Google has opened its anticipated ebook store, boasting that the service is compatible with the widest possible range of devices.
Unlike Amazon’s Kindle and Apple’s iPad, Google eBooks can be accessed on any device with a suitable web browser, plus dedicated apps for iOS and Android.
‘We designed Google eBooks to be open,’ said Abraham Murray, Google Books product manager. “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.’
However Google’s openness only goes so far — Kindle users will be disappointed to find that their reader’s .azw format is not supported. Instead Google has opted for ePub, as Apple did for iBooks, wrapped in a layer of DRM.
With an international rollout not due until 2011, only US users will be able to buy books from the ‘hundreds of thousands’ for sale. However UK users can access the vast repository of free titles, including those that Google has accumulated since it launched its Books service in 2004.
‘Since then, we’ve digitized more than 15 million books from more than 35,000 publishers, more than 40 libraries, and more than 100 countries in more than 400 languages,’ Murray said. ‘This deep repository of knowledge and culture will continue to be searchable through Google Books search in the research section alongside the ebookstore.’
Google eBooks requires a Google account. The iOS app is currently only available in the US.
