Amazon rival Indigo starts e-book service

TORONTO, Feb. 27 (UPI) -- Canadian retailer Indigo Books & Music Inc. has introduced a digital media application that lets users buy and download e-books to smart phones and computers.

Its Shortcovers service gives people with iPhone, Blackberry or Google Android devices wireless access to books, magazines and blogs, "as well as new content formats and user-inspired writings such as subway novels," said the Toronto company, which operates bookstores in all Canadian provinces as well as chapters.indigo.ca.

People with Symbian, Windows Mobile and Brew devices, the Palm Pre and other devices will be able to use Shortcovers soon, Indigo said.

Shortcovers, positioned as "a global service," is initially offering 50,000 books at $4.99 to $19.99 apiece, with "thousands" more to be added weekly, Indigo said.

The service, whose name is meant to imply "the ideal read for consumers on the go," also offers individual book chapters for 99 cents each, with an estimated 200,000 sample chapters available free for potential users.

The service currently accepts U.S. and Canadian dollars and plans to add other currencies later this year, Indigo said.

U.S. online bookseller Amazon.com offers a similar service, but its books must be downloaded using its Kindle e-book reader.

E-book sales represent less than 3 percent of the North American retail market, The Globe and Mail reported.