Kobo Touch user moving to Nook HD

[tracings]

My husband is looking to upgrade from an eInk reader (Kobo Touch) to something that allows him to surf the web and read books. The current sale on the Nook HD has me thinking that this may be just the ticket for him -- but I have a few questions:

* What is required at set-up? Do we need to connect to Barnes and Noble and register the device? I've heard you need to enter a credit card number on Nook devices, even if you never shop from them.

* How hard is it to sideload books from Calibre? We've been reading books on two different Kobo devices, and I've just sideloaded the ones he'd like to read to his device. Will I need to use a Alf add-on to allow him to read epubs on the Nook HD? Will this be confusing when I go to add the epub to my Kobo Glo?

Any advice on how to handle a new Nook HD is greatly appreciated. If someone can provide an overview of the steps we need to go through after unboxing a Nook HD, I'd be eternally grateful!

[chrisparker]

Just run Calibre Companion on the Nook, switch on the wireless server in Calibre, and all will be well!

[booklover6]

Originally Posted by tracings

My husband is looking to upgrade from an eInk reader (Kobo Touch) to something that allows him to surf the web and read books. The current sale on the Nook HD has me thinking that this may be just the ticket for him -- but I have a few questions:

* What is required at set-up? Do we need to connect to Barnes and Noble and register the device? I've heard you need to enter a credit card number on Nook devices, even if you never shop from them.

* How hard is it to sideload books from Calibre? We've been reading books on two different Kobo devices, and I've just sideloaded the ones he'd like to read to his device. Will I need to use a Alf add-on to allow him to read epubs on the Nook HD? Will this be confusing when I go to add the epub to my Kobo Glo?

Any advice on how to handle a new Nook HD is greatly appreciated. If someone can provide an overview of the steps we need to go through after unboxing a Nook HD, I'd be eternally grateful!

1. Yes you have to register the device. But no, you do not have to put in a credit card. You can skip that screen during the set up.

2. You can put the Kobo app on the Nook HD, and read your Kobo books that way.

3. It is easy to side load books to the Nook. You can do it over USB, you can do it over USB using Calibre, you can do it wirelessly using sync apps such as Sugarsync, drop box, copy.

4. For non-DRM epub books, you can use the Nook reading app, or you can load a free app from Google Play, such as Cool Reader, Mantano, Aldiko.

My favorite technique is to save books from Calibre into a separate file on my PC, using save to disk plug boards to add in the series info automatically, and then plug in to the device and drag my saved books into the folders I want them on the Nook. (You can do this just using your SD card if you want). Then I use my reading app (Mantano) to open whatever book I want to read. That way, my reading apps aren't stuffed full of books. My books are all in properly organized files on my SD card.

You can use Calibre with Alf's plugins to strip the DRM if you need to, and then you are free to arrange your books how you want.

You can also put the Kindle app on the Nook HD if you don't want to bother stripping, and you like to read your books as-is.

The Nook HD is a Wonderful tablet for reading, and news apps, weather, music, movies, all kinds of stuff. We have three now, the price is too hard to resist!

[booklover6]

I just saw this on Nathan's blog:

In other Nook news, Barnes and Noble is running a sale on the Nook HD this week until the 26th. They have the priced marked down from $129 to $109. But you can save a lot more if you go with a manufactured refurbished Nook HD for $69 from 1SaleADay via eBay. Don’t forget that the Nook Touch and Nook Glow are also on sale for $59 and $79 respectively.

For that price you should buy one for each of you! They are VERY easy to set up and register.

[tracings]

Thank you all for sharing your knowledge! It sounds like this will be a great device for us!! I'm off to B&N tomorrow!

[booklover6]

Originally Posted by tracings

Thank you all for sharing your knowledge! It sounds like this will be a great device for us!! I'm off to B&N tomorrow!

If you can swing it, get the 16gb if you think you might want a lot of apps and games. But if it's mainly for reading, the 8gb is perfectly fine.

Also if you are going to the store, I bet you can get the snow in the 8gb! Most places only have the smoke. The snow is really nice, I got that one for one of my girls (in 16gb....she has hundreds of games on it). Our other two HDs are smoke and I put a skin on them both...the color became annoying after awhile.

[tracings]

Thanks again, booklover6! We ended up getting a new one from our local store, and hubby is in love with the screen. Kind of wish I'd gotten one for myself. (And they're already back up to $129 for the 8GB. Darn!)

Anyway, he's looking at some of the free samples now, so I haven't tried sideloading any of our books yet, but if I have any trouble, I know where to post! Thank you, MobileRead Forums!

[booklover6]

tracings, you have to get one, too! Just wait for another sale, or get a refurb on ebay for $70 or $80. I am certain there will be more sales!

Did he get the snow or the smoke?

[jersysman]

Don't forget Calibre Companion as mentioned above. Easiest way to get your books onto your tablet.

[tracings]

Thanks for the reminder of Calibre Companion, jersysman. I'm guessing its a pretty smooth operation to use the Companion app. However, I'll mention that nothing was easier than launching Calibre on the computer and choosing "send to device" and voila! books were there! We've been sideloaders since forever, so it's no skin off my nose to connect to the computer now and then.

Since it's our first tablet, we're still getting used to all the razzle-dazzle of our other, non-book related options. I'm not sure we'll ever use it to its full capabilities, but honestly, the Nook HD was cheaper than my Kobo Glo, and last night, we watched YouTube videos on it.

I've been really surprised by the quality of the Nook's HD screen. It's great! I work with an iPad almost every day on the job, and can't stand reading on the iPad for more than 15 minutes at a clip. Already, I'm sneaking the Nook off of hubby's nightstand when he leaves the room. So far, I haven't been caught, though I suspect he knows what I'm hoping for in my Christmas stocking.

[jersysman]

With the companion app you send your books to your tablet the same way that you would send books to your ereader except instead of connecting with the USB you connect Companion wirelessly to Calibre, select your books, and Send to Device. Plus CC lets you pick whatever reader program you want to read the books (provided your ebooks can be read by the app).

[Kaysclie]

Can you install Calibre companion on more than one device...ie your nook hd and your nook hd+ ?

[booklover6]

Originally Posted by jersysman

With the companion app you send your books to your tablet the same way that you would send books to your ereader except instead of connecting with the USB you connect Companion wirelessly to Calibre, select your books, and Send to Device. Plus CC lets you pick whatever reader program you want to read the books (provided your ebooks can be read by the app).

I have it, but I couldn't get it to work.

ETA No I have Calibre Sync. Sorry.

[PatNY]

Originally Posted by Kaysclie

Can you install Calibre companion on more than one device...ie your nook hd and your nook hd+ ?

Yes, no problem, so long as both devices are registered to the Play store with the same email address the app was bought with. I have CC running on both my HD and HD+ and it works well on both. You only have to pay once.

I've yet to come across an Android app that didn't work that way, though I think there may be some.

If you are asking if there can be problems using CC to sync two devices to one Calibre library, I did read about an isolated issue in the Calibre forum. But it didn't impact everyone and the developer will be working to iron that out.

--Pat

[booklover6]

I am testing CC out now on my HD. I have sent books to my Nook, and figured out how to change the folder to my sd card.

It is doing a sync now which is taking a long time.

I need to figure out how to get it to show the series info on the books while in ES File Explorer. At least it DOES show in the CC window.

I'll have to play with it more later....something drained my battery from 61% to 0 overnight. Probably a different file manager I was trying out.

ETA - downloaded it to another tablet and it worked just fine. I like the CC interface, too.