PodReader (http://homepage.mac.com/ptwobrussell/podreader.html) is an open-source OS X application that takes electronic texts and "intelligently" parses them into a series of text blocks that can be read on Apple's iPod.

Still in the early stages of development, it is planned to rapidly mature into an application tailored for PDA-type functionality to include reading of various types of electronic media. Ports to Linux and Win32 are planned.

You can download the application from here (http://homepage.mac.com/ptwobrussell/FileSharing8.html). Related to PodReader are two articles (here (http://www.macdevcenter.com/pub/a/mac/2004/12/14/ipod_reader.html) and here (http://www.macdevcenter.com/pub/a/mac/2004/12/17/ipod_reader.html)) which explain how to build an e-book reader for iPod.

I think tech people often do things just because they can, rather than because they provide recipes and solutions. I read on my T3 and have long felt how wonderful it would be to have a larger screen. But a smaller screen, the size of an iPod's, that's just plain silly! I think this is just someone's idea of how to cash in on the tremendous success of the iPod. If someone asked me about getting a device to read ebooks, I would not so much as think of an iPod. Philippe Radley

Reading entire books on an iPod when other options are available may in fact be ridiculous, but if you're commuting through the city or a passenger on a long drive, this might be a nice way of skimming some text or reading part of something you don't want to carry around with you. Having a reference document of something like the Bible might also be handy if you're into that kind of thing.

A new version is out now that automatically gets books from online and loads them for you, so it's pretty simple to browse through and pick up books with minimal hassle.