digital books

Google is joining the fray, finally entering the crowded world of e-books alongside Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Apple. It is a little late to the party, but the world's largest search company has an inherent advantage over its competition.

An unspecified number of the 650 employees working at the company's Ann Arbor headquarters have been cut. The stock price has already dipped on the news.

If you're were thinking of ordering one of Amazon's brand-new Kindle e-readers, get in line. Just five days after announcing the new Kindle 3G Kindle WiFi models, both devices are sold out, and anyone who pre-orders now won't get one until Sept. 4, a week after the original ship date.

Thanks to the ubiquity of Kindles and iPads, the publishing industry must address one of the thorniest issues of digital readers: How do they protect their books from pirates without alienating loyal customers who just want to read their e-books?

Borders launched an electronic bookstore Wednesday, entering a market dominated by Amazon, Apple and Barnes & Noble. Despite the heavy competition, the company is optimistic.

Sony has slashed the price of its Daily Edition e-reader to $299.99 from $349.99, following similar price cuts to Amazon's Kindle and Barnes & Noble's Nook. Can any of these companies really make money at the reduced price levels?