No Kindle? No Problem!

And if you don't want to support Amazon, there are other e-reader alternatives for you computer as well.

My husband took my kindle to work a few days ago and killed it(it was a replacement for one the dog killed so the warranty is void) and the children broke the charger for my iPad so I was eReaderless. And angry.

Thankfully the cloud reader that comes with Amazon is really, really nice and easy to use. Reminds me of the layout for the iPad Kindle app.

So yes, two AW'ers agree that the Kindle for PC is nice.

I gots a Kindle, but I also have had the Kindle for PC now for over a year on my laptop and desktop and I like it. Easy to use and as soon as you buy something, it will sinc to all your kindles, including the PC Kindle version.

Glad you're catching up Maryn...

Maryn said:

How? It was easy. Amazon has a free program called Kindle for PC. You download it, install it, and you, too, can buy and read Kindle books on your PC. Even I didn't struggle with figuring it all out, and I can be quite the idiot when it comes to computer stuff.

Click to expand...

B&N also has a Nook for PC.

dangerousbill said:

B&N also has a Nook for PC.

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I am going to have to look into the Nook of PC.

One can never have too many e-reader sources...

I wonder if the i-pad has a version for the PC?

dangerousbill said:

B&N also has a Nook for PC.

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Hooray!

I have the Kindle for the PC. Now I will own the Nook for PC and my money disappearing to buy more books is now assured.

Maryn said:

Kuwi, as you know I'm a bumbler when it comes to technology. Could you provide specifics about which programs work on which types of computers and/or other devices, plus links?

I mean, we wouldn't want you to actually get any of your schoolwork done or anything...

(Everyone else, same request. If you have the knowledge, please share it.)

Maryn, still futzing around with making the Kindle-for-PC usable on all accounts

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I recommend Calibre.

It's free and open-source, and there are plug-ins that can convert Kindle books to epub or whatever format you prefer. There's really no need to have a Kindle app to read books you buy from Amazon and a Nook app to read books you buy from B&N, and you can keep all your ebooks in one place. Remove the DRM and you can back them up, transfer them to any device (or another hard drive) and not worry about downloading all the various proprietary reader apps to your new machine, reregistering with each bookseller, etc.

Also all erotic romance epublishers sell their books in .PDF format, too, which can be read on any computer. Most come with the software to read pre-installed.

scarletpeaches said:

Also all erotic romance epublishers sell their books in .PDF format, too, which can be read on any computer. Most come with the software to read pre-installed.

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Funny you should mention that. Reading erotic epublications on my computer is where I discovered the ease of reading while I'm sitting here. I found I wasn't reading as much as I wanted to because due to physical circumstances I had no comfortable place to sit and read with strong light.

A friend of mine bought me a couple of erotic ebooks and I sat at the comp and read them both in one sitting. It turned me on to ebooks in general and I've read more in the past year than I have in the past five.

One limitation of Kindle for PC: as far as I can tell, the free books Amazon Prime members can get must be read on a registered device, not Kindle for PC.

DiloKeith said:

One limitation of Kindle for PC: as far as I can tell, the free books Amazon Prime members can get must be read on a registered device, not Kindle for PC.

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You can register Kindle for PC.

thothguard51 said:

I wonder if the i-pad has a version for the PC?

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iPad's iBook ap uses the epub format for which there are several reader programs. I use Adobe Digital Editions to read epub files on the PC. I'm going to have to actually buy a book from Apple to see how easy it is to get it onto the computer and into ADE.

I just got a book from iTunes. It downloads only to devices connected and set for automatic download. After that there doesn't seem to be a way to get the book file from the iPad onto the computer's hard drive. So, until I figure it out, scratch that idea.

Al Stevens said:

You can register Kindle for PC.

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Thanks. In general, yes, but it seems to be unavailable for the free books. I tried twice The help pages seemed to be saying it must be a real device.

I may have to look into Kindle and Nook for PC. Right now I'm just using Adobe Acrobat to read stories.

