News Google to launch e-book store

http://www.bit-tech.net/news/bits/2009/10/16/google-to-launch-e-book-store/1

Google is looking to launch an e-book store which will see it competing with Amazon - although it plans to quell discontent with a profit-share offering for existing sellers.

 

Here comes trouble!

 

Google's already getting sued in Europe for breaking copyright. Apparently they made a deal with North America's publishers but "forgot" the European publishers. They then scanned a hell of a lot of books which are under European copyright w/o paying off the publishers.

Fun, fun.

 

Even though I love computers and think the internet is the best source of information going, I still prefer reading something in hard copy. I think it's to do with the frequency and flickering effect monitors give, so perhaps when very high frequency monitors become more common (something like true 600Hz, not the sub-field drive 'upscaling' ones mind) it might not be an issue.

I think Google will stand a good chance of getting into this market successfully, but to be honest they stand a good chance of getting into any market. Either way, this isn't something I'm particularly interested in right now

 

... soon we'll buy our groceries from food.google.com

 

TWeaK - I've only limited experience of electrophoretic e-paper - a look at a couple of ereaders in Waterstones and ownership of a Motorola F3 as an emergency back-up phone - I find they're actually pretty easy to read. The technology is such that there's no such thing as flicker. I don't think the eBook idea is really aimed at being read on monitors.

I'm almost tempted to jump on this whole bandwagon, but prices will have to drop a little first. I appreciate the freely available books and the smaller mass compared to a hardcopy paperback, but £200-ish negates that saving for a LONG time!

Also, flicking back through a hundred pages in a few seconds to remind myself of some obscure-yet-crucial detail gets a bit harder on an eBook. That's a pretty big deal with my short-term memory deficiencies!

Incidentally, is there a text string search included on any/most/all of these machines?

 

ePaper is nice enough, sure. But, for me at least, it will never replace REAL paper.

 

I'd like to hear Amazon's response to this.

 

I think this is a chance for VERY RARE BOOKS to become available online. For example: "Arch of Triumph" anyone?

 

So how many of these ebooks are going to be pirated? It's not like books haven't been copied in the past, but won't the increase in digital adaptation make it easier for books to be copied?

 

Yes! I have no way other than agreeing! Even I would never be able to read it on screen. I really wish my favorite book will never be pirated

 

Agreed, however when it comes to Computer books, i.e For Dummies etc, i find it far more beneficial to have it as an e-book.