Close
  • Latest News
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Video
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
Read Down
Sign in
Close
Welcome!Log into your account
Forgot your password?
Read Down
Password recovery
Recover your password
Close
Search
Logo
Logo
  • Latest News
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Video
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
More
    Home Cloud
    • Cloud

    Google Starts Selling Audiobooks in Latest Challenge to Amazon

    Written by

    Jaikumar Vijayan
    Published January 24, 2018
    Share
    Facebook
    Twitter
    Linkedin

      eWEEK content and product recommendations are editorially independent. We may make money when you click on links to our partners. Learn More.

      Google has broadened its efforts to sell audiobooks online with the launch of Audiobooks on Google Play Jan. 23. 

      Starting this week, users in 45 countries will be able to buy audiobooks in nine languages from Google’s Play mobile app store. Google’s Audiobooks are available for Web users and as well as for users of Android and iOS-based smartphones and tablets. 

      Unlike Amazon’s Audible, with which it appears designed to compete, Google doesn’t require a membership to buy audiobooks. People can buy a single audiobook at a time and without any commitment to buy more, said Greg Hartrell, head of product management at Google Play Books in a blog Jan. 23. As with other Google Play purchases, users can share audiobooks with up to 5 family members for no additional fee via the Family Library feature in Play. 

      Several audiobook titles—including some bestsellers—are currently listed on Google’s Audiobooks site at promotional prices starting at under $10. Regular prices for many of the same books range from around $15 to more than $30. 

      Users can access their audiobooks via Google Assistant, the company’s digital assistant technology. Users can just say, “Ok Google, read my book” and listen to an audiobook with the Google Assistant on their smartphone or on Google Home, Hartrell said. “Try “Ok Google, who is the author?” if you need a refresher, or “Ok Google, stop playing in 20 minutes” to set a timer for bedtime reading,” he noted. 

      Currently, the integration with Google Assistant is only available on Android devices and Android powered speakers such as Google Home. Users in the U.S. will also soon be able to use Google Assistant to listen to audiobooks on Android Auto. 

      As with Amazon Audible, users who purchase an audiobook will be able to listen to it on multiple supported devices without having to cue it up for each device. Users will be able to resume listening where they left off regardless of whether their the book is loaded onto an Android, iOS, Chromecast, Android Auto or Android Wear device. 

      Amazon’s Audible currently requires users to sign up for a $14.95 monthly membership. The membership gives users credit for one downloadable audiobook a month, regardless of price and up to 30 percent off regular prices on subsequent purchases. Amazon Prime members get free access to a small rotating collection of streaming-only audiobooks via a separate Audible Channels feature. 

      Many of the features that Google announced this week with Audiobooks are already available with Audible as well. For instance, Subscribers can listen to an audiobook via the Amazon Echo smart speaker. Several of the company’s Kindle e-book readers have begun incorporating support for the audiobooks as well. 

      The launch of Audiobooks on Play is sure to intensify the rivalry between Google and Amazon. The two companies already compete head-on with each other on several fronts most notably cloud computing and recently in the market for smart digital assistant technologies such as Google Home and Amazon Echo. 

      Jaikumar Vijayan
      Jaikumar Vijayan
      Vijayan is an award-winning independent journalist and tech content creation specialist covering data security and privacy, business intelligence, big data and data analytics.

      Get the Free Newsletter!

      Subscribe to Daily Tech Insider for top news, trends & analysis

      Get the Free Newsletter!

      Subscribe to Daily Tech Insider for top news, trends & analysis

      MOST POPULAR ARTICLES

      Artificial Intelligence

      9 Best AI 3D Generators You Need...

      Sam Rinko - June 25, 2024 0
      AI 3D Generators are powerful tools for many different industries. Discover the best AI 3D Generators, and learn which is best for your specific use case.
      Read more
      Cloud

      RingCentral Expands Its Collaboration Platform

      Zeus Kerravala - November 22, 2023 0
      RingCentral adds AI-enabled contact center and hybrid event products to its suite of collaboration services.
      Read more
      Artificial Intelligence

      8 Best AI Data Analytics Software &...

      Aminu Abdullahi - January 18, 2024 0
      Learn the top AI data analytics software to use. Compare AI data analytics solutions & features to make the best choice for your business.
      Read more
      Latest News

      Zeus Kerravala on Networking: Multicloud, 5G, and...

      James Maguire - December 16, 2022 0
      I spoke with Zeus Kerravala, industry analyst at ZK Research, about the rapid changes in enterprise networking, as tech advances and digital transformation prompt...
      Read more
      Video

      Datadog President Amit Agarwal on Trends in...

      James Maguire - November 11, 2022 0
      I spoke with Amit Agarwal, President of Datadog, about infrastructure observability, from current trends to key challenges to the future of this rapidly growing...
      Read more
      Logo

      eWeek has the latest technology news and analysis, buying guides, and product reviews for IT professionals and technology buyers. The site’s focus is on innovative solutions and covering in-depth technical content. eWeek stays on the cutting edge of technology news and IT trends through interviews and expert analysis. Gain insight from top innovators and thought leaders in the fields of IT, business, enterprise software, startups, and more.

      Facebook
      Linkedin
      RSS
      Twitter
      Youtube

      Advertisers

      Advertise with TechnologyAdvice on eWeek and our other IT-focused platforms.

      Advertise with Us

      Menu

      • About eWeek
      • Subscribe to our Newsletter
      • Latest News

      Our Brands

      • Privacy Policy
      • Terms
      • About
      • Contact
      • Advertise
      • Sitemap
      • California – Do Not Sell My Information

      Property of TechnologyAdvice.
      © 2024 TechnologyAdvice. All Rights Reserved

      Advertiser Disclosure: Some of the products that appear on this site are from companies from which TechnologyAdvice receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site including, for example, the order in which they appear. TechnologyAdvice does not include all companies or all types of products available in the marketplace.

      ×