Google has launched a new eBooks and ebookstore app for iOS today, Google Books.
Google Books uses your Google account to sync your eBooks across iOS, Android, and of course via a browser. The app offers access to over two million free eBooks (mostly classic public domain content I expect) and over 400,000 eBooks for purchase. Google is emphasizing open-ness and choice in talking about its new app and store:
“We designed Google eBooks to be open,” said Abraham Murray, product manager for Google Books. “Many devices are compatible with Google eBooks — everything from laptops to netbooks to tablets to smartphones to e-readers.
“With the new Google eBooks Web Reader, you can buy, store and read Google eBooks in the cloud. That means you can access your ebooks like you would messages in Gmail or photos in Picasa—using a free, password-protected Google account with unlimited ebooks storage.”
Titles can be purchased from the Google eBookstore, or from independent bookseller partners, including Powell’s, Alibris, and participating members of the American Booksellers Association.
I’ve just installed the app on my iPhone and iPad ashort while ago. Here are just a few quick things I’ve noticed upon launching it and trying it out for a few minutes:
— The initial screen – once you’ve signed in – shows three classic, old public domain titles ready to be downloaded,
— The reader portion of the app seems pretty plain, or even quite Google-ish in its look and feel.
— It’s got a decent set of Settings options – you can choose from range of seven fonts, select Day (black text, white background) or Night (white text on black background) modes, adjust the text size and the line height, toggle on or off 3-D page turns, and choose flowing text or scanned pages viewing mode.
— When you choose to Get eBooks it takes you out to the Google eBooks site in Safari. Featured books on its first page range from $4.99 to $14.99
That’s about as far as I got with the app so far.
So now we have eBooks readers on iOS from Apple, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Google, and others. I think Apple may have to step up its game a bit in terms of the ‘available everywhere’ side of eBooks in order to try to match up with Google and Amazon, who both seem far stronger in that area.
You can find Google Books in the App Store now, and it’s a free app.
What do you all think of Google Books? Which is your favorite eBook app and bookstore?
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