E-book readers: Sony/Amazon Kindle

[TopCat]

Great fun reading this thread.

 

[Leafster]

You can download to any device if you convert the files..via certain pieces of software.
But this facility won't be an option after next week.
So for example..I know someone who has loads of amazon books on an apple device using a kindle app. They now have to download the books run them through a piece of software and save to the device.

I think he's saying you won't be able to download the book files to store locally to use them on a non-Kindle device. I don't think he's saying you won't be able continue to read your books via a Kindle app on your phone tablet or PC.

 

[Aladdin]

I think he's saying you won't be able to download the book files to store locally to use them on a non-Kindle device. I don't think he's saying you won't be able continue to read your books via a Kindle app on your phone tablet or PC.

I was answering a question someone else asked...


SO from next week on you won't be able to download your amazon books to anything outside amazon systems.

Next week, Amazon is stripping away your ability to download your ebooks.

Starting next Wednesday, February 26th, Amazon isn’t going to let users download the ebooks they’ve purchased, forcing users to keep everything within the corporation’s proprietary ecosystem.…

lithub.com

I don't have an amazon account anymore nor do I have kindle anymore.

But this article states..

The Hub​

News, Notes, Talk​

Next week, Amazon is stripping away your ability to download your ebooks.​

By James Folta
February 19, 2025, 12:01pm
Starting next Wednesday, February 26th, Amazon isn’t going to let users download the ebooks they’ve purchased, forcing users to keep everything within the corporation’s proprietary ecosystem.

As covered in The Verge, the mega-corporation is removing a feature that lets ebook readers do what they want with their purchases, including back-up their books, or convert them to different formats, or transfer them to a non-Amazon e-reader. There are a lot of reasons why you may want to download your ebooks, but the basic argument for it is simple: if you buy something, you should be able to do what you want with it.

 

[Leafster]

Next week, Amazon is stripping away your ability to download your ebooks.

Starting next Wednesday, February 26th, Amazon isn’t going to let users download the ebooks they’ve purchased, forcing users to keep everything within the corporation’s proprietary ecosystem.…

lithub.com

I don't have an amazon account anymore nor do I have kindle anymore.

But this article states..

The Hub​

News, Notes, Talk​

Next week, Amazon is stripping away your ability to download your ebooks.​

By James Folta
February 19, 2025, 12:01pm
Starting next Wednesday, February 26th, Amazon isn’t going to let users download the ebooks they’ve purchased, forcing users to keep everything within the corporation’s proprietary ecosystem.

As covered in The Verge, the mega-corporation is removing a feature that lets ebook readers do what they want with their purchases, including back-up their books, or convert them to different formats, or transfer them to a non-Amazon e-reader. There are a lot of reasons why you may want to download your ebooks, but the basic argument for it is simple: if you buy something, you should be able to do what you want with it.

Yes, that's saying the same thing - you won't be able to store the book files locally to use on a non-kindle device or non-kindle app. So, if you have the kindle app on your phone, tablet or PC, you'll see be able to access the books to read. You won't need a Kindle e-reader, just the app.

However, who knows what might happen in the future. Amazon might do away with the Kindle Apps on non-Amazon devices and then I'll be stuffed.

 

[Aladdin]

If you have a kindle device your books will store to that.

But the kindle app on a non amazon device alone won't do what you think. You'll read a live doc if your device is online but the device won't store your books as such anymore. You'll need Internet access in other words...so that your books will be available on the app And you'll be downloading constantly.

So if you have a kindle device you're ok..once all your books are downloaded and saved... I know some people who are downloading all to one kindle and disabling Internet access on that device so they have their books permanently.

Others are downloading all ebooks to a USB and running them through software as mentioned in the video. Then saving them elsewhere.

 

[Leafster]

If you have a kindle device your books will store to that.

But the kindle app on a non amazon device alone won't do what you think. You'll read a live doc if your device is online but the device won't store your books as such anymore. You'll need Internet access in other words...so that your books will be available on the app And you'll be downloading constantly.

So if you have a kindle device you're ok..once all your books are downloaded and saved... I know some people who are downloading all to one kindle and disabling Internet access on that device so they have their books permanently.

Others are downloading all ebooks to a USB and running them through software as mentioned in the video. Then saving them elsewhere.

