I like Google Books...

[Wearever]

My primary place for e-books is Amazon, but I have found deals on Google too. I didn't know Google can price match. I'll have to try that next time I see a book that's a little more at Google. Thanks.

[conan50]

Does anyone know anything about Google drm? I imagine they don't put it on everything like B&N, but not sure if, like Amazon, they leave it up to the publisher.

[Difflugia]

Originally Posted by conan50

Does anyone know anything about Google drm? I imagine they don't put it on everything like B&N, but not sure if, like Amazon, they leave it up to the publisher.

If it's public domain stuff scanned from libraries, there's no DRM. Everything else I've gotten from them has had Adobe DRM.

[conan50]

Originally Posted by Difflugia

If it's public domain stuff scanned from libraries, there's no DRM. Everything else I've gotten from them has had Adobe DRM.

Thanks!

[Aanya]

I use Google books on my app section at play but I never want to buy because there are several hundred ebooks are available to free download. But not like Amazon at all.

[bobstro]

Originally Posted by kevinp

[...] One thing that bothers me though... I can press on a link on a page that will take me to glossary or something, but there's no way to get back to the page I was reading. If I press the back button, it takes me to the front of the book or someplace else.

It may depend on the book, but I find that pressing the footnote link takes me to the footnote page. If I then click on the same footnote number, it will return me to the page I was on.

[...] Are there other reader apps out there that will sync? If so, would they use my existing Box account?

The best I've found is Moon+. It has excellent Dropbox integration built in. If Moon+ had better formatting of technical books, I'd use it exclusively.

I've found that Google's reader does the best job of formatting programming books and the like, so use it for those titles, and Moon+ for all my other current reading. Google also does a nice job of formatting all those old Google Books scans. I've read several 1800's-era nautical books, and they appear with all the quaint old formatting. The only downer is that they take a LOT of space, and there is no option to have the reader use external storage, so I have to prune my selection often.

[cgsmom]

I like the Google books app. I use it on my iPod touch and Nook HD+. I find that Google prices are pretty good. I like being able to upload books purchased elsewhere. I wish they had an e-ink device that would sync. I would probably use them all the time if they did.

[Wearever]

Originally Posted by cgsmom

I like the Google books app. I use it on my iPod touch and Nook HD+. I find that Google prices are pretty good. I like being able to upload books purchased elsewhere. I wish they had an e-ink device that would sync. I would probably use them all the time if they did.

I would also like to see a e-ink device from google.

I think they would make a pretty good e-ink device. It would probably cost the same as a Paper White Kindle. Amazon & Google seem to be going along on the same price range for 7 inch. models. So yeah I would be interested in an e-ink from Google too.

[glnnjnsn]

Originally Posted by kevinp

Apparently, nobody else uses Google Books. Glad Google made it just for me!

For the record, especially if this thread piques anyone's interest, Google Books (http://books.google.com/) is a search service that allows you to search through Google's database of scanned books. It's been in the news a few times in the past few years as it's gotten Google sued over copyright infringement. Google Play Books (or just Play Books) is the service/app I think we're all talking about, and I use it and think it's great! Since I use Nexus devices for my phone and tablet, it's nice having my current reads ready to open where I left off with a single touch from my home screen.

I have encountered the problem (returning back from a linked page) you mentioned in the first post - but find it's very book dependent. I'm currently reading a book with a footnote in the Preface (The Sheltering Sky by Paul Bowles, if you want to download a sample and try it out) where the corresponding asterisk links you to the note and hitting "Note" takes you back to the asterisk. So it obviously CAN work.

There were some syncing issues with an earlier version, but I haven't encountered any in well over a year.

[Difflugia]

Originally Posted by glnnjnsn

For the record, especially if this thread piques anyone's interest, Google Books (http://books.google.com/) is a search service that allows you to search through Google's database of scanned books. It's been in the news a few times in the past few years as it's gotten Google sued over copyright infringement. Google Play Books (or just Play Books) is the service/app I think we're all talking about, and I use it and think it's great! Since I use Nexus devices for my phone and tablet, it's nice having my current reads ready to open where I left off with a single touch from my home screen.

Google Books and Play Books are different interfaces to the same thing. Google Music, Google Books and Android Market were all separate before they were rolled into Google Play. They kept a separate Google Books interface after the rebranding, but they're still the same service.

Here are Google Books and Google Play links to the cookbook with my favorite recipe for Louisiana Squirrel Pie

[taosaur]

GPB was my go-to for a few months after they started offering upload. The server-assisted text-to-speech is quite good. I just started buying Amazon/Audible synced titles, and opted for a KPW as my first eInk device, at which point it was easier to jump into the Kindle app whenever I was reading on an Android device. If I needed text-to-speech, I'd still convert and upload to GPB.

[voracious71]

I have found some good buys on there. I use it as one of my options for epubs. A short visit to my friend Alf, and it's all good.

[gabby98]

Am I the only one that constantly gets a 404 page when I try to download the epub from the site? OR are you all who are not using the app going about it another way?

[peachiekene]

Originally Posted by gabby98

Am I the only one that constantly gets a 404 page when I try to download the epub from the site? OR are you all who are not using the app going about it another way?

I only download from the site and have not run into a problem thus far.

(Wish I could be of more help.)

[gabby98]

Originally Posted by peachiekene

I only download from the site and have not run into a problem thus far.

(Wish I could be of more help.)

i have only ever tried on a few books that say you can access the ascm* file and using the chrome browser (which you would think would work perfectly on their site). Unfortunately, only the PD books have ever worked and though google claimed to be looking into it i got very impatient and asked for a refund. I would love to be able to use my google credits for books, but can never get them to download. How do you go about it, maybe I'm doing something wrong...