Google to Sell and Rent Digital Textbooks

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Google has announced that in August they’ll begin selling and renting textbooks through the Google Play store. This will put the company on par with Apple, Amazon, and Barnes & Noble, all of which have already entered the digital textbook market.

A Google representative said that they will offer “a comprehensive selection of titles” from the five biggest textbook publishers: McGraw-Hill, Pearson, Wiley, Macmillan Higher Education, and Cengage Learning. The books will be accessible on Android and iOS devices, as well as in browser windows.

The textbooks will support highlighting, notes, and bookmark syncing across multiple devices. While they didn’t go into specifics on pricing, they said they will rent and sell books for up to 80 percent off of retail prices.

At the event Google also announced a new tablet and a Chromecast TV dongle, which you can read about here.

[Via TechCrunch]