Google eBookstore goes live

Google today officially launched its long expected online book shop. The Google eBookstore is designed as an open, platform-independent shop that lets users read from any platform. Any device with JavaScript support can read without needing a special app or even any local storage. The store itself is also independent and will see American Booksellers Association members, Alibris and others sell from their own sites.

To improve the mobile experience, Google is releasing native Android and iOS apps that enable offline reading as well as a more natural interface. Either lets users shop online and download books as well as modify the font or use a night reading mode. Either supports free book samples and in-text searching, but neither yet supports highlights or notes; Google is, however, promising support for reading scanned-in pages when possible.

The initial lineup includes about three million books, most of which are free, public domain books but also involves hundreds of thousands of titles for sale.

The launch is a potentially major shakeup for the book industry, eliminating the need for special software to read full, commercial books as well as providing one of the few mostly universal formats. It also makes Google one of only three major mobile platform developers to also have its own bookstore, as Apple and Sony already run their own. The eBookstore's existence isn't as vital to Android given the existence of Amazon, Barnes & Noble and other cross-platform shops, but it could be vital to the imminent Chrome OS launch by letting netbook owners read without needing a large amount of free space.

Despite the size of the catalog, the titles on offer are just a fraction of the roughly 15 million scanned in by Google so far for its regular Google Books project. Many of these are out of print or have questionable licensing conditions. Similarly, Google has faced stiff opposition from rivals that are concerned it might have too much control over book publishing.

By Electronista Staff