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Want another eBook store option? You’ve got one — Google Books just started selling titles in Australia for both cloud and digital device reading.
It’s been a while coming, but you can now purchase eBooks — protected ePub titles, to be specific — from Google’s Books portal here in Australia. Pricing at a quick glance appears to be near-identical to the competing iBooks and Kindle stores, with most titles starting at the $9.99 price point. [Google eBooks]
Republished from Gizmodo.
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One example checked, 100% more expensive than the dead tree version (booko). I don’t care what the analyses say, my brain places a higher value and thus expects a higher cost to the physical format. Until these eBook stores recognize this and reflect it in their pricing I’m not biting. Factor in that with an eBook I provide the reader – it’s not like I have to bring my own paper to the book shop for the dead tree version! I always have a book in progress so I would have thought I was a key demographic for eBook vendors, but I think they have lost the plot.
Not to mention you don’t actually own a “protected” e-book. You can’t back them up, view them on multiple devices, loan them out or sell them when you’re through with them. Of course, there are ways around these problems, but thanks to our “free trade” agreement with the US, these are illegal.
Just had a quick look. Prices seem out of whack for e-books, similar to Apples book store. An example is Terry Pratchetts ‘Snuff’ – Au$23.99 in the Google store, Au$12.16 in Amazon.. Come Google, get competitive or get out!
Steve Jobs’ biography
http://www.amazon.com/Steve-Jobs-Exclusive-Biography-ebook/dp/B005J3IEZQ/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1320722175&sr=8-2
vs
http://books.google.com.au/ebooks?id=26ev_abfrU8C&source=gbs_slider_bookshelves_1048_webstore_home
Elements of Photogaphy seem roughly the same too
http://www.amazon.com/Elements-Photography-Understanding-Sophisticated-ebook/dp/B001YWNADM/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1320722584&sr=1-1
vs
http://books.google.com.au/ebooks?id=ay8Jp1VWVVwC&dq=photography&lr&as_brr=5&ei=h6C4TtTnIpqQkQToyv3bAw&source=webstore_bookcard
I was excited when I saw this in my Market app … then realised I never use the Kindle app I already have on my phone + tablet.
Practical Android Projects (Jordan & Greyling) – ebook
Google: $29.54
Amazon: $17.28
Don’t these dudes realise we can shop around with a click of the mouse?
here’s another example: “creative evolution” – amazon as cheap as US$3.99 – google A$35.38 – and that book was published 1910! in fact: i checked 10 titles and i didn’t find a single one where amazon was not slightly or significantly cheaper. who is google preying on? and alex kidman: maybe you should check your facts a bit more next time ;).
I like the fact that Alex Kidman got this news out to us sooner rather than later, but a follow up article on price disparity would be useful. I looked up two dozen books (variety of new/old and a mix of genres) and the amazon kindle store came back on par or cheaper in all instances (usually considerably cheaper).
Ive bought quite a few O’Reily books which are drm free and provided in multiple formats.. They are also generally moderatly cheaper than the “dead tree” versions.
I downloaded a book then went to download the Android app and got: Google eBooks for Android is currently not available in your country
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