1) some way of copying an existing product as a template for a new product
Yes this is a good idea, it's already on the to-do list but I don't think it will make next version.
2) a mini description of a product that would be displayed in the horizontal view rather than the full description so that ou only get the full description when the item is selected.
There is one way you can do this already, but you need to edit a php file. Basically you can use the meta description field to display as a brief description on your product listings. Some of the product_listings formats are set to do this already but you can change or add this by editing the display_products_ files in the theme includes folder, depending on which one you are using to display your products. Do you think a dedicated field for this would be better than using the meta description field? I don't like adding extra fields unless it is something really needed.