New to Kobo and having problems

tecweston · 04-03-2011, 10:42 AM

Hi everyone, this is my first post as I am the owner of a new Kobo.

I've been using my iPod touch to read ebooks the last few months, specifically the Kindle app because I think it's the easiest to use and most aesthetically pleasing, and I also love the way the account is set up, so that all your purchases are stored on the Amazon.com servers and you simply download any book you've already purchased and archive it when you're done. I also love the automatic syncing of bookmarks.

But on Friday I was at my local Borders, which is closing, and saw a bunch of Kobos on sale for $50, so I picked one up thinking it would be the cheapest ereader I'd probably be able to find for quite some time.

It recommends you connect it to your computer before doing anything, but I was at my fiancee's house for the weekend and decided to go ahead and set it up without using a computer. I connected it to my Borders.com account and everything worked well. I could open the Borders ebooks app on my iPod touch and purchase books, then update my library on my Kobo and everything downloaded right to it. I even checked out an ebook from my local library and downloaded it onto the ebook using my fiancee's computer.

But today I got back home and hooked it up to my computer, and downloaded the Kobo desktop app. It deleted all my Borders books from my Kobo and I can't figure out how to get them back. I can still download ebooks to my iPod touch via the Borders iPod touch app, but they will not show up on my Kobo.

Also, does anyone know of a DRM-free ebooks store that will work with Kobo? If I buy Kobo books now and then later switch to a Kindle, all my Kobo books will be useless, right? I'd prefer to buy in a format that works across all platforms.

And finally, for the life of me I cannot figure out how to get free previews of books to download onto the Kobo. Does Kobobooks.com even offer free previews of books? Borders.com does, but of course all my Borders.com books were deleted automatically off my Kobo when I connected it to my computer.

Thanks for any help you can give me.

jayupark · 04-03-2011, 12:17 PM

You can just download the books again using the software, or by going to koboreader.com
You can also download the new software there.

Just click on the "free books" link.

Any DRM free epub works fine. I use Calibre to "share" books between my wife's kobo and my kindle. DRM protected books won't convert though (and even if they do, they don't open on the "transfered to" device).

Good luck. I'm sure you'll love the Kobo as an ereader... just don't expect it to be the swiss army knife of ereaders.

tecweston · 04-03-2011, 12:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jayupark

You can just download the books again using the software, or by going to koboreader.com
You can also download the new software there.

No, I have the software already. My question was about putting Borders.com ebooks on my Kobo. Is there any way to do this using the Kobo Desktop app? Or, well, any way whatsoever. Doesn't have to be through the Kobo app.

Quote:

Originally Posted by jayupark

Any DRM free epub works fine.

Where do I get such things?

tecweston · 04-03-2011, 01:54 PM

I called customer support and got an answer, I think. She said that Borders.com and Kobobooks.com are two separate and incompatible sites, and that you can only sync your books to one or the other.

But she also said you can download Adobe Digital Editions and have books from Kobo AND Borders on there and use that to sync the Kobo instead. So that's what I'mma do.

digiSara · 04-03-2011, 02:09 PM

The Wiki on this site has lists of book stores and specifically DRM free ones: https://wiki.mobileread.com/wiki/E-bo...rs_without_DRM

Don't expect to find any modern bestsellers without DRM though! But if you like Indie authors or Classics, you will do well. Also, check out your local library for ebooks - you can use ADE to upload them to your Kobo.

tecweston · 04-03-2011, 02:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by digiSara

The Wiki on this site has lists of book stores and specifically DRM free ones: https://wiki.mobileread.com/wiki/E-bo...rs_without_DRM

Thanks!

Quote:

Originally Posted by digiSara

Also, check out your local library for ebooks - you can use ADE to upload them to your Kobo.

Quote:

Originally Posted by tecweston

I even checked out an ebook from my local library and downloaded it onto the ebook using my fiancee's computer.

Way ahead of ya.

tecweston · 04-03-2011, 02:43 PM

Restored my Kobo to the factory settings and made sure to connect it back with my Borders.com account rather than the Kobobooks.com, since that's what I'll be using to buy new books.

The customer service lady said that Adobe Digital Editions can add ebooks from any bookstore except Amazon onto the Kobo. Does anyone know if that includes Barnes & Noble ebooks meant for Nook as well?

46jimbo · 04-03-2011, 04:02 PM

I don't believe the Nook ebooks will work on the Kobo. A slightly different format to keep you locked to Barnes & Noble. However, the Sony bookstore is compatible with the Kobo. (You'll need ADE for this.)

By the way, isn't the Borders.com store about to go down with the bankruptcy? Shouldn't you be looking to the Kobo store instead?

tecweston · 04-03-2011, 10:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 46jimbo

By the way, isn't the Borders.com store about to go down with the bankruptcy? Shouldn't you be looking to the Kobo store instead?

Borders filed Chapter 11 bankruptcy but that doesn't mean they're closing up shop permanently. Not all Borders stores are closing and I'd be very surprised if they shut down Borders.com. But if they do, I'll switch over to Kobobooks.com. I almost never re-read books so I'm not all that concerned. The only books I've ever read more than once are Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings, and I have those on paper.

tecweston · 04-03-2011, 10:24 PM

Regarding the free previews.

I now have my Kobo set up the way I had it before I plugged into my computer: I shop for books via the Borders iPod touch app, then hit "update library" on the Kobo and my new book downloads. But for some reason, free previews don't seem to move over to the Kobo. Can I only read them on the iPod touch app? I guess I'm fine with that since they're only a few pages but I'd like to load my Kobo up with a bunch of free previews and make my way through them, deciding on what book I'd like to purchase next.

