Audible launches Plus Catalogue and continues to invest in Canadian Original Content

Audible, a leading producer and provider of original spoken-word entertainment and audiobooks, announced the launch of an unlimited listening catalogue for Audible.ca members at no extra cost.  

The Plus Catalogue features over 12,000 titles including classic and contemporary audiobooks in a wide range of fiction and non-fiction genres, as well as a variety of exclusive podcasts. It will also feature over 500 French titles from Quebec, titles from celebrities Idris and Sabrina Elba and Tan France, as well as four new Canadian Audible Originals.

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Drake tops Apple's 'Best of 2018' charts. Who else made the list?

Apple just released the 'Best of 2018' -- a global collection of top charts of all the amazing things we should see, play, and listen to. From podcasts to audiobooks and from music to apps and more we're definitely curious as to who made the lists and what will make great conversations at the holiday dinner party. Apps that topped the 'paid for' list shocked us included FaceTune, a retouching app to allows users to have flawless skin. Hey, guess it's cheaper than botox. Anyway, here's are the lists...

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Google Play Books adds ‘Smart Resume’ feature for audiobooks

It seems like a no-brainer that any audiobook or podcast app should have a way for users to stop on a certain chapter or part and have the app pick it up where you left off. But that was missing from Google Play Books until recently, that is. The app now has what Google calls Smart Resume. The social giant calls it this way because it’ll actually rewind to the start of a sentence or word to help remind you where you were the last time you listened to your audiobook.

This update also introduces bookmarks, letting you mark important or favorite parts, and with Google Assistant integration the audiobook feature can be integrated into the new Routines feature. This means, you just need to add Google Play Books to your morning routine or work commute routine and it’ll cue it up for you. The update also brings the ability to speed up or slow down playback.

Source: SlashGear

Audiobooks now available in the Google Play Store

Google is making thousands of audiobooks available on the Google Play Store in 45 countries and nine languages. This enables the ability to purchase and listen to audiobooks without the need for a subscription. More importantly, the audiobooks will be accessible by Google Assistant and will work with Google Home speakers.

Just say “Ok Google, read my book” to listen to your favorite audiobook hands free with the Google Assistant on your phone or speaker, like Google Home. Try “Ok Google, who is the author?” if you need a refresher, or “Ok Google, stop playing in 20 minutes” to set a timer for bedtime reading. This is a key feature of rival Amazon on their Amazon Echo devices," says Greg Hartrell, the Head of Product Management, Google Play Books.