eBooks

Today Barnes and Noble announced that they are working on an iPad-specific version of their eReader software. What makes this of interest is that the eBooks you buy will be associated with your Barnes and Noble account, a departure from current iPhone app which tie your purchases to the app. This will allow Nook owners the option of moving their entire collection of eBooks to the iPad.

The app is scheduled to be released on April 3. This is a smart move for Barnes and Noble. By working with the iPad instead of trying to fight it, they have the potential to sell more eBooks, putting them ahead of Sony and making them a better competition with Amazon.

Fans of British author Douglas Adams might be happy to know that Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy is currently available in the form of an eBook app [App Store, $14.99]. Said fans might also be especially pleased to learn that the version in the U.S. App Store is an extended one, which contains both digital and audio versiions, as well as video clips, “bits of brilliance from the first five books”, and numerous other goodies.

A new service and free iPhone application is set to bring e-textbooks for students right to their fingertips. CourseSmart is a service that allows students to "rent" ebook editions of over 7,000 textbooks. The application allows them to view these textbooks on their iPhone or iPod touch, and could have a significant impact on the textbook industry as a whole.

Amazon.com has announced that they are launching a new online Kindle eBook store optimized for the iPhone's Mobile Safari browser. The new store can be accessed by tapping the "Get Books" button in the Kindle for iPhone [Free] app, which will then launch the store in Safari. According to VP of Amazon Kindle, Ian Freed, the ability to access the store on the iPhone has been a popular request from users of the app.