The Atlantic is reporting that Google is working towards launching their browser based eReader – Google Editions by the end of summer. The product, which could potentially be the company’s marquee launch this year was earlier expected to launch in June of this year.
The company is reportedly in conversation with several independent book publishers to launch a cloud-based digital book store that could double up as your library – in the cloud.
So here is the background to the story. eBook readers or eReaders as they are commonly called are soon becoming a popular platform for users to read books. The success of the Kindle, Nook and now the iPad shows that eReaders are here to stay. However, the digital book collection has so far been closed which means that in many cases, users may not easily switch between different eReaders without significant effort in migrating all their digital collection.
The new Google Editions could be a massive digital book store from where users may purchase their ebooks. These ebooks are then stored in the cloud and may be accessed from any device of choice. For instance, you may start reading a book on your PC, then migrate to your iPhone while commuting at work and then complete reading it on your Kindle at night. Wait, Kindle may not be the right example since Google and Amazon are reportedly still in discussion. Nevertheless, the content purchased from Google Editions may be accessed from any device with internet access.