I wouldn't recommend that. Beta 4 crashes on me 4-5 times a day. I use it anyway, but it's definitely not ready for prime time.

Huh. I have not had one crash with beta 4.

I wonder if you have some conflicting add-ons installed?

Only add-on I've got is Adblock Plus.

I think you should reinstall Firefox.

Answer to the following questions will be used in a Gristmill column. Anyone who answers will be credited or not as they wish.

If someone was going to create a low end, really cheap dedicated e-reader, stripping out all the features that were not need, what would you insist on retaining in order for you to want it? Assume screen resolution comparable to print, and a decent screen refresh rate. What else would it have to have? What is the maximum size you would tolerate? Would it be OK if it unfolded to a larger size? What would the maximum weight be? What formats would it have to be able to read?

Do you insist on an e-reader being able to do something else? Be incorporated into a laptop, or have at least the computer capability of high end cells phones (camera, music, limited email and browsing?) Or do you carry books around often enough that a dedicated e-reader that only reads books can fit into your life - if the price was low enough, and e-reader performance were sufficient?

Having fallen in love with my Kindle to the point where it's basically changed the way I read, I can say without doubt that the screen would need to be eInk. No LCD display, no matter the resolution, can have the same level of readability for extended periods of time, and I can't see investing in something as limited as an eReader unless I'm spending hours with it. If I only want to read small documents, I'll use my Treo.

I like that the Kindle can buy books over the internet, but it's not a requirement. I was strongly considering one of the Sony readers before it came out, and would have bitten if they had been a bit cheaper. On the other hand, having experienced that convenience, I'm not sure I'd go back.

As far as formats: some method of converting formatted HTML and Word files are a must, PDFs that are in text form would be nice but not a deal-breaker. One of the formats available at Manybooks.net for sure, but that's pretty much anything so not a problem. Otherwise, must have a format with a significant (and growing) commercial selection, which for now pretty much means Kindle or DRMed Mobi, from what I can tell.

In terms of size: I'm using it as a replacement for a trade paperbacks and it should be comparable in size. It needs to fit in my oversized coat pocket to work. If it unfolds, that's okay (nice for large documents like newspapers), but I'd want to be able to read in the folded form as well - so either two displays or some way of viewing books on only part of it.

Of course, as somebody already on the eReader wagon, this article may have no relationship with me.

Heh. Well, ideally it would be a fully functioning computer that folds down to paperback book size, has a touchscreen, a magic keyboard that slides out, weighs nothing, has magic always-there internet, and costs like, $200.

Realistically, however...I think I'll probably get one in a couple years. Let it go through a few more iterations, more books available (cheaper?) etc. It should hold more than ten books. Cause that's how many I'll pack, if I'm going on a week vacation. It should have a long battery life, so if I'm on a plane, I don't run out. If I'm worried about running out, I'll just bring books, and that defeats the purpose. The kindle's ability to download more sounds awesome, and isn't something I would'v come up with. I figure that's why I'm not a designer.

It'd be nice if it did other things, but sometimes things are designed and work better if they don't try to do sixteen things. And if I really want email and all that, I'll use my phone or bring my computer.

Readability of .txt files would be nice, for files (fic) that I download myself and want to take along.

I also want an e-book mainly for travel. On a long trip the books can weigh as much as the clothes and I have a horror of running out of books. I haven't tried the Kindle, but I have tried earlier versions, and the biggest problem was that it took too long to get from one page to the next. I'm a very fast reader, so I spent a lot of time punching the next page button and cursing. I'd like it to be able to use most common formats, including the html from free sites like Gutenberg. I think trade paperback size is fine, and it would be even better if it unfolded like a book and you could see two pages. I'd like to be able to adjust text size and have it be readable in both daylight and in the dark, so I can read on a darkened plane or in a room in which other people are sleeping. Whatever control that takes you to the next page needs to be easy to find and operate.

I don't really care if it connects to the web, but I already have a Treo. I can see the value in the Kindle model of being able to download books at any time, but for a lower price, I'd be happy to download the books and load the e-book before I left.

The real question is price, both of the device and of more current books. I can't see myself spending more that the price of a paperback for an electronic book. A huge part of the cost of a book is in design, printing and distribution. I'd be okay with something like a library model, in which the book self-destructs in a month.