Google eBookstore Now Open
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CREDIT: Google |
Google announced this morning the opening of an e-book store that the California-based company says will offer titles for reading on "just about any device with an Internet connection."
Google describes its e-book store as the biggest in existence, stocked with over three million digital books, many of which are old and out-of-print.
Avid readers can download apps for smartphones, e-readers and tablet computers such as Apple's iPad in order to start turning pages.
"For many books you can select which font, font size, day/night reading mode and line spacing suits you – and pick up on the page where you left off when switching devices," wrote Abraham Murray, the product manager for Google Books in an official Google blog.
Google intends to steal some of Amazon's thunder with its foray into hawking e-books. Instead of getting referred via a Google search to Amazon's popular e-book store – bolstered in part by the Amazon Kindle e-reader – Google is looking to keep some of that Internet traffic and resulting e-book sales for itself.
The new eBookstore, as Google calls it, is distinct from the Google Books project, which has digitized more than 15 million works since it launched in 2004.
Some independent booksellers, such as Powell's and Alibris, will also offer Google e-books, as explained by the blog post from Murray.
"Launching Google eBooks is an initial step toward giving you greater access to the vast variety of information and entertainment found in books," Murray wrote. "Our journey has just begun."
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