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Google Businesses The Internet Technology

Google Set To Tackle eBook Market 170

Posted by ScuttleMonkey from the as-long-as-i-get-to-download-scanned-content-too dept.
Mike writes "Google's latest decision to try its hand selling eBooks promises to make life in the eBook world more interesting, and will likely spur a standards war that in the end may prove beneficial to many consumers. Google's eBook store will pit it directly against Amazon and Amazon's Kindle — an enormously popular eBook reader. This will push many companies to create eBook readers to take advantage of Google's new store, and will flood the market with tough choices. Google does not have a dedicated eBook reader yet, but it seems a logical next step for the search giant."
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Google Set To Tackle eBook Market More

Google Set To Tackle eBook Market

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  • Obvious next step... (Score:4, Insightful)

    by Newander ( 255463 ) on Monday June 01, 2009 @05:29PM (#28174077)

    I seem to remember people saying the same thing about cell phones, but Google is not a hardware company. I'd look for an API and not much else.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by ubrgeek ( 679399 )
      > Google is not a hardware company.

      Neither is Amazon and you'll get my Kindle when you pry it from my cold, dead hands...

      Seriously, I don't care who sells them so long as they offer the content I want and the cost is right.

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by eihab ( 823648 )

        Google is not a hardware company.

        Neither is Amazon and you'll get my Kindle when you pry it from my cold, dead hands...

        Seriously, I don't care who sells them so long as they offer the content I want and the cost is right.

        Can't you get a "Netbook" for less than a Kindle and read whatever you want on it (and then some) DRM free?

        I get the idea of free cell connection to download books (and I have yet to hold a Kindle myself and give it a go), but Amazon's deal seems over priced in my opinion.

        I've also read a review on Amazon [amazon.com] from someone complaining about books they bought that they couldn't access anymore after moving to Kindle 2.

        How is your experience with Kindle so far?

        • Re:Obvious next step... (Score:5, Insightful)

          by fafaforza ( 248976 ) on Monday June 01, 2009 @07:54PM (#28175773)

          The whole "can't you get a netbook instead" thing has been beaten to death, twice, with a dead horse tossed on top the second time. I mean, seriously. People have suggested this, the iPhone, the Nintendo DS, etc. Yeah, yeah, they do oh-so-much more. Different products. If you can read for extended periods of time on an LCD, and have a place to recharge it conveniently, then get a netbook.

          The rest of us will enjoy immitation printed paper, with weeks between charging.

          • Re: (Score:2)

            by eihab ( 823648 )

            I seem to have missed those discussions. This wasn't a troll or flame-bait though, honest!

            • Maybe it's that I read every eInk related link posted on digg, but the same comparison is made there multiple times per story. It as happens on random blogs and their comments. Even on this page, there's a similar comparison and rebuttal farther down.

          • Re:Obvious next step... (Score:5, Interesting)

            by mgblst ( 80109 ) on Monday June 01, 2009 @11:21PM (#28177285) Homepage

            The rest of us will enjoy immitation printed paper, with weeks between charging.

            No, some of you will enjoy that, the rest of us will enjoy reading a good old fashioned book.

          • Re: (Score:2, Interesting)

            by intheshelter ( 906917 )
            Easy there champ. The simple fact is they are right in that netbooks, iPhones and the iPod Touch can all serve this function. I've been reading ebooks on my iPhone since November and I doubt I'll ever go back. I like the old books but the convenience of having my books with me in my pocket is priceless. If your only advantage is battery life (and you happen to live weeks away from a power outlet) then go for the Kindle. The rest of the world is easily served by the alternatives you listed, which cost m

