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Apparently some people did buy eBooks from Microsoft (and are getting refunds now that the books are unreadable)

There are a lot of nice things about eBooks — you can store hundreds on an eReader or smartphone, making them easy to travel with. You can adjust the font size. Maybe you can even have your device read them aloud to you. But if you pay for eBooks from Amazon, NOOK, Kobo, or most […]

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Periodic reminder that you DRM means you don’t really own eBooks, movies, or other content (Microsoft’s eBook store is shutting down)

A few years ago Microsoft built support for reading eBooks into its Edge web browser, and began selling eBooks through the Microsoft Store. Today the company stopped selling eBooks. It’s canceled pre-orders. And it’ll start issuing refunds for any books you might have purchased. While that last bit sounds downright consumer-friendly, this next bit doesn’t: any […]

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Kobo Forma targets the Kindle Oasis ($280 eReader with page turn buttons)

Kobo’s latest eBook reader is a premium device with an 8 inch, 1920 x 1440 pixel E Ink display, 8GB of storage, and a front light with adjustable color temperature. The Kobo Forma goes up for pre-order for $280 on October 16th and should be available in select stores a week later. The Kobo Forma also bears […]

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Walmart eBooks launches (with a little help from Kobo)

As promised earlier this year, Walmart has officially entered the eBook space with the launch of Walmart eBooks. The move is clearly intended to compete with market-leader Amazon. Not only can shoppers choose from a library of 6 million eBooks, but Walmart is also offering an audiobook subscription service that lets you pay $10 per […]

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Walmart partners with Kobo to sell eBooks, audiobooks, and eReaders

Walmart is getting into the digital book business, but rather than building its own platform from the ground up, the company is partnering with Kobo, the eBook company which was acquired by Japanese retailer Rakuten in 2011. Kobo may not be as well known in the US and Amazon’s Kindle brand or even Barnes & […]

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Google Play now offers audiobooks

As expected, Google is now selling audiobooks through the Google Play Store. Customers in 45 countries can find audiobooks in 9 languages, along with all the other things that Google sells through the Play Store (including apps, games, movies, TV shows, and books). Google notes that you can listen to purchased books using an Android […]