JB Hi-Fi launches its own ebook store

JB Hi-Fi has quietly launched its very own ebook store in Australia, along with its own e-reading app for iOS and Android.

Tech retailer JB Hi-Fi has been moving into the digital space, first with music-streaming service JB Hi-Fi Now last year — and now with its very own ebook store, called JB Hi-Fi Now Books.

The books are available in EPUB format with DRM applied, which is compatible with most e-readers on the market (except for the Kindle) as well as Apple iBooks and JB Hi-Fi's own brand new free e-reading apps: JB Hi-Fi Now Books for iOS and JB Hi-Fi Now Books for Android.

Neither of the apps feature built-in access to the store; instead, you purchase books on the website. These will be synced to your account and will need to be manually downloaded to the app. To install a book on an e-reader such as the Sony PRS-T2 or the Kobo, you will need to download and install Adobe Digital Editions.

In order to sign up for the website, you will need to provide your mobile phone number as your account name — as with the Now music service. If you are already signed up for Now, your account will work across both services.

So far, the selection looks reasonably sized and priced fairly, comparable to Kobo's Australian pricing — although the search engine could probably use a little work. The most expensive title on the home "What's Hot" page was under AU$20, but we had better luck finding specific titles searching by author.