        • Re:Obvious next step... (Score:5, Informative)

          by ubrgeek ( 679399 ) on Monday June 01, 2009 @08:08PM (#28175909)
          Outstanding. The screen is great, the battery life is outstanding and the form factor is remarkably comfortable. Frankly, that's a huge difference between the Kindle and a netbook. The Kindle is designed for one thing and that's reading for long periods of time. Netbooks aren't. I'm curious how many people who insist "a netbook can do it and its cheaper and no DRM and and and" have ever actually held a Kindle to see just how important the form factor component really is. Frankly, I don't care that I can read the books on my iPhone (another device people are saying is a good alternative.) I've done that and other than being able to sync where I am in the book between my Kindle and iPhone, I don't enjoy the experience nor do I find reading on the phone as relaxing or comfortable. I don't care about DRM issues. There are plenty of free books out there and I tend to buy books rather than going to the library, so if I was going to buy them anyway, then buying them for a device that I own and like isn't really a big deal to me. (Whether that point of sale is at Amazon or Google.) I don't need a netbook. I bought a kindle because I needed something that I could read for hours at a time and not have to worry about recharging the thing every 3-5 hours.

          • Re: (Score:2)

            by eihab ( 823648 )

            Thanks for the quick Kindle review!

            I'm curious how many people who insist "a netbook can do it and its cheaper and no DRM and and and" have ever actually held a Kindle to see just how important the form factor component really is.

            I'm one of those people (although I don't insist on Netbooks over Kindles). I've played with a Netbook at Fry's and I have yet to hold a Kindle like I disclaimed earlier.

            I didn't know that the Netbook argument was (as another poster mentioned [slashdot.org]) beaten to death.

            The one thing that scares me though is DRM and losing books you've already paid for like the reviewer I linked to.

            Putting that issue aside, I'm all for a device that does one thing and does it very well.

        • Re: (Score:3, Interesting)

          by SteeldrivingJon ( 842919 )

          "Can't you get a "Netbook" for less than a Kindle and read whatever you want on it (and then some) DRM free?"

          Maybe, if I didn't already have a personal MacBook Pro and a work MacBook Pro.

          I suspect a Netbook isn't as good as a kindle for reading-while-walking, nor as good for reading-on-a-very-crowded-bus.

          • Try using a MacBook Pro on an airplane or bus. I have the 17" model because it's a "desktop replacement" that I use for infrequent travel. There's to room to open the screen to a comfortable angle so it can be read without odd body contortioning.

        • Dunno about my Kindle, but I have an eReader. I've been reading it on the train, daily, about an hour a day. I have not recharged the battery in two weeks. It is about a tenth the weight of my Asus eee 901 and about a quarter the thickness. I can also read the screen in direct sunlight.

          People who say "can't you just use a netbook" have very clearly never used an eInk device to read a book.

          • Re: (Score:2)

            by eihab ( 823648 )

            People who say "can't you just use a netbook" have very clearly never used an eInk device to read a book.

            Yes, it's also mentioned in my post :)

            I get the idea of free cell connection to download books (and I have yet to hold a Kindle myself and give it a go), but Amazon's deal seems over priced in my opinion.

        • Can't you get a "Netbook" for less than a Kindle and read whatever you want on it (and then some) DRM free?

          You can read whatever you want on a Kindle, if you can get the book in a DRM-free format in the first place (which you'd have to do to read it on your netbook). Aside from that, the advantages of a dedicated eInk-based reader are: 1) screen that doesn't strain the eyes (because it's purely reflective), and 2) very long battery lives, since it only needs to physically "repaint" the screen when it actually changes, and then the picture persists.

          Note that this also applies to all other eInk readers out there:

    • Re:Obvious next step... (Score:5, Interesting)

      by Red Flayer ( 890720 ) on Monday June 01, 2009 @05:45PM (#28174317) Journal

      Google is not a hardware company. I'd look for an API and not much else.

      Came here to say something like this.

      Since it's already been said, let me clarify:

      Google will not make a proprietary e-book reader. They want their wares on as many machines as possible. Whether it's firmware, applications, 'appliances', or whatever. Eyeballs == data == better targeting of ads == higher profits on ad sales.

      Releasing an e-book reader themselves pitches them squarely against the very companies they want to be using their wares, to enable them to sling ads to everyone.

      Google is an advertising behemoth. For all the neat-o things they produce and we use, they exist to make money by slinging ads at people. Every business move they make should be considered in light of the fact that they will choose the route that nets them the most eyeballs -- and in this case, this means making an API or firmware for other companies to use. They do not want to alienate ad targets who use other e-book readers.

