Looks like Google is backing the Sony Reader against Amazon and the Kindle: it’s putting 500,000 titles online at the Sony eBook Store, dwarfing the Kindle library, and for free. Read on for all the details.
If you thought Amazon had the e-reader market all wrapped up before the Kindle 2 even begins shipping here, think again. Sony says Google will be bringing half a million titles to the Sony eBook Store, so Sony Reader users will be able to read classic titles for free.
The books Google is making available are out of copyright, but with authors like Jane Austen and Mark Twain in the Google Book Search archives, that should keep Sony Reader users busy for a good long while.
Google and Sony’s deal puts the eBook library towering above the Amazon Kindle 250,000 title library, and while the Kindle offers plenty of new titles, Google has given the Sony Reader a shot of adrenaline in the fight to be top e-reader. We’ll keep you posted.
