First Google-integrated eBook reader available July 17

Starting this Sunday, the first e-reader integrated with Google's eBooks will be available for sale in the United States. Google said that the iRiver Story HD, the first e-reader integrated with its open eBooks platform, will be sold initially at Target stores and on Target.com. "With the Story HD you can now browse, buy and read Google eBooks with your e-reader through Wi-Fi, rather than downloading and transferring them from computer to e-reader with a cord as you can already do with more than 80 compatible devices," product manager Pratip Banerji said in a blog post. The iriver Story HD will sell for $139.99. It features a high-resolution e-ink screen and a QWERTY keyboard for easy searching. It offers over-the-air access to hundreds of thousands of Google eBooks for sale and more than three million for free, Banerji said. With the device, iriver now becomes the first manufacturer to launch an e-reader integrated with Google eBooks. Banerji said the Google eBooks platform is open to all publishers, retailers and manufacturers. "Manufacturers like iriver can use Google Books APIs and services to connect their devices to the full Google eBooks catalog for out-of-the-box access to a complete ebookstore," Banerji said. One can also store personal ebooks library in the cloud, "picking up where you left off in any ebook you’re reading as you move from laptop to smartphone to e-reader to tablet," Google said. Google eBooks was launched December with the ability to read Google eBooks on any device with a modern browser, including Android and iOS devices using the Google Books mobile apps, through the Chrome Web Store app and on compatible ereaders. At least more than 250 independent bookstores have since joined the initiative, even as Google eBooks is now available in Android Market. — TJD, GMA News