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Well you asked for our craziest ideas...
One of the best things I heard Jeff Bezos say is that books should disappear when you're reading them. I think they should also disappear when you aren't reading them. The mistake that I think designers are making is trying to make the device like a physical book rather then trying to make a better reading device.
I would personally like to see the reading device so that they can be broken into their functional components. I'd like to see interchangeable displays. Right now we have to compromise between portability and readability. I'm fine reading on my ipod Touch display when I'm running around throughout the day or if I want to read in bed, however if I want to sit down in front of the fire for an afternoon of reading I want a better display. The device should be able to pick the best display available to it at the time. I can see heads up display coming out as a new type of “reading glasses”. I wouldn't want them as my only display though.
The text rendering engine doesn't need interaction. It could be a device that I stick in my pocket or clip on my belt and communicates wirelessly with the display and storage. It just needs a method to store my personal preferences, bookmarks etc... It could also just be an app on my blackberry, smart phone, ipod. I'd like to be able to upgrade the rendering engine and the screens independently.
I don't really need separate storage for the reader except for cache. The storage could be a share on a smart phone or media player. The wireless communication could be via a cell phone using a tethering type solution.
On a more practical short term note I'd like a remote page turn option. Rather then trying to figure out where best to place the page turn button why not add an optional remote? I read a fair amount with my reading device on a stand or flat on the table in front of me. When washing dishes a waterproof remote would be ideal for me.
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