Google will provide Sony with some 500,000 copyright-expired titles for its e-book Reader, giving both companies the chance to take jabs at Amazon and Kindle. Sony can claim that it has a much-larger library and is more open; Google gets prime placement at the Sony eBook store and a boost in positive (it hopes) publicity for Google Book Search. Each is emphasizing open platform, a dig at Amazon and its proprietary Kindle format. Take this statement from Steve Haber, president of the Digital Reading Business Division at Sony Electronics: “We have focused our efforts on offering an open platform and making it easy to find as much content as possible - from our store or others - whether that content is purchased, borrowed or free.” And this from Google’s Adam Smith: “We believe in an open platform for accessing and reading books, and we’re excited to partner with Sony to help bring these public domain books to more people.” 

Amazon has been building its sale catalog steadily since Kindle’s launch—to more than 245,000 as of today, compared with Sony’s 100,000 or so. Sony now can boast that it offers more than 600,000. With the electronic readers priced in a similar range (Sony’s PRS-505 is about $300 and a price cut today puts its PRS-700 model slightly less then Kindle at $350), including the free books might sound like an advantage to Sony—especially in these frugal days. But the Kindle as a device isn’t a walled garden. [via paidcontent]

Shortcovers lets you read the first chapter of any book free of charge. It then gives you the option to either buy a chapter at a time, or purchase the whole book. Single chapters are expected to cost around 99 cents each, with full books averaging between $10 and $20. You’ll also have the option to have the book shipped to you physically if you prefer.

Shortcovers is owned and operated by Indigo Books & Music, supposedly the largest book retailer in Canada.

While there are e-readers for the iPhone like Stanza and services like Bookworm already available, Shortcovers will be leveraging its close ties to the publishing industry to differentiate this service.

At launch, Shortcovers expects to have about 50,000 full books available, with another 200,000 individual chapters and excerpts in its library. According to PCWorld only a third of the titles will be public domain or copyright-expired works. The rest will be current commercial offerings.

Shortcovers plans to offer news and magazine articles, short stories, and blog posts in addition to the book content. [via cnet]

You may use this e-book for your personal use. This e-book is protected by copyright. Please don’t make copies of it. If you think a friend would benefit from this e-book, please refer your friend to the promo page to download it.Thanks for your assistance in this matter! Download Page

 Gutenberg.com Officially Opens - Invites Ebook Lovers and Neophytes Worldwide to Become Part of Growing Ebook Community

www.Gutenberg.com brings together a wide variety of ebook people, including avid readers of ebooks on devices such as Amazon Kindle or Sony Digital Reader, and services like Stanza or Google Book Search. Gutenberg.com is also for those who are new to ebooks, as well as the ebook industry. Includes sections on finding ebooks, ebook reading devices and accessories, and new ebook technologies. Gutenberg.com also announces agreement with Gutenberg Museum for special section on Gutenberg.com that pays tribute to the history and culture of the book.

Palo Alto, CA — February 9, 2009 — Gutenberg.com launched today, as a new central information resource and social network for the ebook community. Gutenberg.com is for people who read ebooks or would like more information about them, as well as professionals involved in the ebook and publishing industry.

Patricia Schroeder, the President and CEO of the Association of American Publishers (AAP) says, “For folks who want to know more about ebooks, they should go to Gutenberg.com. It’s a great new central information resource for book lovers.”  [via gutenberg]

Amazon will soon be making its Kindle e-reader books available on mobile phones. In fact, the cyber-store giant said the gadget’s books will soon be available on a variety of handsets.

Amazon hasn’t announced which phones will be able to access the Kindle book collection, which currently features about 230,000 titles, but is launching a redesigned Kindle page later this month.

Of course, we all know that Google already announced plans to put books onto mobile phones; while Kindle titles are newly released books and best sellers, the popular search-engine company’s are mostly public domain works. [via g4tv]

Since 2003, eReader platform has been favorite digital content solution for books due to the solid software that runs on practically any device. To celebrate this milestone, the eReader store is offering a 25% storewide sale through June 1st. That means you’ve got 10 days of savings on all purchases. Just use the promo code HUGESALE when you checkout and you’ll save a bundle! [via jkontherun]

Charlotte marketing firm Lawrimore Communications Inc. has launched a new online ebook store, Ebookloads.com, selling low-cost ebooks on a wide variety of topics. Ebook authors are also invited to submit their works. “Ebooks are in great demand because they allow people who are searching for information to download them immediately, versus waiting several days for the books to arrive by mail or express,” said Lawrimore Communications president Buck Lawrimore.

“As the author of several ebooks sold on different websites, I wanted one central location to sell my ebooks as well as those of others. We’ve also started adding ebooks written by several freelance writers we know, and welcome submissions by other writers, even if they have written only one ebook.” Ebookloads.com, on the web at http://www.ebookloads.com, features over 100 ebooks in categories such as Business & Strategy, Foods and Drinks (including cookbooks), Health, Internet Marketing, Web Developing, Money Making, Occasion, Blogging and more. Other categories will be added depending on what authors submit. Visitors to the site can also download several free ebooks, available at the bottom of different pages on the site.