Desired features found in few programs
The following features are ones I'd like to see more of, but they only show up in a few document readers.

Tap to invoke full screen
You should be able to tap the lower right-hand corner to toggle full screen mode. Qvadis Express Readers and WordSmith have this, but WordSmith leaves the top menu bar behind. MobiPocket has a "tap on upper line to show menu" feature, a slick feature others should emulate.

Instant bookmarks
Ideally, readers should allow you to select a phrase and then tap an icon to create a bookmark using that phrase. This method should either bypass dialog boxes entirely or briefly flash confirmation. MobiPocket has an icon that creates a bookmark using the first words on a page, but not selected text.

Menu shortcut by entering letter
You should be able to invoke menu items in view mode without using a command stroke. You should be able to just scrawl the letter! The chess programs use this, and it's a welcome time saver.

Use of hardware buttons
Use of hardware buttons would make for a more stylus-free, menu-free reading experience. The Date Book button could invoke document selection; the Address button could create instant bookmarks; the To Do List button could be Find; and the Memo Pad could toggle the full screen option or insert selected text into a memo. Currently, several readers use the hardware buttons for auto-scroll functions. Auto-scrolling works much like a teleprompter. I find this of little use. I like reading at my own pace; plus most readers have a rather jerky auto-scroll.

Full featured at a low price
Ideally, document readers should be free or low cost ($10 or less). Supposedly there's no such thing as a free lunch, but CspotRun and MobiPocket are striking refutations of that old adage.

Capsule summaries of document reading programs
In what follows, I've judged some of the major document readers on the market against the preferred features I outlined above and highlight other particularly good or problematic aspects. This month, I'm going to start with the freeware applications, and in my next installment, I'll follow up with the commercial applications.

Document readers are frequently updated, so you should check to see if a new version has come out. In most cases, the readers were tested on a Palm IIIxe. The features of a few recent upgrades were checked on the Palm OS emulator on a PowerBook G3.

For capsule summaries of some older readers not mentioned here, such as J-DOC (at http://www.tt.rim.or.jp/~tatsushi/palmware.html#jdoc), Mobile LinkDoc (at http://www.handmark.com/products/linkdoc/index.html), PanaRead (at http://www.panamedia.com), and ZDOC (at http://www.geocities.com/Area51/7689/pilot.html) and for another perspective on several I have mentioned in this article, visit http://www.the-gadgeteer.com/docreaders-review.html.

I have no connection with the individuals or companies behind these readers. I'm happy to amend my comments if I have gotten anything wrong.