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by Jurily ( 900488 )

        Eyeballs == data == better targeting of ads == higher profits on ad sales.

        Umm. Eyeballs == more viewers for the ads == profit. Applications that report back == better targeting.

        Think spammers emailing everyone vs. spammers with spyware.

        • I didn't separate data-collection from ad-serving, as they are both the result of more eyeballs via application use.

          Data collection is as dependent on eyeballs as ad-serving is.

    • Re: (Score:2, Funny)

      by Threni ( 635302 )

      Let's hope this solves the standards problem as effectively as java, javascript, html, xhtml, and flash did for browser development.

    • All Google needs to do is provide the online marketplace and publish an API. Then developers can write apps to interface with it - netbooks with WiFi, PDAs or Phones, laptops, Android devices, even iPhone. Then tablet computers and whatever comes next.

      While Amazon and Sony are busy paying to maintain their hardware support teams, Google can sell books without worrying about any of that. The marketplace will come up with the devices. I could envision a simple eInk device that only reads the open formats

    • Re: (Score:3, Informative)

      by Nefarious Wheel ( 628136 )

      Google is not a hardware company

      Not strictly true. http://www.google.com/enterprise/pdf/gsa_datasheet.pdf [google.com]

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by LWATCDR ( 28044 )

      Actually I see it first as an Android App.
      I have a Kindle but I honestly use my iPod Touch more. At night the screen is back lit for reading in bed when my wife is asleep. I always have it with me. And I just don't think the kindle is that much better for reading books.
      Now when I can get an 8"x11" color ebook reader all bets are off. I would love to get Cycle World, Rider, Motorcyclist, and Motortrend on the Kindle.

  • I wonder if anyone else sees the possibility of using android's API's for touch screen to make devices to for ebooks? Not that I like the ebook market or care for it, but it certainly seems logical.

    If I am wrong, please feel free to correct me.

    • Re: (Score:2, Insightful)

      by Ponder Stibions ( 962426 )
      Android based app that's free and open source even, with an essentially open standard so anyone can program nearly anything to connect up. Between an iphone/ipod touch app and an android app, there's just enough space for a dedicated ebook reader to flourish. Maybe a nice addition to a ebook reader is a way to share a book with friends, maybe via bluetooth, letting you transfer a set amount (like in Google books where you only see part of the book) and then a linking system to allow you purchase the rest.

  • Cost (Score:5, Insightful)

    by nurb432 ( 527695 ) on Monday June 01, 2009 @05:32PM (#28174123) Homepage Journal

    Lets hope they can bring the price down to 'every man'. 400 for a kindle is pretty steep for a lot people, even during the best of times.

    • Re:Cost (Score:4, Insightful)

      by DeadDecoy ( 877617 ) on Monday June 01, 2009 @05:45PM (#28174319)
      At 400$ a kindle, laptops start to look a little more attractive, especially with emerging tech like color eink and olpc's use of eink in screens to lengthen their battery life. I would love to buy a kindle, but its not cost-effective for me, and better products seem right around the corner.

      • At 400$ a kindle, laptops start to look a little more attractive, especially with emerging tech like color eink and olpc's use of eink in screens to lengthen their battery life. I would love to buy a kindle, but its not cost-effective for me, and better products seem right around the corner.

        eInk screens are still expensive. If you shop around, you'll see that 1st gen Kindle wasn't really anymore expensive than comparable alternatives - such as Sony 505 and 700. You can get a reader for slightly above $200 now, but those are with previous generation (non-Vizplex) screens which are darker and slower.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by QuantumG ( 50515 ) *

      The fact that they don't work outside the US and Canada is probably a bigger problem.

      But yes, if they were $200 and worked here (Australia) I'd probably buy one.

      Even though that's like my yearly book budget.

      • Re:Cost (Score:5, Informative)

        by sabernet ( 751826 ) on Monday June 01, 2009 @06:23PM (#28174847) Homepage

        Ummm...no.

        Kindle doesn't work outside the US, period. We Canadians don't get it either(though I suspect that has something to do with our world-renowned awful telcos and monopolistic nationally propped up book broker Indigo more then anything else.)

