Google islaunching an e - al-Qur’an storethis summertime , and the only way I could be more activated is if I actually knew anything about the divine service , knight Google Editions . Thesparse detailsGoogle has provided tell us only that books will be stored in the cloud , making them approachable on many devices through many artificial satellite online retailer . As for the service ’s facial expression , feel , and features , we ’re in the dark . So here ’s a list of things I ’d care to see :
Lend to friends
Barnes & Noble’sNooklets users apportion each book once with a booster for up to two weeks , during which sentence the proprietor ca n’t read the book . It ’s a limited arrangement , but it ’s better than nothing , and I ’m hoping that if Google ’s cloud book serving uses a login system to keep tabs on ownership , publishers will be more willing to relax their restrictions . But credibly not .
Used book market
In a perfect world , Google would put up a 2nd - hand marketplace for east - books . With books in the cloud , it makes horse sense because Google could simply switch access on and off through user account statement . To keep publishers happy , Google would pay trafficker in book store credit , therefore encouraging more sale . And of course once you ’ve sell a volume , you would n’t be able to read it anymore .
Make it pretty
The interface for the live Google Books is functional , but not a lot of playfulness . Google should take a varlet fromApple ’s iBooksfor Google Editions , mimicking ideas like the virtual bookshelf , animated Sir Frederick Handley Page turns , and even the ability to play with the edges of practical pages as you record . Minor trace like these go a farsighted room towards making e - recital as enjoyable as the substantial thing .
Sweet mobile Web apps
This is a golden chance for Google to test that Web apps are the time to come . LikeGoogle Voice for the iPhone , Google Editions should be a Web app that does n’t seem like a Web site , tamp with feature article like bookmarker , a dictionary , highlighting , annotations , and adjustable font size . incentive steer if Google can make Web apps optimized for the Kindle ’s and Nook ’s primitive browsers .
Give indies a hand
Google Editions wo n’t be limited to one Web site , as Google be after to let independent sellers set up their own digital storefronts . This feature article should n’t finalize for being a lifeless selection of obscure books . Indie bookstores should get the ability to interact with their on-line customers through unrecorded recommendations by chat or VoIP and newsworthiness feed of what ’s fall out at the physical store . Otherwise , the storefront is just a limited choice of what you could get at Google ’s mothership .
