EBook readersFollow

Hi everyone,

My wife wants to buy me a reader for a birthday present (I travel a lot) and unless I tell her which one to get, she'll pick one out based on looks alone.

I'm interested in any personal info you people might have on this issue.

Up to now, I've found the Amazon Kindle (there is a version 2), the Sony Reader and the Iliad.

Has anyone had any experience with any of those?

1- Do they read specific copyrighted EBooks only or can I read some non copyrighted ones?
2- Can I read TXT, DOC, RTF, and other file types as well?
3- Are they too heavy? Heavier than a hardcover Harry Potter novel for example?
4- Can they take a USB pen as storage or as input? Or do I have to get stuff only via wireless transfers?
5- Does the battery last long enough to take on a long flight? Can I read while charging the battery (like a cell phone) or is it charging OR reading (like a digital camera)?
6- Any other relevant info I could use to decide?

Thanks in advance.