As noted in CNET News and other outlets, Sony will release an eBook reading device next month using a display developed by Royal Philips Electronics using technology developed by partners E Ink and Toppan Printing. The device, dubbed LIBRIe, will retail at around $375 according to CNET, and will use Sony Memory Sticks (of course) to store between 20 to 500 eBooks, depending on the account. The key factor in this new product is the E Ink technology that allows for a display that has the resolution, reflective properties and overall look of newsprint. The device is somewhat larger than a paperback book and sports a QWERTY keyboard, presumably riding on top of a Palm OS similar to its Clie PDA products. I don't have one in my hands yet, but I am sensing from all of the clips I've been going through is that this very well could be a "gotta have" gadget for technoholics and readers alike. The form factor is a little wierd, but being able to show people the latest and greatest in display capabilities in an affordable (PDA/premium cell phone range) package in a screen that's far more readable than the typical PDA and far more usable and private than a tablet PC (comes with a handy flip-close cover) has something to be said for it. As we've been telling folks in our logs and research, eBooks are a quiet revolution underway, and this highly affordable and techno-sexy unit may be just the thing to pump up the volume for eBooks - and steal Microsoft's march in the process.