The search giant is venturing into territory unknown by preparing to let publishers sell eBooks by the end of the year, through a new 'ecosystem', currently in development.
Google has been striking deals with book publishers for years and today revealed that the endgame is to give all publishers the capability to sell books through Google at a price determined on an individual basis.
Google's reach means that it could trump compeititors in promoting deals but the initial iteration is likely to be one that allows the reading of books online and a cache, enabling people to read the books offline for a limited time only.
These caveats could limit Google's ability to compete with Amazon, which is fast becoming likened to Apple and its dominance of music downloads.
The battle is still somewhat divorced from the UK, however, as Amazon still needs to strike agreements with distributors and mobile operators about realising the full capaibilities of the Kindle should a cross-European launch become feasible.
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