$200 seems expensive to me. While I like some of the advantages, the disadvantages cancel these out in in my opinion. It is also possible to drop a book and not damage it. You can also lend it to someone else.
I get all my books from the public library anyway, so unless a lot changes, I shan't be buying any electronic gadget in the foreseeable future.

Thanks for the review Alan. I must admit I am a bit resistant to the whole idea of e-books, try as I might to be open minded and to shake off that 20th Century baggage but no...it just isn't happening for me. I still prefer my books in paper form.

Out of the whole review I can see one great advantage, that is when travelling. No need to pack books. Although, I would miss fossicking around in a new bookshop, chatting amiably with the owner while looking for something new to read in between swimming and relaxing at the beach.

Each to his own as it should be.

No need to buy any books at all: Project Gutenberg and Gutenberg Australia have tens of thousands of free books available for download in ePub format:

http://gutenberg.net.au/plusfifty.html

http://www.gutenberg.org/wiki/Main_Page

Once you have read all those then you can consider feeding the maw of Big Publishing.

I got one a few days ago. Yes it's a little slow but the page turn delay can be catered for by pressing the button when you are halfway through the last line on the page. The e-ink screen is very easy to read for several hours at a time, and it's great not to be tethered to a power source. Forget PDF reading...too slow.
The main advantages for me is:
-No more sore neck from propping up "publisher's edition" paperbacks for hours. The Kobo is very light and easily handled with one hand.
-An entire library available when travelling. With SD expansion there is room for over 5000 books!
-Recharge very rarely.
-Can buy from all over the world, not restricted to Australia's publishing "walled garden".
I can't wait for the next few generations with colour and a faster screen refresh (& waterproof!).
If anyone in the media business is serious about leading the game they would sell this sort of thing cheap with wireless updates and a two year subscription to their newspaper/magazine. But, as usual they will wait until Apple or Google takes the lead...then try and lobby government to protect them from the nasty competition...sigh.
E-readers have finally come of age, and about time too!

It strikes me that for a family of readers, having four (or maybe more) e-readers is a huge investment in technology which will need updating in a year or two. I take my brood to the Lifeline Bookfest here in Brisbane whenever it is on and we purchase shopping bags of second hand books: $20 buys a heap of reading matter! (For me this is especially convenient as I have limited discretionary reading time and I don't have to worry about library return dates.) These books then get recycled (if I can bare to part with them!). I think, for now, I will stick to the paper version.