Google to Launch an "Open" E-book Store

Many were wondering when this was going to happen, and now it looks like it is coming in a matter of days.

Google will debut it's version on an online bookstore in December to rival the digital reading leaders Amazon, Apple and others.

Google Product Manager Scott Dougall told the Wall Street Journal the e-book service will launch in the United States by the end of the year and internationally in the first quarter of next year.

The Journal said Google has signed deals with many major book publishers and will offer hundreds of thousands of titles for purchase and millions of books for free.

It appears Google will offer most of the titles that currently are available in other e-bookstores at launch or shortly after with costs similar to those at Amazon and Barnes & Noble, Google told the publication.

Google will allow consumers to access books from retail partners on devices with full Web browsers, including computers, tablets and smartphones.

Google users will buy books online using Google's Checkout system and add them to an online library matched to a Google account.  It has not been revealed what percentage Google will pay its partners.

I'm looking forward to see what new features Google will offer and how they will manage their store compared to Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Apple.  Let's just say this competition is good for readers everywhere.

Google Celebrates 50 Years of The Flintstones

Google's doodle today honors one of the most popular cartoons of all-time, The Flintstones.  Fred Flintstone and friends are shown packed into a Stone Age "car" to make up the letter G, with houses and dinosaurs replacing the remaining letters of the Google logo.

The Flintstones ran from September 30 1960 to April 1 1966 on the ABC channel and became a favourite of children around the world. The animated sitcom continues to air on TV channels across the globe and has been released on DVD and VHS. The characters have also featured on the big screen.

The show was created by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera. Despite ending its run on ABC in 1966, it spawned a number of spin-offs and special episodes, such as The Jetsons Meet The Flintstones in 1987.

It has also featured on the big screen. The first film-version of The Flintstones was released in 1994, followed by The Flintstones in Viva Rock Vegas in 2000.