Internet search giant Google, quiet since going public in August, introduced a feature Wednesday that lets users search through pages of books online.
Google is taking aim at online retailer Amazon.com, which offers similar technology on its e-commerce site and which recently invaded Google"s turf by launching a rival search engine, A9.
Google is offering the print.google.com service to publishers for free. They can send their books to Google"s offices in California, where staffers will scan specific pages and place them into the index. Google profits by adding its text-based advertising on the new book pages. For example, a search for books on rock climbing features ads for rock-climbing gear.