Google’s Phone-Centric E-Books Experiment

Google did not get to where they are today without a sense of innovation, and one of their latest experiments involves e-books that have been specially designed for the smartphone. In other words, you will not be able to find a hardcopy of these e-books anywhere at all, so don’t even bother trying in the first place. Known as Editions At Play, this is an experiment that would want to have e-books carry the traits of the mobile web – something that traditional print media is unable to do.

For instance, Reif Larsen’s Entrances & Exits e-book will see stories that happen within Google Street View locations which the reader is able to explore, how cool is that? Other kinds of e-books in Editions At Play will deliver animation and sound, degrade the text alongside a character’s mind, or perhaps to see a story from two different angles on the spot.

There will be very limited copies available in the Edition At Play library at first due to the shortage of material, where a couple more titles are due later this spring to join the existing two (didn’t we just mentioned that it will be very limited?). Google is also looking for additional ideas that will hopefully see this concept take off, but regular e-book stores should not have anything to worry about at first. It looks like the mobile Web platform is a hotbed of innovations for the future, such as the debut of a mini series on Instagram. [Press Release]

Edwin Kee
Categories: General
Tags: e-book, Google