Wishlist: Google eReader
- ygadget0
- Jul 11, 2016
- 3 min read
Digital media is a great thing. Having a million albums in your pocket, or a magazine subscription delivered straight to your tablet when it's available, always having a film to watch when your train is delayed. Wonderful. But it does pose one problem that didn't exist when buying physical media like CD's, Blu Ray, or print magazines; loyalty to a store.
When you invest in digital content, you should give it some thought as changing devices or operating systems may mean losing a library you spent years building. This goes for movies and music too, of course, but for now lets stick with ebooks.
The main three players in the arena are iTunes, Google Play, and, obviously, Kindle.
The easiest one to take out of the equation is iBooks. Why? Just like with everything else, Apple keeps its ebooks locked down. A book bought from Apple needs to be read on an Apple device. Whether thats an iPad, iPhone, or Mac.
This is where Google Play Books takes the advantage. Thanks to google being more open with its content, you can get Google Play Books on practically any device. You can even sign in to Google on a computer (Windows or Mac) and read a book in your browser if thats the way you want to roll. This means that you aren't limited to just using an android device forever like you would be if you chose to go with iBooks. It is possible that Apple could release an Android app for iBooks, after all, they did release Apple Music on Android, but this is incredibly unlikely so don't hold your breath.
Having your books on any tablet or phone is great but could result in constantly looking for a charger. Screen on time is something that affects battery the most no matter which device or OS you're using. Enter Kindle!
Because Kindle readers use an E-Ink display instead of a colour touchscreen the battery lasts many times longer, meaning more reading time. Ideal for carrying multiple books with you when you travel.
Kindle also has apps available for Android and iOs which sync nicely helping you keep your place when switching between devices and operating systems making the ideal candidate for most peoples ebook needs.
So whats the problem? Go for kindle, right?
Unfortunately not. Like most people I am heavily invested in to Google Play. Thanks to free books, brilliant discounts, and even free money from the Opinion rewards app, I have a lot books in Google Play Books, and a measly half a dozen on kindle. For that reason buying a Kindle just is not justified for myself and for many others.
But a Google eReader? That would solve everything. An eReader that lasts for days when reading the latest Steven King novel on the beach and then picking up where you left off in the doctors waiting room, and not have to throw money in to yet another online market space.
It's nothing more than a pipe dream to own a Google eReader, but we can dream. It is very unlikely that Google would ever invest money in developing such a device but, mark my words, if they ever did announce it, you can guarantee I will be preordering it on day one.
Do you do read many ebooks? What device do you use? Do you think that a Google Play eReader would be a good idea or not? Let us know what you think below.
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