I did a lot of research - 7" readers. I think we're one generation away from a good one for a "power user" who wants something more than the most basic of readers. The Barnes and Noble readers are nice but fail:
1) Nook Color - Nice unit. However no button to turn pages and 1 handed reading is challenging (also heavy.) Also has no audio input making Skype not possible. For $250 you get only a reader that can be rooted as an Android tablet but limited (also no landscape.) For that money you're better off spending just a little more and getting a first generation tablet that can do these things, is lighter and at least has audio.
2) Nook B&W ereader: IMHO, if you're looking just to read, this is a much more cost effective device. It also doesn't do landscape, has no audio at all (weird since audio books would be out) and a few other limitations. But if all you want to do is just read, this is a better buy at half the price.
3) No-name 7" tablets: Don't bother. They are all not worth the investment for a variety of reasons.
4) Acer 7": Price dropped to $300 but is oddly made. A bit too heavy, camera on side not in middle (go figure) and a couple of other oddities. It will work but, again, for this price, wait until next generation coming out.
5) Asus 7": The better of the two than the Acer. However, it has all proprietary ports and has a lower build quality. Requires an adapter to plug in the wall and charge, AFAIK there is no USB charging with this device.
6) Dell 7": Resolution is too low. Not worth it.
7) Samsung Galaxy: I've heard the price will drop on this one. If it does, I'd say that it's worth getting above all the others at the moment.