Google Play Books comes to India with an updated Android app in tow

Google Play Books comes to India with an updated Android app to match

Google Play Books has been on a slow world tour that hasn't given Asia much love. Google is addressing that regional deficit in grand fashion today by launching its digital bookshop in India. The collection includes the expected blend of local and international titles, although the Books expansion is almost more important as a milestone for Google's overall content strategy in the country -- it's the first instance of anything besides Android apps reaching India's Google Play Store. In an appropriate (if not necessarily intentional) pairing with the launch, Google has also pushed out a worldwide update to the Books app for Android that lets readers filter books by type and identifies place names on the existing page. The news will still be happiest for those eager to read in Rajkot, but there's a little for seemingly everyone at the source link.

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Via: Google Play (Twitter)

Source: Google Play

Amazon Kindle bookstore reaches Canada, cuts Americans (partly) out of the loop

Amazon Kindle ebookstore reaches Canada, cuts Americans partly out of the loop

Canadians have had to be content with a form of Kindle Store limbo until now. They could buy Kindle e-books, but they've had to rely on a US-centric portal that scarcely acknowledges their literary tradition. As of this weekend, they don't have to cross the virtual border: Amazon Canada now has its own dedicated Kindle book section, with prices in local currency and the highlights on local writers like Margaret Atwood. Customers just have shop the newly opened store to make the switch. We wouldn't call it true parity with the US when Canucks still can't officially buy some Amazon hardware, like the Kindle Fire HD or Kindle Paperwhite. Nonetheless, it's nice to know they'll be treated as first-class customers when shopping for a copy of Alias Grace.

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Source: Amazon

Kobo Touch, localized e-bookstore reach Portugal through FNAC

Kobo ereaders, localized ebookstore reach Portugal through FNAC

It's all too easy to forget in English-speaking countries that the e-reading selection often isn't as diverse in other parts of the world, where local authors are often kept out of the equation. The Portuguese may know that all too well, which makes Kobo's arrival in their country a potential breakthrough. A deal with European retailer FNAC has both the Kobo Touch and a localized Kobo e-bookstore reaching physical and online stores in Portugal as of today. The price strategy won't be a shock versus what we've seen through an earlier deal in France: the Touch itself costs €99.90 ($129), while books vary and typically hover around €15 ($19). Whether or not Kobo's offering is a good deal, its arrival could be a relief for lisboetas who'd rather not resort to paper and ink to catch up on their own culture.

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Kobo Touch, localized e-bookstore reach Portugal through FNAC originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 25 Sep 2012 02:28:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Hold the presses! Amazon UK selling more e-books than printed ones

Hold the presses! Amazon UK selling more e-books than printed ones

It's becoming a habit of Amazon's to report on the rise of the e-book at the expense of physical texts, and their latest announcement is no different. Sales figures show that in the UK, 114 Kindle purchases have been made for every 100 printed copies so far in 2012. A similar statistic was achieved in the US last year, but whether these are true indications of e-book supremacy is up for discussion. Free downloads were excluded from the tally, but those released via Kindle Direct Publishing without a paper twin were counted. The Guardian also notes that these are unaudited figures, so there may be a digit awry here or there. And with a few physical stores still around, there's no need to panic-buy that Kindle just yet.

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Hold the presses! Amazon UK selling more e-books than printed ones originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 06 Aug 2012 08:28:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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UK bookseller Waterstones to start selling Kindles

UK bookseller Waterstones to start selling Kindles

The UK's biggest bookstore chain has announced that it will start selling Kindles alongside other digital services from Amazon. Waterstones stores will let Kindle owners digitally browse books in-store and link up with special offers, tying into the chain's plans for substantial renovations that would also include dedicated digital book areas and free WiFi. The move follows on flies in the opposite direction of Target, who has started phasing out its Kindle sales in the US. We assume any plans for the bookseller's very own e-reader will remain the back-burner for now.

UK bookseller Waterstones to start selling Kindles originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 21 May 2012 04:06:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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