Oyster’s new ebook store will let you buy many titles you can’t find in your subscription

By Malarie Gokey April 8, 2015

oyster ebook store news 3 devices blue — Image used with permission by copyright holder

An Oyster ebook subscription may include access to more than one million titles, but there are still some ebooks that you can’t find on the service. Previously, if you were looking for a book and it wasn’t available on Oyster, you had to jump over to the ebook store at Amazon, Google, Apple, or elsewhere to buy it. Now, Oyster has its own store, so you can buy the titles it doesn’t have without ever leaving the app.

You can also preorder upcoming titles like Harper Lee’s Go Set a Watchman or Jonathan Franzen’s Purity. The new ebook store includes titles from all of the big five publishers in the U.S., including Hachette, HarperCollins, Macmillan, Penguin Random House, and Simon & Schuster. Scholastic, Harlequin, Norton, Chronicle, and other slightly smaller publishers are also included.

Any ebook you buy from Oyster’s store on the Web or in the Android app will automatically download and sync across all your devices. It’s unclear how this works with iOS devices. To make it easier to distinguish between ebooks that are part of your subscription and those that you’ll have to shell out extra money for. There’s now a toggle and banners to separate paid titles from free ones.

The only foreseeable issue with Oyster’s new store is it’s possible publishers will withhold key titles it knows many people will want to read from the subscription service, so they have to pay for them. It’s unclear how Oyster will strike this balance, but the service would undoubtedly lose business if all the most popular ebooks suddenly disappeared from the subscription side of things.

Oyster also updated a few parts of the app, including the Explore tab, which has 43 new categories. To celebrate the new store, Oyster is giving away three new books: Open City, Becoming Steve Jobs, and The Girl on the Train. If you’re interested, just tag a photo on your Instagram with #whereiread to enter the contest. You can check out the new store here.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics

Former Digital Trends Contributor

As DT's Mobile Editor, Malarie runs the Mobile and Wearables sections, which cover smartphones, tablets, smartwatches, and…

Mobile

Google Maps will let you enter Incognito Mode, and it won’t store your data

Google Maps

Google has started realizing that people care about their online privacy. At Google I/O 2019 the company announced a number of new features for the privacy-aware. Perhaps the biggest and most important feature is that Incognito Mode will now be available in Google Maps.

But what does that mean? Well, when you use Google Maps, your location information is stored by Google, and linked to your Google account. In Incognito Mode, however, that location information won't be stored -- meaning that if you don't want your information from Maps saved, you no longer have to manually delete it. It's important to note that just because Google doesn't have location information about you, that doesn't mean that your wireless carrier won't have it. Incognito Mode is also already available on YouTube.

Mobile

Apple’s new iPad Air could be in trouble

iPad Air 5 seen from the back and held in hand.

If everything goes according to plan, Apple is set to unveil new iPads on Tuesday, May 7. It's been a while since the last iPad release in October 2022, so expectations are incredibly high for those eagerly waiting to buy a new Apple tablet.

I typically purchase the iPad Pro and own the current 11-inch model, and I am curious about Apple's plans for this product line. However, most people are probably more interested in the upcoming iPad Air lineup in 2024. Both lineups are getting a refresh next week. In recent years, the iPad Air has been positioned between the budget-priced iPad and the top-of-the-line iPad Pro, making it a popular choice for many.

Mobile

Best Fitbit deals: Save on Versa 4, Charge 6, and Sense 2

The Fitbit Sense 2 in moss.

One of the best fitness trackers is a great way to up your workout, though they can get expensive. Even with the current Apple deals, Apple Watch deals, and Samsung Galaxy Watch deals things can get a little expensive. Fitbit is a good fitness tracker brand to turn to if you’re looking for affordability. It has a great lineup of options, and Fitbit watches are almost always seeing a deal. In fact, right now Fitbit deals make for some of the best smartwatch deals you can shop. Below you’ll find what we feel are the best Fitbit deals to shop right now. There are several models to choose from for some savings, as well as a great deal on the Fitbit Charge 4.
Today's best Fitbit deal
Fitbit Charge 4 -- $125, was $150

While there are newer Fitbit Charge models on the market that include both the Fitbit Charge 5 and the Fitbit Charge 6, the Fitbit Charge 4 still has a lot to offer. It has all sorts of fitness and activity tracking capabilities. It can measure your resting heart rate and calorie burn throughout the day, as well as your SpO2 nightly average. The Charge 4 also uses built-in GPS to see your pace and distance during outdoor runs, rides, hikes, and other activities. You can head out for a long hike with this smartwatch, as the Charge 5 can last up to seven days on a single battery charge, and up to five hours when GPS is being used.