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Rumor: Amazon working on a subscription service for books [Like a library, but not free]

Categories: Android, Rumors
By: , IntoMobile
Monday, September 12th, 2011 at 7:11 AM

Amazon is rumored to be coming out with a 7 inch tablet later this fall that’ll run a completely custom version of Google’s Android operating system. Said tablet will primarily be used as an electronic book reader, but it’ll also play movies, music, and even browse the web. The best part is, it’s supposed to come in at just $250. That’s half the price of the best selling tablet on the market, Apple’s iPad. One of the things that could make Amazon’s new Kindle even more juicy is a service that gives users access to a vast library of books for a flat monthly fee, similar to how Netflix works for music or Spotify works for music. Sources tell The Wall Street Journal that Amazon just so happens to be working on such a service, though it’s in the early stages of planning. We honestly have no idea when it’ll launch, nor how much they’ll want to charge you every month, but we’re seriously thrilled at the potential of being able to read any book we want, anywhere, anytime.

Who benefits the most from this? Authors who are losing money due to electronic book piracy. You can download a 500+ page newly released title in the same amount of time it takes to grab the latest single that’s topping the charts. While that song will take just a few minutes to consume, the book will provide you with quite a few hours of entertainment. And whereas a single can be had for just $0.99 in iTunes, a book in the Kindle format often runs around $10 and that figure has been climbing ever since Apple introduced iBooks.

The thing is though, what exactly is wrong with your local library? Do you really want to read a book on a device where Twitter, Facebook, and the internet is just a tap away? Sounds horrible if you ask us.

About The Author

Stefan Constantinescu

Stefan Constantinescu (@WhatTheBit on Twitter) has loved technology since as far back as he can remember. It started with computers, but in the past few years his passion has turned to mobile devices. As a mobile phone enthusiast who lives and breathes devices that connect to the internet, he knows he is not alone with this radical fascination of all things wireless. He is strongly opinionated and enjoys a good debate so leave comments in his posts and he’ll get back to you! Stefan began blogging as a hobby in the fall of 2006 and joined IntoMobile in the summer of 2007. Later he got a job at Nokia in March 2008, but as of June 2009 he has rejoined the IntoMobile team. He is currently based out of Helsinki, Finland.

  • Anonymous

    Amazon’s new “digital” library attempt is just a weak try to overcome Nook’s huge advantage over Kindle as Nook (unlike Kindle) provides ability to check out library eBooks, and there are a huge number of libraries that provide ebooks in ePub format ( that Nook supports but Kindle doesn’t.) Also, if one goes to any Barnes & Noble store with a Nook, one’s allowed to read any available eBook for free while in the store via free provided in the store Wi-Fi – another “library” option that is already there.
    Current e-Ink Nook Simpletouch is much better than current e-ink Kindle as Nook has the latest generation touch screen display, no page turn lag, it weights less, its battery lasts twice as long, and it doesn’t blink on each page turn – much better than current Kindle 3.