[LDBoblo]

My dream is well-beyond the current technology, but here's what my limited imagination can muster:

A) Hinged (highly flexible, backwards-foldable) dual-screen in the Plastic Logic vein for flexibility and requiring minimal border casing (less than 1cm around the edges--almost all screen, nearly no border at hinge seam).

B) Greater contrast and high resolution (600ppi+) with touch screen functions and simple hardware buttons. A smaller size with a 5-6 inch screen for semi-pocketable paperback feel, and a larger one approaching the size of an A4 notebook for school or office.

C) High resolution can combine with user-defined fonts, opentype compatibility, and customizable anti-aliasing settings for high-quality typesetting.

D) Faster refresh to allow rapid page flipping, done by a double tap and swipe. Single page turn similar to the PRS-700. Double-tap and a vertical drag along the edge allows one panel to switch to annotation mode, which allows high-refresh, high-resolution note-taking with a stylus (adjustable line width) on that panel. UI will have options of blank sheet or writing over the text with transparency. There would also be an independent "notebook" program with guide gridding for handwriting. The resolution would be high enough that handwriting would be manageable and legible.

E) Overall program minimalism...Apart from reading and note-taking, perhaps only the most minimum of options like a calculator program and calendar/clock or, on the more extreme side, installable dictionaries. I too am one of those folks who likes the specialized "book" concept...not a full-fledged PDA or netbook that has reader functions.

As far as menu structure, my imagination isn't too worried, though I suspect it would have to consider the possibilities of a dual-panel layout.

Of course, the technology is not there...it's just a pitiful dream for folks like me who really want to get a more complete paper-substitution experience.

As an addendum: I figure 600ppi is unrealistic since even LCDs don't go there. However, it'd be nice to have over 300ppi, with better contrast and a good anti-aliasing setup to produce more attractive fonts with fine serifs and the like. Try viewing a 9-10pt Garamond on a standard e-ink screen and it's pretty tragic.