eBooks and e-readers are big business these days. Amazon’s Kindle recently became the company’s best-selling product ever, and its competitors have done pretty well too. Now tablets are coming out of the woodwork to go head-to-head with Apple’s iPad, and these are also ideal for reading eBooks (some with Android). Add to the mix, Google’s recent launch of its own digital bookstore, and Google’s latest acquisition is not much of a surprise.
The company has acquired eBook technologies, which offers e-reading devices and licensces technologies for automated publishing and control over content distribution (via Jason Kincaid)
Not much information has been revealed about the deal, but it has been confrimed by both parties. A message on the website of eBook Technologies says, "eBook Technologies, Inc. is excited to announce that we have been acquired by Google. Working together with Google will further our commitment to providing a first-class reading experience on emerging tablets, e-readers and other portable devices. "
"We are happy to welcome eBook Technologies’ team to Google. Together, we hope to deliver richer reading experiences on tablets, electronic readers and other portable devices," a Google spokesperson is quoted as saying.
Google’s eBookstore claims to offer 3 million books, which can be read on a vareity of devices. Most new arrivals are in the $10-20 range.