        • Re: (Score:3, Funny)

          by mgblst ( 80109 )

          Really, I saw someone on the bus in Australia reading a kindle... well I assumed she was reading it, now you mention it she could have just been starring at a blank screen.

        • Kindle doesn't work outside the US, period. We Canadians don't get it either(though I suspect that has something to do with our world-renowned awful telcos and monopolistic nationally propped up book broker Indigo more then anything else.)

          This is not an excuse. They just have to deliver it via wifi and for those who can't use that, make a little sync app. If they are not in Canada, it's because they don't want to.

        • Re:Cost (Score:4, Interesting)

          by Cymurgh ( 1462447 ) on Tuesday June 02, 2009 @03:18AM (#28178597)

          There must be some business logic to Amazon's confining their ebook sales to their own format, their own device, their own network, and their own home country. Don't know what it is though.

          I'd be buying my ebooks from Amazon if I possibly could. But I can't. They don't distribute over the Internet so I can't download to my preferred device. They don't make Whispernet available outside the US so there's no incentive for me to ditch my preferred device for a Kindle.

        • Kindle doesn't work outside the US, period.

          What do you think, it's got a magic killswitch to disable it when you cross the border?

          Of course it'll work outside the U.S., you just won't get the shop access and free wireless. Makes it pointless, since you can get the same for cheaper elsewhere at that point... but it will work.

      • The Sony PRS-505 is $250. There are also a myriad of other eInk readers, with their advantages and faults. Though I don't know if sony puts any country limitations on their store. But I use mine mostly for newspapers and converted PDFs. I got tired of tossing out bags of old newspapers every week.

        • Re: (Score:2)

          by QuantumG ( 50515 ) *

          Oh yeah.. that was dumb of me. AU$200 is about US$162.22 .. and the Sony PRS-505 is about AU$500 in Australia :)

        • Re: (Score:2)

          by S.O.B. ( 136083 )

          Though I don't know if sony puts any country limitations on their store.

          Sony has a separate online store for each country in which it operates and the ebook reader is not available on all of them.

          Also, If you happen to be out of your country and try to update your credit card information on your Sony bookstore account you're out of luck. They detect your IP and block the update so make sure you update your account or buy all your books before you leave. I know this because I'm in Thailand for 3 months (

  • The real questions is: (Score:3, Interesting)

    by BlackCreek ( 1004083 ) on Monday June 01, 2009 @05:34PM (#28174155)

    Will they be selling books with or withOUT DRM?

    I own a Hanlin V3, and to a great extent stopped using it, as I can't get the books I want for it.

    • Re: (Score:3, Interesting)

      by blhack ( 921171 )

      While I am typically very much anti-piracy, I do draw the line at books.

      There is a large collection of books sitting on my shelf that I have never opened. This is because I bought them only to put them on my ebook reader de jour (palm -> nokia 770 -> kindle2).

      I'm sure that this violates some laws, but I feel like those laws are unjustified. If i were to take the time to scan the books that I purchased, then put them on my reader, that would be fair use, no? How is it different if I outsource the jo

      • Wired had an interesting article [wired.com] about the typesetting (or lack of) in ebooks today. That's one area where there's a lot of room for improvement, and would definitely provide incentives for getting the ebook through official channels, even to the point of dealing with a closed format with some light DRM.

        In my experience with downloading PDFs of books I own to read in an ebook reader on my laptop, typesetting had been practically non-existent and I'm lucky to get proper paragraph and chapter breaks.

        • This is exactly the problem I have. There is a minority of old public domain books, from which I can have a custom PDF generated for it, with my own choice of fonts and font size.

          I tried downloading books from the web. Often the HTML based ones are so fragmented I can't read comfortably. The PDF based will have fonts I consider too small, and the zooming of the HanlinV3 is not very functional as you can't scroll to the side.

    • Re:The real questions is: (Score:4, Informative)

      by TheMCP ( 121589 ) on Monday June 01, 2009 @07:06PM (#28175325) Homepage

      Can I have it? It apparently supports PDF, TXT, RTF, EPUB, LIT, PPT, WOLF, DOC, CHM, FB2, HTML, DJVU, MP3, TIFF, JPG, GIF, BMP, PNG, RAR, ZIP, and MOBI. I can get pretty much any book I want in one of those formats or something that can be converted into one of them by Calibre or Stanza Desktop.

