Google Book Search Evolution

Back in August I sent some feedback to the Google Book Search team about some nice features I wanted to have. And I was not the only one asking for similar features, see Matt Cutts post “Search your bookshelf with a $65 barcode scanner“.

What I wanted was the ability to use a barcode reader to add my books in the Google Book Search “my library”. Recommendations for other books based on my books
and on books owned by other people with a similar reading list to mine (like Amazon). Furthermore, I wanted to have the possibility to join communities that share the same books, and eventually interests (based on their library).

Now you can import in Google your books using a barcode reader.

The other features I suggested are still missing, but I am sure they will soon appear given that Google recently announced that by the end of the year it would allow publishers to sell eBooks directly through Google. See Google Selling eBooks: A Bold Step But Not The Last For The Search Giant, from Forrester, and Move Over, Amazon? Google Aims to Sell e-Books, from BusinessWeek.

I hope it will not be using DRM, Google Video with DRM was discontinued, DRM severely limits the use of content and it is not user friendly, see my post Digital music business & DRM. An open platform is what we need, Amazon Kindle is a closed platform. For these reasons, I believe Google could be successful if it will use open standards and have ebooks be used on any reader (as also Forrester suggests).

Leave a Reply