Google Editions to take on Amazon & iBooks.

How will Google entering the retail realm affect it's integrity as a search engine? I know Google is much more than a search engine, with numerous apps online and huge initiatives in Android OS and so much more.

But when I'm searching for a book or music title, will Google prioritise it's offerings and I'll have to sift through more and more "advertising" or product placement to find what I'm after?

Check The NY Times article to see what's being said about Google. On the one hand, it is great that Google seems to be working with the independent booksellers in an arrangement that will keep the little guys in business.

Independent book stores employ people who love books so they can talk books with you, the book loving customer. The staff will tell you what they've read, what other customers read and then said, what seems to be touted as the next good read . . . a personal service that really isn't equaled online.

I love independent bookstores. They give as much as they sell, by way of advice and info.

But what do you readers think about Google straddling a line of providing information, paid for by advertising, and being a retailer that profits directly from product sales?

Does everybody win, or do we who seek information lose? No, I will not use Bing as my search engine of choice.

Wall Street Journal Article

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