  • Really? (Score:5, Insightful)

    by damn_registrars ( 1103043 ) <damn.registrars@gmail.com> on Monday June 01, 2009 @05:40PM (#28174247) Homepage Journal

    Amazon's Kindle an enormously popular eBook reader.

    I'm not sure the description "enormously popular" is deserved. Just because it is out selling other eBook readers doesn't make it "enormously popular"; how many of these have actually sold?

    It doesn't seem that the eBook market has really expanded to the point of anything yet being worthy of the "enormously popular" status, AFAIK.

    • It's semantics, really, but the popularity of a product can be gauged across the entire population (pretty much useless), it can be gauged across the potential market (useful), or it can be gauged against the existing market (most useful [for marketing]).

      If the Kindle's share of new e-book purchases is over 85%, I'd call it enormously popular.

      What I'd like to see is an extensive used Kindle market. It bothers me to no end that every time one is purchased, it does an extra point of damage for each one tha

      • It's semantics, really, but the popularity of a product can be gauged across the entire population (pretty much useless), it can be gauged across the potential market (useful), or it can be gauged against the existing market (most useful [for marketing]).

        I understand your point, but I disagree with the application of such sweeping terms as "enormously popular" for something that is currently essentially a niche product. This same kind of logic could be used to say that the Segway Human Transporter is an "enormously popular" two-wheeled electric-powered transportation device, or that the Tesla Roadster is an "enormously popular" high-performance electric car.

        For that matter, you could go in the other direction and say that the Toyota Camry is an "abysmal

      • Well, I take it you mean 85% of the market Amazon targets. But Kindle only sells in the US. But you know what: We living outside the US are not an-alphabets! We can read as well. I would guess that Google will go for the World market. And there Kindle becomes unimportant.

    • Amazon's Kindle an enormously popular eBook reader.

      I'm not sure the description "enormously popular" is deserved. Just because it is out selling other eBook readers doesn't make it "enormously popular"; how many of these have actually sold?

      It doesn't seem that the eBook market has really expanded to the point of anything yet being worthy of the "enormously popular" status, AFAIK.

      I may not call it "enormously popular", but I'd definitely say it's an "enormously popular eBook reader". Semantics, as someone else pointed out, but I think the latter statement indicates the market in which the popularity assessment is being made, and is a fair way to look at things that is relevant to the conversation topic.

    • Re:Really? (Score:5, Interesting)

      by Eil ( 82413 ) on Monday June 01, 2009 @10:50PM (#28177103) Homepage Journal

      I'm not sure the description "enormously popular" is deserved. Just because it is out selling other eBook readers doesn't make it "enormously popular"; how many of these have actually sold?

      Amazon hasn't released any numbers on how many were sold. However, I frequently use the Mom Scale to informally gauge the popularity of a given technology. How it works is like this: if my 65-year-old mom has heard of a piece of technology, then it's popular. If she has purchased or downloaded a piece of technology, then it's enormously popular.

      I found out yesterday that my mom just bought a Kindle, hence the Kindle is enormously popular.

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by syousef ( 465911 )

        if my 65-year-old mom has heard of a piece of technology, then it's popular. If she has purchased or downloaded a piece of technology, then it's enormously popular.

        So a sample size of one and your mind is made up? Really???

        • Re: (Score:2, Funny)

          by Saysys ( 976276 )
          As a social scientist I can tell you that if he where to "boot strap" his data by sampling his small sample size different ways repeatedly he could come up with something :-)

          p.s.
          After 18 PHD level hours I would not trust a sociologist to tell me where, with any degree of certainty, the bathroom is.

  • I want an eBook device that can read the eBooks I already bought and own.

    They are in PDF and some on CHM format.

    If I am going to spend $300 or more for an eBook device I might as well buy a Netbook that can use PDF and CHM formats for the same price.

