New here and need advice on a new device

[jacmac]

i am an avid reader, probably read through 2 or 3 books a week, and that had gotten very pricey in the past.

was told about a forum online where free ebooks reign. and so i bought a sony ereader (PRS 300) at the time it was the cheapest and most versatile. and i wanted to see if i'd use it. (i do!)

well i've found lately that PDF files don't load correctly (the first few chapters are fine, but then it goes blank) and i think i need to purchase a new reader.

i have a LOT of books, mostly PDF files... and i'd like a reader to retain what i already have.

is it possible to get my current library onto the Kindle??? their price looks to be decent (less than the current sony out there) but i want to keep my books!

any feedback??

[lestatar]

Heya, new here myself and definitely no pro when it comes to actual ereader devices. My first, a Kindle3 is a week old, though I been an avid reader my whole life and an ereader for many, many years.

If you have all the PDFs on your computer, sure thing, no problem to get them onto a Kindle. Kindle natively supports PDF, but with some limitations IMO. You cannot change font size for instance.

But this is a minor issue - get the incredible calbre application. Pretty much all you will need to:
- get books onto your Kindle;
- convert books from nearly any format to any other;
- manage your [inevitably] huge ebook library;
- and about a gazillion other cool things.

I am still trying to determine the best process for me, but right now, I am taking advantage of Amazon's free email conversion service. I send PDFs to Amazon, they convert to Amazon AZW/MOBI format and send it back to me instantly. I am sure I could use calibre to convert my PDFs to MOBI for use on my Kindle, but I have not messed with that yet.

cheers and hope this basic info is of some use [and is correct!]. Am sure other peeps will chime in to assist - MR is filled with very nice folks.
-les

[GeoffC]

Welcome to Mobileread ….

Calibre is a useful tool, though PDFs are not the greatest source for conversion .... Calibre Forum ...

[neilmarr]

Good to have your company, Jacmac. Calibre library software (http://www.calibre-ebook.com) will see you through and convert from PDF to the format of choice (in your case, probably ePub) IF a book isn't locked by DRM software. And excellent Sony hardware and superb Calibre software is a perfect partnership. There are dedicated sub forums here if you want fuller advice for Sony or Calibre. Luck and best wishes. Neil

[jacmac]

Thanks so much for the responses. i hadn't heard of Calibre, so I'm converting some of my more stubborn PDFs right now to see if i can keep this PRS-300 going for a little while longer!

[MickeyC]

Hi jacmac and welcome to MobileRead