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■Google宣布最快明年推出60萬冊電子書。資料圖片
Google(谷歌)公司正推出一項全新的網上服務，讀者可購買電子書，並在手機、手提電腦及專門電子書裝置上閱讀。
Google表示，公司將數以百萬計的書籍掃描上網，「Google Editions」則是首個從此獲利的計劃。掃描計劃受到作者和出版人投訴，故「Google Editions」明年推出時，只會涵蓋版權持有人特許的書籍。
當「Google Editions」登場時，Google亦將會與多個作者和出版商達成協議，屆時「Google Editions」書庫內會有更多電子書。
Google與第三方協議談判1年，還要等待美國法院批准。司法部擔心計劃會被濫用，最終導致電子書售價上升，所以Google現正修訂有關協議。
透過「Google Editions」購買的電子書，可在任何擁有網絡瀏覽器的裝置上使用，包括手提電腦、智能電話、桌上電腦等。Google將會挑戰網上書店亞馬遜網站與其Kindle電子書裝置。
消費者可直接向Google購買電子書，亦可在任何網上書商及其他使用「Google Editions」平台的零售商下單。無論如何，Google都是持有電子書的公司，電子書還可支援「搜尋」功能。
亞馬遜和其他網絡書商將大部分電子書定價為10美元(約78港元)，這個價錢遠較實際書本的賣價便宜，影響銷路，使得很多出版商不悅。Google表示，出版商在其平台將能自行定價。
亞馬遜和新力公司分別推出電子書閱讀器，令電子書越趨普及。出版商估計，電子書市場佔總銷量的1%至5%，並且快速增長。
雖然Google過去5年已將1,000萬冊書籍電子化，但因版權限制，Google只能刊出大部分書籍的節錄部分。Google預計，今次計劃將於明年上半年推出40萬至60萬冊電子書。 ■綜合外電消息 ■羅國偉 資深翻譯員
Google to launch platform for selling books online
Google Inc. is launching a new online service that will let readers buy electronic versions of books and read them on such gadgets as cell phones, laptops and possibly e-book devices.
The company said Google Editions marks its first effort to earn revenue from its Google Books scanning project, which attempts to make millions of printed books available online. Although the scanning program has faced complaints from authors and publishers over copyright, Google Editions will cover only books submitted and approved by the copyright holders when it launches next year.
By the time Google Editions makes its debut, the Internet search leader hopes to have an even larger selection of digital books available as part of a legal settlement with authors and publishers. The year-old settlement still requires U.S. court approval and is being revised to address the U.S. Justice Department's worries that the arrangement could be abused to drive up the prices for electronic books.
The books bought through Google Editions will be accessible on any device that has a Web browser, including smart phones, netbooks and personal computers and laptops, putting Google in competition with Amazon.com Inc. and its Kindle e-book reader.
Consumers can buy directly from Google or from any number of online booksellers and other retail partners using the Google Editions platform. Google will actually host the e-books and make them searchable.
Many publishers have been unhappy that Amazon and others have been charging just $10 for most e-books, a price that could hurt sales the more expensive hardcover. Google said publishers will get to set prices under its system.
Electronic books are gaining in popularity, led in part by devices like Amazon's Kindle and Sony Corp.'s new Reader Pocket Edition. Publishers estimate the size of the e-book market at anywhere from 1 percent to 5 percent of total sales, but it is growing quickly.
Google expects its program will start with 400,000 to 600,000 books in the first half of 2010. Google has made digital copies of 10 million books in the past 5 years, but can only show snippets from most of them because of copyright restrictions. AP
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