TreoCentral reader Rich wrote in yesterday saying that he loves to read eBooks. Rich says that reading eBooks is one of the major things that he does with his portable toys these days, and that the amount of books available (both authorized and unauthorized) is incredible. Rich goes on to say:

In fact, having eReader available for the iPod/iPhone was one of the deciding factors in my getting one of them. I also upgraded my iPod Touch to the 2.0 software so I could use it as well. Right now only books that you purchased through eReader can be put on the iPhone. I asked them about that, and was told that within a few weeks users would have the option of loading other books as well. They call it the personal content upload feature.

A couple of notes also. One, all versions of eReader Pro are free now. They used to charge for the Pro version but are giving it away for free on all platforms. Also, eReader is now owned by Fictionwise. In the upper right hand of their main page, you'll see a "Powered by Fictionwise" logo, and the two sites inventories are tied together. With their over the air technology (OTA), you can download the program and books directly to your favorite portable device.

One nice feature also is the wish list option for registered users. When you find a book you want, you add it to your wish list, how bad you want it (scale of 1 to 5), and what is the most that you are willing to pay for it. If the price comes down to your level, then you get an email telling you that. Also they occassionally will give users an extra discount on books on their wish list, that can be used in addition to the standard discount that newsletter subscribers get.

Thanks for writing in with that great info Rich! I was very happy to be able to put eReader Pro on my Centro! As Rich and I have both mentioned, there is a staggering number of eBooks available. There are several different eBook sites on the internet to get eBooks. I mainly go to eReader/Fictionwise and browse around. My BookSelf at both sites is packed full of eBooks that I've purchased over the years.

I love having so many categories to choose from. Check out some of the great categories available at eReader.com:

Categories:

• Action/Adventure - Spies, Seduction, Assassins, Martial Arts...
• Anthologies - Short Story Collections...
• Back To School - ebooks for school and college students...
• Biography/Memoir - Life stories of the significant and the not so signifacant...
• Business & Technology - Best Business Practices & Technology Secrets and Prediction...
• Children's Books - Fiction and Nonfiction for Younger Readers..
• Classics - Classic Literature from the 18th, 19th, and 20th Centuries...
• Entertainment - Music & Entertainment
• Fantasy - Dwarves, Elves, Wizards, Hobbits, etc...
• Historical Fiction - Stories of the Past...
• Horror - Chilling Suspense and Terror from the Supernatural...
• Investing & Money - Investing & Money Management...
• Magazines - Handheld Computing, SF and Mystery magazines...
• Mysteries & Detectives - Private Investigators, Sleuths, and Police Procedurals...
• New Age - New Age, Native American, Wica, Occult, ParaNormal...
• Nonfiction - Can't find it anywhere else? Try looking here...
• Poetry - Poetry and Verse...
• Reference - Almanacs, Dictionaries, Language...
• Religion - Books pertaining to all of the World's major religions...
• Romance - Contemporary, Historical, Futuristic...
• Science & Nature - Astronomy, Genetics, Physics, Zoology & Animals...
• Science Fiction - Hi-Tech, Other Worlds, Time Travel...
• Travel - Travel Guides, Arm-Chair Essays, International Culture, Lodgings...
• True Crime - Real people, real crimes...
• Western - Stories of the American Old West...
• LOTS MORE......

There are many more categories to choose from. 103 total in fact. That's a whole lot of eBooks, huh? I'd like to read them all but it would take years and years. I barely have enough time to cram one eBook into my schedule, so I'll just read when I have the time. I have lots of hardbacks and paperbacks too. My Mom returned two huge stacks to me last night that she'd borrowed. I got to looking through them and I haven't read even one of them yet! That's how far behind I am in my reading! I continue to buy eBooks and real books even if I don't have time to read them right now. It sure will be something to look forward to when I do have the time!

EBooks are definitely one of my favorite things about owning a Palm smartphone. I can carry an entire library around with me everywhere I go. Who would have ever thought that a whole library of books could be so lightweight? People who have never seen a smartphone are always amazed at what all can be done on one. They're in awe that I can talk on it, read on it, write on it, listen to music on it, play games on it, record voice messages on it, write text messages and emails on it, surf the internet on it, take photos and videos with it, and on and on and on.... Yep, I love my Treo and Centro!

Oh yeah, before I forget, eReader has a 10% discount for the weekend. Just punch in this week's Promo Code ER71508 to receive a 10% discount off any eBooks that you purchase at eReader.com. This offer is good through July 22, 2008 on all eBooks. The discount cannot be used with any other special offers.