    • Re:Forget about proprietary eBook formats (Score:5, Informative)

      by fafaforza ( 248976 ) on Monday June 01, 2009 @08:06PM (#28175883)

      Not sure why your post was modded Insightful as you've obviously haven't looked into this at all. Most eBook readers support unencrypted PDF. There are also conversion utilities to convert PDF for various ebook formats so that your device doesn't have to do the formatting on the fly.

      I see that there's a CHM to HTML conversion app (Mac only it seems, and another commercial one), and with the HTML in hand, you can create an ePub book using a program called Calibre.

      It's pretty messy as far as formats and conversion utilities right now, and you have to sort a lot of it out, but there are ways to read your stuff which shouldn't be too difficult for a techie.

    • Re: (Score:2, Informative)

      by Anonymous Coward

      The eBook device you describe is BeBook [mybebook.com]. It costs 300 EUR and reads PDF, DjVu, JPG, PNG, GIF, TXT, DOC, EPUB, Mobi PRC, HTML, CHM, LIT, FB2, and many other formats. It is Linux-based and the firmware is open-source, but there is also OpenInkpot [openinkpot.org] which is openly hackable so you can even write your own reader for whatever format you want. Plus, the device works all over the world, and it accepts an SDHC card up to 32GB, but it also has 512MB of flash memory built-in. its battery lasts for about one month (yes,

  • As it will be forever a beta... (Score:4, Funny)

    by mr_lizard13 ( 882373 ) on Monday June 01, 2009 @06:10PM (#28174649)
    ...it will only sell unfinished books

    • Bottom of Slashdot page:

      Woman inspires us to great things, and prevents us from achieving them. -- Dumas

      http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Knight_of_Sainte-Hermine [wikipedia.org]
      The Last Cavalier (originally published in France in 2005 under the title Le Chevalier de Sainte-Hermine) is an unfinished historical novel by Alexandre Dumas. It is believed to be Dumas' last major work, and the story was lost until 2005, when it was announced that an almost-complete copy had been found in the form of a newspaper serial. While a nu

  • Why do we need stores? (Score:3, Interesting)

    by N7DR ( 536428 ) on Monday June 01, 2009 @06:41PM (#28175053) Homepage

    I'm probably missing something obvious, but I have yet to understand why we need to insert a middleman store into the chain between producer and consumer.

    It seems to me cheaper and more efficient for the publisher of a book (or the author himself) to provide downloads directly.

    For physical products, it makes sense to provide some kind of middleman to take care of the hassles involved with delivering the product; but for electronic products, it's not at all obvious to me why such a middleman is necessary.

    As an author, I'm still struggling with the question of whether to make electronic versions of my books available; but if were to do so, (and especially having carefully read the contract that Amazon makes you sign to make your work available for the Kindle) I wouldn't be inclined to insert another profit-making entity between me and my readers.

    • Re: (Score:3, Insightful)

      by maxume ( 22995 )

      Attention. If I can look at and search for thousands of books in one place, I am more likely to notice your book if it is there.

      One way to look at it is like this: how much are you currently making on the books that you are not selling that Amazon is not taking a share of?

      • Re: (Score:3, Insightful)

        by whiledo ( 1515553 ) *

        Attention. If I can look at and search for thousands of books in one place, I am more likely to notice your book if it is there.

        The more you think about it, the less that actually makes sense. The more books that are there, the less likely you are to notice my specific book.

        Having tried to find decent apps in Apple's App Store (especially free games), I know that eventually volume becomes more of a negative than a positive. I wind up searching the net for people's "top X list of free iphone games", etc. So in reality, what I'm looking for is a content portal with reviews and discussion groups done by area of interest that can the

    • Re: (Score:3, Informative)

      by et764 ( 837202 )

      I'm probably missing something obvious, but I have yet to understand why we need to insert a middleman store into the chain between producer and consumer. It seems to me cheaper and more efficient for the publisher of a book (or the author himself) to provide downloads directly.

      One benefit I can see is that it gives you a single place to go get books from. I don't have to remember the web sites for 100 authors, or 50 publishers. Instead, I can just remember a single site which aggregates all the books together. Sure, I'll end up paying a higher monetary cost due to the middleman, but presumably the time cost savings is enough to me that it is worthwhile.