Does anyone know how to access B&N's free reads? I tried getting one, and they still asked me for a credit card or some other form of payment. The book was free. Can someone please help?

DiloKeith said:

Thanks. In general, yes, but it seems to be unavailable for the free books. I tried twice The help pages seemed to be saying it must be a real device.

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Not sure what you're doing wrong. Perhaps your copy of Kindle for PC is not registered. I just downloaded this book http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004YDSL9Q/?tag=absowrit-20 to Kindle for PC.

I don't mean books that are free for everyone. I mean free only for Amazon Prime members. Ones that have this:

Digital List Price: $4.99
Prime Members: $0.00 (read for free)
Prime Eligible Kindle Purchase Price: $4.99

I can't help you there. I'm not a Prime member.

DiloKeith said:

I don't mean books that are free for everyone. I mean free only for Amazon Prime members. Ones that have this:

Digital List Price: $4.99
Prime Members: $0.00 (read for free)
Prime Eligible Kindle Purchase Price: $4.99

Click to expand...

I have to use my Kindle to borrow ebooks for free through Prime. It doesn't work with Kindle4PC or the Amazon.com Web site.

I wonder why that is.

Try this if you get a moment. After you download the book into your Kindle, copy the book file from the Kindle's Documents folder into your PC's My Documents/My Kindle Content folder. Then double-click that copy. I'm interested in seeing what it does.

Okay, Al.

I already have a Prime borrow on my Kindle--I really ought to finish it so I can borrow another, as I'm due for another title if I want. (We get one at a time and a maximum of one per month.)

I copied the file to "My Kindle Content" on my computer. Kindle4PC didn't add it even after I refreshed.

When I double-clicked the file in the "My Kindle Content" folder--that will open the ebook in Kindle4PC in other cases--I got an error message stating that the book can't be opened. The message suggests removing the ebook from my device and re-downloading it, but I know that the problem's not on my end. Amazon does not want me to use anything but my Kindle (or a Fire if I had one) to access the free, Prime borrow. That makes sense.

One: This is another incentive to have both a Kindle/Fire and Prime membership. I wouldn't call this *the* reason to get them--$79 for a basic Kindle plus $79 for one year of Prime adds up to more than you'd spend if you just bought the ebooks--but it's delicious gravy as far as I'm concerned.

Two: Publishers and authors participating in Prime borrowing are reassured because I can't remove DRM from an ebook I can't access with my PC. (Perhaps there's a way, but I'm not interested--if I want to keep this ebook, I'll buy it.)

The good news is that people without Kindles and/or Prime can borrow ebooks through Overdrive--the files do work with Kindle4PC. If your local library, like mine, doesn't do Overdrive/lending, you can check the Free Library of Philadelphia. They'll give you a card even if you've never been anywhere near Philly as long as you're willing to pay them $35 for it.

Sarah1981 said:

Okay, Al.

I already have a Prime borrow on my Kindle--I really ought to finish it so I can borrow another, as I'm due for another title if I want. (We get one at a time and a maximum of one per month.)

I copied the file to "My Kindle Content" on my computer. Kindle4PC didn't add it even after I refreshed.

When I double-clicked the file in the "My Kindle Content" folder--that will open the ebook in Kindle4PC in other cases--I got an error message stating that the book can't be opened. The message suggests removing the ebook from my device and re-downloading it, but I know that the problem's not on my end. Amazon does not want me to use anything but my Kindle (or a Fire if I had one) to access the free, Prime borrow. That makes sense.

One: This is another incentive to have both a Kindle/Fire and Prime membership. I wouldn't call this *the* reason to get them--$79 for a basic Kindle plus $79 for one year of Prime adds up to more than you'd spend if you just bought the ebooks--but it's delicious gravy as far as I'm concerned.

Two: Publishers and authors participating in Prime borrowing are reassured because I can't remove DRM from an ebook I can't access with my PC. (Perhaps there's a way, but I'm not interested--if I want to keep this ebook, I'll buy it.)

Click to expand...

Now does this all this crap not sound like a good reason to get rid of DRM?