The Atlantic: What is Google Editions?

[kjk]

http://www.theatlantic.com/culture/a...ditions/60061/

So Google Editions will have two major functions: it will be a storefront selling at prices comparable to those at other major digital retailers. But it also will serve smaller booksellers and publishers who have been unable to fashion their own efficient means of e-book delivery. As for how prices will be set, Google has agreed to work with whatever model publishers prefer in the continuing tug-of-war over traditional bookseller discounts and the new "agency" format in which the seller takes a commission. As a wholesaler for the independents, Google's plan is to provide retailers with a single digit share of the revenue generated.

[phenomshel]

What I found interesting is that it says Amazon and Google are continuing negotiations, so Amazon's closed proprietary system may change. *I paraphrased that*. And I'm not interested in debating whether Amazon's system is closed or open, since the advent of K4PC, Mac, Android, etc. and so forth. If I can't open it on anything but a Kindle or with a K4 software, it's closed by my definition.

[J. Strnad]

This could be a game changer. You'd have to be able to download a title to your own computer to interest me, though. I don't have multiple devices to sync over, and I want my own set of electrons that aren't stored on somebody else's server.

[fumanchu314159]

I considered waiting for the Google Editions announcement before buying a Kindle for my wife, thinking it could really shift things away from Amazon if they decided not to play together. In the end, the Kindle still seemed to have a lot going for it as far as our needs are concerned, so I jumped. But I still wonder....

Hopefully there will be real news before too long! Back in May the Wall Street Journal said it would appear in "late June or July" so time is running out!

--Rob

[Logseman]

Originally Posted by J. Strnad

This could be a game changer. You'd have to be able to download a title to your own computer to interest me, though. I don't have multiple devices to sync over, and I want my own set of electrons that aren't stored on somebody else's server.

My case exactly. This is the subtlest and most powerful DRM that any company could devise. If you accept that you don't have the book, the Kindle 1984's affair can be child's play in comparison to what Google could do with a book "in the cloud".

Plus, what good is to "buy the book" if I go elsewhere with no Wifi or 3G possibility, and thus become unable to read what I bought?

[Dulin's Books]

During an interview in May

http://www.libraryjournal.com/article/CA6729290.html

How can readers read a book when they’re out of Internet access? Can a book be downloaded?

The browser connection will cache titles, just in the way people can access Gmail offline. If publishers choose to allow downloads, books will be available in Adobe ACS4 files with digital rights management.

so it will be up to the publisher to allow the download. If they do they will be adobe epubs or pdfs

[fumanchu314159]

Originally Posted by Logseman

My case exactly. This is the subtlest and most powerful DRM that any company could devise. If you accept that you don't have the book, the Kindle 1984's affair can be child's play in comparison to what Google could do with a book "in the cloud".

Plus, what good is to "buy the book" if I go elsewhere with no Wifi or 3G possibility, and thus become unable to read what I bought?

While I agree with you that it's good to have the data yourself, in the world of DRM, this is no guarantee of anything. Some DRM schemes require at least occasional verification of your license with a central server, which can disappear at any time, making your local copy of the data worthless. This has happened before.

Also, if the DRM is tied to particular devices/software and that becomes obsolete, discontinued, breaks, etc. then the data is likewise worthless.

My point is that while having a local copy of the data is better than not, when DRM is involved, you can lose access to the information in many different ways, some of which can't be protected against. It's a matter of trust between the customer and the provider, regardless of whether you have a copy of the DRM'd data or not.

So, while the press has emphasized the "in the cloud" nature of Google Editions, I sincerely hope they wouldn't be short-sighted enough to rule out disconnected devices, and Google has a pretty good track record so far of not losing data and not leaving customers in the lurch. We'll see.

I kind of take the attitude I do with loaning money -- assume you'll never see it again! Until DRM gets balanced out between provider and customer, I (unfortunately) buy based on the assumption I'll be able to read the book at least once, but not necessarily much more.
--Rob

[Marseille]

Hey Google. Summer is almost over. Where's my new store?

[fumanchu314159]

Originally Posted by David Marseilles

Hey Google. Summer is almost over. Where's my new store?

Waiting waiting waiting... Maybe the delay means they're ironing out the last few details of a deal with Amazon....