As for the estimated ship date? Tomorrow.

It's no secret that cellphone manufacturers and carriers alike are getting quite crafty with their marketing approaches, but Symbian went straight for the low-blow with its Boo-Hoo campaign. Frankly, the site (and more specifically, the Boo-Hoo For You video) slams the Western smartphone for not being as "technically capable" as the Symbian phones overseas, but we're not quite sure we're following all the slighting. Aside from being a bit weirded out by a talking Pac-man lookalike and a hump-backed eraser, we're not so sure that Big Brother being right there on your cellphone at all times is actually a perk. Additionally, e-wallets and cellphone-based ticketing aren't exactly Symbian exclusives, and having the nerve to actually flaunt an "aroma phone" just about nixes any and all credibility this wacky cartoon had left. Nevertheless, we're sure this here promo was intended less for informative purposes and more for water-cooler jabbing, so click on through to see what the fuss is all about. [Warning: Psychedelic video could induce epilepsy]

[Via S60, thanks Stefan C.]

While this doesn't mark the first time that we've caught wind of colorized electronic paper, South Korea's LG Philips has announced that an A4-sized rendition of the vivid bendable display has successfully been developed in its labs. The panel reportedly measures just 35.9-centimeters diagonally, is 0.3-millimeter thick, and can display up to 4,096 colors while maintaining the energy efficient qualities that inevitably come with using energy only when the image changes. Unsurprisingly, the company plans on marketing the device as one of convenience and doesn't hesitate to tout its greenness in the process, but unfortunately, it failed to mention when this would find its way out into the general public.

[Via Physorg]

While cranking out a couple of new e-readers may be big doings for some companies, it's just what we've come to expect from Fujitsu. Adding to its collection of e-ink-related niceties, the FLEPia "portable information terminals" will reportedly be available in an A5 size (weighing 480 grams) and an A4 flavor (320 grams), and both are just 12-millimeters thick. While details are admittedly scarce, you can reportedly read "up to two year's worth of magazines" on a single 4GB SD flash card, but you'll be recharging the battery every 50 hours or so along the way. Additionally, users will enjoy the convenience of WiFi connectivity built right in, and the six control buttons (plus a scroll key) should keep your pages aligned. The device is slated to land in white pearl, silver, and the obligatory pink pearl motifs, but considering the presumably lofty pricetags attached to each of these desirable units, we can't imagine too many early adopters diving in just yet.

[Via Pocket-Lint]

After making a dramatic FCC-leaked first appearance, we've heard zilch about Amazon's Kindle e-book reader. Word on the street is that Amazon has been pre-viewing its e-reader to publishers in the US and UK for months now. More importantly, those who have used it say it's a "step up" from the Sony Reader, offering better functionality and "a first rate e-commerce option" thanks in part to the device's built-in EV-DO data capability. Publishers Weekly says that the device is expected to launch "above $400" as early as spring. Judging by The City's revived scent of reheated bodily fluids, that could be any day now.

[Via MobileRead]

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]

If you've had your eye on the iLiad eBook reader from Philips spin-off iRex -- and also have a need for a lot of boring aviation-related documents -- then you may be interested in a new product called the eFlyBook from ARINC that combines both of your passions. Little more than an iLiad pre-loaded with such exciting fare as the US Terminal Procedures Publication, US IFR High & Low Enroute Charts, and an Airport Facility Directory, among others, the eFlyBook is one of the only ways Americans can curently get their hands on iRex's debut product, pilot or no pilot. You'll recall that the iLiad is a 400MHz device with an 8-inch, 1,024 x 768 screen that sports both a CF and SD slot for user-supplied content, so besides all the flight documentation, flyboys can also load up the eBook with their own novels and magazines to read while letting auto-pilot do all the hard work. Available to order immediately, this rebadged version of the iLiad will set you back a cool $900, plus whatever it costs to update the aviation docs once the included six-month Charts & Data subscription expires. Not the cheapest way to get your eBook on, but until Sony rolls out its own proprietary reader, your options here are still few and far between.

The alpha to Sony's e-ink omega, iRex's iLiad e-reader, hasn't only looked like a viable alternative to Sony's device, it's threatened to come in first (and cheaper). Well, cheaper may no longer be the case, but it looks like the iRex is set to ship this month in Europe for a princely €649 ($820 US). That's a pretty spicy meatball, we know, but we ain't never said early adoption was for the destitute or faint of heart.

[Thanks, PanMan and Oliver]