Quote:
Originally Posted by Frawan
First post... Had to register since people seem to be quite mistaken about this new Google-system. Where did you get the impression that simply because your library is saved online in a cloud, allowing you to access the books from multiple devices, you also have to be connected all the time?
Like one of the comments on the original news-site:
There is really no difference in terms of access to a library online between Amazon now and Google. The difference is that the google library appears to be open format, and open for various readers and mobile devices. I hope this will mean that I can simply download books to my PC, transfer it to my E-reader, or find a new book while in the bus, downloading it on my iphone, and later when I get home, find it for my e-reader, enabling me to read on multiple devices depending on my situation, and only having to look one place to get all the ebooks I have ever purchased.
It clearly states in the article: What is the fuss about. This is great! Finally some good competition to Amazon, enabling everyone to break the geographical restrictions and format restrictions.
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With Amazon, when I buy a book it is downloaded to my ereader, and I always have access to it. In fact I can have thousands of books loaded and always at the ready when I decide to read one of them.
My understanding of Google's plan is that the books are NOT stored on your ereader but are accessed through their "cloud". The Google system will provide some type of caching system so that a book you are reading will also be available when you are not connected to the internet. However, the details on this caching mechanism are a bit sketchy. Is the entire book stored in cache? Is just a portion stored in cache, which would require a connection to the internet to load the next portion?
With a Kindle or Sony ereader, you can go on a flight from Rhode Island to California and have access to hundreds or even thousands of books. You can decide what to read as it strikes your fancy. Would this be possible if you had an ereader that used Google's service? My impression is that without an internet connection the answer is no.