Google Play Books for iOS update includes support for textbook rental
Yesterday, Google issued an update to its free Google Play Books app for iOS, adding not only the usual "stability and performance improvements" to the app, but also providing some important new features that should be helpful for students as the school year quickly approaches.
The app provides access to over 4 million books in the Google Play Book Store, with literally millions of those books available for free. New version 1.6.0 provides highlighting and note-taking for those books that are simply scans and not text files. There's a new sepia reading mode that's easier on the eyes. But the most important addition is support for rentals.
Google Play recently introduced a digital textbook library, and students can now select and rent books from that library. The Google Play website notes that students can save up to 80 percent off of the cost of purchasing textbooks by renting through its service, an important factor to consider when trying to reduce the exorbitant price of a higher education.
