Google is to launch its Google Editions ebook store in 2010, which will offer the latest digital books without locking your purchases to a specific device.
Google announced this week that the store will launch June/July time and will be browser based so any device with a browser will be able to view the books.
Once the book has been accessed online, it will be cached in the browser for reading offline.
The news of Google Editions first broke back in October 2009, when Google announced it was looking into a store that was not device specific.
This differs from what Sony is doing with the Reader and Amazon with the Kindle – where they are offering content tied to those specific devices.
Device agnostic
Gabriel Sticker, a spokesperson for Google, said about the ebook store: "It is a different approach to what most readers today have and the vision is to be able to access books in a device agnostic way."
Google is also hoping to break down the barriers for purchasing ebooks. Its store will be available through its Book Search service, but it is hoping that book sellers will also add a link to the store on their websites in return for a share of the profits.
It's unknown what the prices for the ebooks will be or whether they will be set by Google or retailers.
Currently, Amazon is king in the ebook market, picking up a 90 per cent share. This looks likely to decrease significantly once Google launches its store and the Apple iPad Bookstore builds momentum.
Google is no stranger to ebooks. It is currently battling it out with publishers over rights to the digitising of out-of-print books and magazines.
Google Editions is said to be entirely separate to that part of its business.
Via WSJ
Your comments (2) Click to add a new comment
shaunydub
May 5th 2010
2. Indeed ebooks need to be cheaper than normal books or they will not catch on with the masses.
Seems that people are trying to charge the same or more for digital versions of something than they are for phsyical - i.e. ebooks, films rentals online, games on demand on xbox, films on ps3/xbox.
It is crazy as far as i am concerned and I will not pay for it when I could have something more substantial in my hands than an over priced download that I won't be able to use once my console or pmp or e reader stops working or is obsolete to the latest model!
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cheysuli
May 5th 2010
1. I have a SONY eBook reader and currently the only people catering to all platforms are the book pirates.
Waterstones has 10 books by my favourite author one day, then 3 the next with no explanation. Plus they're all priced higher than the hardback copies, with DRM that is nonsensical and frustratingly bad.
I now buy a book then download the ebook from whatever source I can.
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