To Kindle, or not to Kindle?

For some strange reason I have gotten it into my head that I want an e-reader.  I don't know why exactly as I am a pretty hard-core physical book person.  (Bad days can be better with a simple trip to the library or bookstore.  Something about the smell just eases any tension.)  It might have something to do with the XKCD Comic, actually.  Ever since they linked it to the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, I've been a little obsessed with the idea.  Then, with my plans to travel to Europe in the near future, I have these wonderful visions of how useful it will be. 

Imagine standing by an old church on a street in London, for example.  The sign says, Temple Church, but you've never seen/read the DaVinci Code and have no idea what it is.  Pull out the Kindle, go to the search feature and type in Temple Church on the "use Wikipedia" feature and Voila!  All the information that public forum of knowledge has to offer on Temple Church, PLUS links to other interesting sites in the area.  Not to mention, one could download a travel guide (if one is offered on Amazon) as well as any books to read on the journey.

And yet, I went to Target and I held a Kindle in my hands.  I seriously thought about buying the 3G version, but I just couldn't get excited about it.  I went to Barnes & Noble and looked at their Nook.  I found the touch screen at the bottom neat but not as easy to use as I would like.  If there is touch screen, I want to be able to touch the whole screen not just part of it and the 5-way rocker button on the Kindle is more natural to me for some reason.  Now the Nook Color, could be be more natural to me than the 5-way rocker button but it's not exactly in my price range.  I held the Nook in my hands and I couldn't get excited about it.  The ideas of what I could do with either device, see Temple Church above, are exciting.  But the actual device itself did not induce the same impulse-buy feeling I get when I see a new book.  Still, I have plenty of time before I take my European Vacation and that should give me time to make up my mind about whether or not to get one.