Times: Amazon Kindle, Google book service real
updated 04:45 pm EDT, Fri September 7, 2007
Kindle, Google books
A new report appears to confirm two major developments in the world of e-books. The New York Times claims that Amazon's Kindle reader is indeed real, and should finally see a release in October. Pricing has been narrowed to $400-500, and users will be able to connect via EVDO to a special e-book store. Aside from this it will have its own web browser, and may come with some free books and subscriptions to newspapers like the Times, Le Monde or the Wall Street Journal. A keyboard and scrollwheel should simplify the interface, but the e-ink screen will not display color or animation.
In the fall, Google is said to be planning to charge for full access to books, sold to the company by publishers. Google currently limits browsing to excerpts in its Google Book Search Partner Program. Prices for complete works would vary from title to title, with revenue being split in a sharing agreement. It faces legal obstacles however, since Google has already been saddled with lawsuits from publishers who did not consent to the Google Book Search Library Project, featuring digitized library material.