This is the message you get from the Amazon website



It still seems to suggest you will be able to 'deliver' you book to a Wi-Fi enabled device and it'll be stored on there so you won't need to be connected to the internet to read it once it's on that device.

I've just sent a book to my PC Kindle app and I didn't get any other warning message.

I think what's happening is Amazon/Kindle are just stopping you taking the book files out of the Kindle eco-sphere to use elsewhere via a non-Kindle app on a non-Kindle device (a Kobo, for instance)

 

[Aladdin]

This is the message you get from the Amazon website

View attachment 465201

It still seems to suggest you will be able to 'deliver' you book to a Wi-Fi enabled device and it'll be stored on there so you won't need to be connected to the internet to read it once it's on that device.

I've just sent a book to my PC Kindle app and I didn't get any other warning message.

I think what's happening is Amazon/Kindle are just stopping you taking the book files out of the Kindle eco-sphere to use elsewhere via a non-Kindle app on a non-Kindle device (a Kobo, for instance)

But why does the device have to be WiFi enabled?
This may be why people are downloading and saving...on devices that will not be used online afterwards. I was just chatting to a family member who likes to have their books available without having to go online. So they're downloading everything and saving.

 

[Leafster]

But why does the device have to be WiFi enabled?
This may be why people are downloading and saving...on devices that will not be used online afterwards. I was just chatting to a family member who likes to have their books available without having to go online. So they're downloading everything and saving.

Wi-Fi would be the only way to send the book to the device if you couldn't connect it via a usb cable.

 

[lazythursday]

This is why I'm so glad I switched to Kobo. But there are titles in my Amazon account I've never downloaded and converted.

 

[Aladdin]

Wi-Fi would be the only way to send the book to the device if you couldn't connect it via a usb cable.

Yes...I know...I think we are at crossed purposes. The problem from next week on is that having the book on the device doesn't mean it's always accessible without Internet. Lots of people want to access their books without having to go online to do so
If you're in a place with no Internet you'll still be able to access your downloads once saved to a device.
That's why people who don't have kindles are busy downloading their books now to.save.

 

[Chz]

Yes...I know...I think we are at crossed purposes. The problem from next week on is that having the book on the device doesn't mean it's always accessible without Internet. Lots of people want to access their books without having to go online to do so
If you're in a place with no Internet you'll still be able to access your downloads once saved to a device.
That's why people who don't have kindles are busy downloading their books now to.save.

My reading (and I don't pretend I'm an expert - just giving an opinion) is that a Kindle app on an Android/iOS/Windows/MacOS device will still download the file for offline reading. It will not support using that file in any other way, nor will it support downloading outside of the Kindle ecosystem (I wonder where this leaves "email to Kindle"?), but if you're tech savvy it shouldn't be too unwieldy to manage the files.

Or to put it another way, if you're clever enough to use Calibre I doubt it affects you. Its intent seems to be to fuck over Kobo owners who still buy (why?) things off Amazon. Most importantly, from my POV, it doesn't affect me downloading books from wherever the fuck and putting them on my Kindle.

 

[lazythursday]

All this kind of thing does is drive more people to the likes of Anna's Archive.

 

[Aladdin]

All this kind of thing does is drive more people to the likes of Anna's Archive.

It's driving me back to just buying books

 

[UnderOpenSky]

As always with shit DRM it makes piracy a way more attractive option.

www.myanonamouse.net

 

[Hollis]

However, who knows what might happen in the future. Amazon might do away with the Kindle Apps on non-Amazon devices and then I'll be stuffed.

If Amazon did away with Kindle apps then I think it would effectively be the death of kindle books. I probably read 75% of the time on my mobile app now... I also don't see too many kindles on the tube these days. And I am not going to be buying a Kindle Fire any time soon..

I would happily use another e-reader if i thought any of them were as good as the kindle - but I don't think they are.

 

[Throbbing Angel]

Currently downloading my library. I'm on page 17 of 44

Found a script that will let me d/l 25 books at a time (sorta) rather than having to download each one individually still a little time consuming, though

Then I'll download Calibre to my Mac. Might just stick with being able to use them in iBooks or whatever the Apple book app is called now on my iPad and have the flexibility to do what I want with 1000+ books in future.