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Google has updated the iOS and Android versions of Play Books with the ability to upload already-owned books and documents. The option supports PDF and EPUB files, but uploads must be done via the Google Books website. Any uploaded titles sync across devices.
Google has updated its ebook app for Android with a feature that reads books aloud for the user. Updated yesterday, Google Play Books (Google Play) also adds the ability to pinch or double-tap to zoom, text-editing features for notes, as well as recommending other titles within the Play bookstore, using the already-owned book collection and popular titles to offer potential titles to purchase.
French customers of Google's Play Store will now be able to purchase books through the entertainment hub. The news was announced in a post on Google's European Public Policy Blog. French access to Google's book store comes following the resolution of a six-year legal saga involving suits from both French author and publisher guilds.
Google has released a major update of the Google Play Books iOS app, v1.3.0. One addition is the ability to add bookmarks by tapping the top-right corner. Selecting text meanwhile gives users several new options, such as colored highlights, private notes, or translating text into over 50 languages.
Google gave notice Thursday that it was ending its e-book reseller program. The effort, which let physical retailers and other third parties resell from Google Play Books, had "not gained the traction" Google wanted. A current set of 16 partners would be phasing out as the service wound down by the end of January.
Google updated two of its core Android apps on Wednesday to bring major new interface updates for certain users. Gmail (Google Play) now lets Android 3.2 tablet owners get the same Gmail interface as they would on Android 4.0, including swipe gestures to flip between conversations and more advanced control over labels. It can likewise sync the last 30 days of messages both to streamline search and help users work offline.