      It's sort like having an iPhone App Store instead of hundreds of independent software publishers to download from. Another benefi

    • Re: (Score:3, Insightful)

      by Zerth ( 26112 )

      You need the publisher less than you need a retailer.

      A publisher (mainly) provides publicity, editing, manufacturing, and, the only thing they are really good at, getting your dead tree into brick&mortars. You can contract editors, you can do publicity on the internet, and small run print options have almost reached parity with bigger presses. Most bookstores will even order PoD books now and some even take PoD returns on the theory that if you were interested enough to order it at a store, someone el

    • I'm probably missing something obvious, but I have yet to understand why we need to insert a middleman store into the chain between producer and consumer.

      I think the obvious is having a centralised source for the search and discovery of content. It's my impression that many independent artists benefit from music stores such as iTunes which have a large user base and can lead interested consumers to the music.

      I think the biggest benefit of both physical and online book stores that sell physical books is that they provide consumers with a place to browse books and find things they would not have otherwise.

      That isn't to say one shouldn't have both options, but

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by LWATCDR ( 28044 )

      For a lot of the same reasons that people go to real world stores.
      Why would I even look for your book. A google search on Science Fiction Books would be less than useful. Even a search for C++ books would probably not do very well.
      But I can go to Amazon and search for those and maybe find your book. If that book gets good reviews I might buy it. Or it may be on sale and I would figure why not give it a shot.

      For authors it will probably mean more sales. It also means they don't have to collect the money and

    • Amazon is not the only eBook store in existence. And while Amazon is a international company there eBooks are only sold in the the US. You should consider other eBook stores. I suggest Fictionwise.

  • baen has no drm (Score:5, Informative)

    by rico33 ( 822701 ) on Monday June 01, 2009 @06:43PM (#28175069)
    I have been buying ebooks directly from the publisher Baen: www.baen.com For 4 years now. There prices are reasonable $7.99 for a typical release of book that is available in hard cover or 5.99 for a book that is available in paper back. They release the books in multiple formats including HTML. So the books that I bought 4 years ago and read with my palm I can now download again to my iphone and continue to read it. The prices are reasonable so I do not even think about looking for alternative sources for the book *cough bittorrent cough* I have been extremely happy with there products. I just wish other publishers would follow suit so I can continue buying ebooks of other authors that I enjoy. Curiously I just sent an email to Amazon.ca early today at how (since I am in Canada) I cannot get the kindle app or kindle books and how I have not bought any books from them for 4 years because I only buy ebooks. Well everyone says that the customer should decide and I have decided to only buy books as ebooks and I prefer without drm; baen meets those requirements so they get my business and thus far they are my sole source of fantasy/science fiction books that I have bought in the last 4 years.

  • i can see it now (Score:4, Insightful)

    by ionix5891 ( 1228718 ) on Monday June 01, 2009 @07:47PM (#28175719)

    along the right side of each page in the ebook.... yep "ads by google" :D

    • Could be more interesting than that. Say, the name of the soft drink the main character sips in the scene changes over time, and depends on the highest bidder at the moment...

  • I'll keep my non-drm text file books and my Chuwi 7" PMP media player. There's a good Ebook app out for it and with a 7" screen plus the ability to play a ton of music formats and video formats up to 720p with TV out for $120 I'm happy.

  • No Kindle outside the US (Score:5, Insightful)

    by krischik ( 781389 ) <krischik&users,sourceforge,net> on Tuesday June 02, 2009 @02:04AM (#28178145) Homepage Journal

    The original article seem to focus entirely on a Amazon vs Google battle. But in that article is missing one point: Kindle is not available outside the US. That is: you need an USA registered Credit Card with a USA address to buy one. Yes there are work around - but why should I support a flawed business model.

    So for me living outside the US I had to look else where for for eBooks. And if you do you will soon notice that there are better eBook reader then Kindle and that there are better eBook shops then Amazon. Amazon is largely capitalising there good name here. In fact currently it is more like Amazon vs the rest of the world.

    For me there is no doubt who is going to win in the long run. While USA is a large marked but it does only represent 5% of human population. Well, unless Amazon changes there business model that is.

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