04-03-2011, 10:42 AM	#1
tecweston Comic book artist Posts: 553 Karma: 1760679 Join Date: Apr 2011 Location: Detroit Device: Nook Glowlight, iPad, iPhone	New to Kobo and having problems Hi everyone, this is my first post as I am the owner of a new Kobo. I've been using my iPod touch to read ebooks the last few months, specifically the Kindle app because I think it's the easiest to use and most aesthetically pleasing, and I also love the way the account is set up, so that all your purchases are stored on the Amazon.com servers and you simply download any book you've already purchased and archive it when you're done. I also love the automatic syncing of bookmarks. But on Friday I was at my local Borders, which is closing, and saw a bunch of Kobos on sale for $50, so I picked one up thinking it would be the cheapest ereader I'd probably be able to find for quite some time. It recommends you connect it to your computer before doing anything, but I was at my fiancee's house for the weekend and decided to go ahead and set it up without using a computer. I connected it to my Borders.com account and everything worked well. I could open the Borders ebooks app on my iPod touch and purchase books, then update my library on my Kobo and everything downloaded right to it. I even checked out an ebook from my local library and downloaded it onto the ebook using my fiancee's computer. But today I got back home and hooked it up to my computer, and downloaded the Kobo desktop app. It deleted all my Borders books from my Kobo and I can't figure out how to get them back. I can still download ebooks to my iPod touch via the Borders iPod touch app, but they will not show up on my Kobo. Also, does anyone know of a DRM-free ebooks store that will work with Kobo? If I buy Kobo books now and then later switch to a Kindle, all my Kobo books will be useless, right? I'd prefer to buy in a format that works across all platforms. And finally, for the life of me I cannot figure out how to get free previews of books to download onto the Kobo. Does Kobobooks.com even offer free previews of books? Borders.com does, but of course all my Borders.com books were deleted automatically off my Kobo when I connected it to my computer. Thanks for any help you can give me. Last edited by tecweston; 04-03-2011 at 10:44 AM.

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04-03-2011, 12:17 PM	#2
jayupark Enthusiast Posts: 37 Karma: 41930 Join Date: May 2010 Location: Arlington, MA Device: Kindle 3G, Kobo wifi	You can just download the books again using the software, or by going to koboreader.com You can also download the new software there. Just click on the "free books" link. Any DRM free epub works fine. I use Calibre to "share" books between my wife's kobo and my kindle. DRM protected books won't convert though (and even if they do, they don't open on the "transfered to" device). Good luck. I'm sure you'll love the Kobo as an ereader... just don't expect it to be the swiss army knife of ereaders.

04-03-2011, 01:54 PM	#4
tecweston Comic book artist Posts: 553 Karma: 1760679 Join Date: Apr 2011 Location: Detroit Device: Nook Glowlight, iPad, iPhone	I called customer support and got an answer, I think. She said that Borders.com and Kobobooks.com are two separate and incompatible sites, and that you can only sync your books to one or the other. But she also said you can download Adobe Digital Editions and have books from Kobo AND Borders on there and use that to sync the Kobo instead. So that's what I'mma do.

04-03-2011, 02:09 PM	#5
digiSara Groupie Posts: 158 Karma: 153344 Join Date: Dec 2010 Device: Kobo wifi	The Wiki on this site has lists of book stores and specifically DRM free ones: https://wiki.mobileread.com/wiki/E-bo...rs_without_DRM Don't expect to find any modern bestsellers without DRM though! But if you like Indie authors or Classics, you will do well. Also, check out your local library for ebooks - you can use ADE to upload them to your Kobo.

04-03-2011, 02:43 PM	#7
tecweston Comic book artist Posts: 553 Karma: 1760679 Join Date: Apr 2011 Location: Detroit Device: Nook Glowlight, iPad, iPhone	Restored my Kobo to the factory settings and made sure to connect it back with my Borders.com account rather than the Kobobooks.com, since that's what I'll be using to buy new books. The customer service lady said that Adobe Digital Editions can add ebooks from any bookstore except Amazon onto the Kobo. Does anyone know if that includes Barnes & Noble ebooks meant for Nook as well?

04-03-2011, 04:02 PM	#8
46jimbo Zealot Posts: 130 Karma: 143194 Join Date: May 2010 Location: Toronto, CANADA Device: Kobo Touch + Kobo Aura	I don't believe the Nook ebooks will work on the Kobo. A slightly different format to keep you locked to Barnes & Noble. However, the Sony bookstore is compatible with the Kobo. (You'll need ADE for this.) By the way, isn't the Borders.com store about to go down with the bankruptcy? Shouldn't you be looking to the Kobo store instead?

04-03-2011, 10:24 PM	#10
tecweston Comic book artist Posts: 553 Karma: 1760679 Join Date: Apr 2011 Location: Detroit Device: Nook Glowlight, iPad, iPhone	Regarding the free previews. I now have my Kobo set up the way I had it before I plugged into my computer: I shop for books via the Borders iPod touch app, then hit "update library" on the Kobo and my new book downloads. But for some reason, free previews don't seem to move over to the Kobo. Can I only read them on the iPod touch app? I guess I'm fine with that since they're only a few pages but I'd like to load my Kobo up with a bunch of free previews and make my way through them, deciding on what book I'd like to purchase next.

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