MobileRead Forums
Register Guidelines E-Books Today's Posts Search

Go Back   MobileRead Forums > E-Book Readers > Kobo Reader
Reload this Page Manage Kobo reader without laptop???

Notices

Reply
Page 1 of 2 1 2
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread
Old 09-11-2020, 02:23 AM   #1
dancomor
Junior Member
dancomor began at the beginning.
 
dancomor's Avatar
 
Posts: 1
Karma: 10
Join Date: Mar 2015
Device: KOBO Aura H2O
Exclamation Manage Kobo reader without laptop???
Hi, guys.
My iMac broke and l’m thinking on buying an iPad.
But, what about my Kobo?
Can I update the firmware?
Can I manage the books?
Can I manage it computer-less?
I guess the answer is not, but I need your assistance.
Thanks in advance.
dancomor is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-11-2020, 03:21 AM   #2
MGlitch
Wizard
MGlitch ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.MGlitch ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.MGlitch ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.MGlitch ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.MGlitch ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.MGlitch ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.MGlitch ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.MGlitch ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.MGlitch ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.MGlitch ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.MGlitch ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
Posts: 2,855
Karma: 22003124
Join Date: Aug 2014
Device: Kobo Forma, Kobo Sage, Kobo Libra 2
You’d have to manage it all on your kobo since there’s no Calibre for iOS nor anything like it AFAIK.

You might be able to set up FTP or similar access from your iPad to your kobo and thus could manually update the firmware otherwise you’d just have to wait for it to update. Likewise if you patch your kobo you’d need FTP or similar and someone to generate the patch for you since I’m pretty sure the process literally can’t be done on iOS.

Really it depends on how much you manage it from your Mac and how much you’re willing to give up.
MGlitch is offline   Reply With Quote
Advert
Old 09-11-2020, 04:23 AM   #3
davidfor
Grand Sorcerer
davidfor ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.davidfor ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.davidfor ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.davidfor ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.davidfor ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.davidfor ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.davidfor ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.davidfor ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.davidfor ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.davidfor ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.davidfor ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
Posts: 24,905
Karma: 47303824
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: Sydney, Australia
Device: Kobo:Touch,Glo, AuraH2O, GloHD,AuraONE, ClaraHD, Libra H2O; tolinoepos
The real question is, where are your books?

If you buy books from Kobo, you just download them over WiFi and read. And the firmware will update over WiFi as well. There is an iOS Kobo app. You will be able to see the books there and do some management. Some other management functions an be done on the Kobo web site.

For books from other sources, you need some way to get them onto the device. You can do that through the browser. And @MGlitch mentioned FTP. The iPad might be able to mount the device as using an OTG connection. People have discussed this, but, I'm not sure if anyone has reported success.

There are other solutions that require changes to the device. And that might be a problem. The patches and some of the addons need to be reinstalled or reenabled after a firmware updated. You could some of that via telnet from the iPad, but, creating the patches would be a problem.
davidfor is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-11-2020, 06:09 AM   #4
JSWolf
Resident Curmudgeon
JSWolf ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.JSWolf ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.JSWolf ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.JSWolf ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.JSWolf ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.JSWolf ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.JSWolf ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.JSWolf ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.JSWolf ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.JSWolf ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.JSWolf ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
JSWolf's Avatar
 
Posts: 79,758
Karma: 145864619
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: Roslindale, Massachusetts
Device: Kobo Libra 2, Kobo Aura H2O, PRS-650, PRS-T1, nook STR, PW3
Quote:
Originally Posted by dancomor View Post
Hi, guys.
My iMac broke and l’m thinking on buying an iPad.
But, what about my Kobo?
Can I update the firmware?
Can I manage the books?
Can I manage it computer-less?
I guess the answer is not, but I need your assistance.
Thanks in advance.
Do not listen to Apple. An iPad can never ever replace a laptop. There are way too many thing you cannot do.

That said, you really do need a laptop to properly manage your eBooks and firmware (if you patch or use add-ons). You cannot manage collections nearly as easily. You cannot remove DRM. You cannot patch the firmware. You cannot manage series with side loaded eBooks. If you buy Kindle eBooks, you cannot read any of those on your Kobo because you cannot remove any DRM. There's more. You just cannot do it with an iPad. So when Apple says an iPad is a laptop replacement, they lie.
JSWolf is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-11-2020, 02:33 PM   #5
geek1011
Wizard
geek1011 ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.geek1011 ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.geek1011 ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.geek1011 ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.geek1011 ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.geek1011 ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.geek1011 ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.geek1011 ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.geek1011 ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.geek1011 ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.geek1011 ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
Posts: 2,804
Karma: 7025947
Join Date: May 2016
Location: Ontario, Canada
Device: Kobo Mini, Aura Edition 2 v1, Clara HD
Quote:
Originally Posted by davidfor View Post
creating the patches would be a problem.
The kobopatch ARM binaries should work directly on the device (it'll be slow though).
geek1011 is offline   Reply With Quote
Advert
Old 09-11-2020, 08:28 PM   #6
Crowriver
Groupie
Crowriver ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Crowriver ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Crowriver ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Crowriver ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Crowriver ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Crowriver ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Crowriver ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Crowriver ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Crowriver ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Crowriver ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Crowriver ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
Posts: 151
Karma: 5800762
Join Date: Jul 2020
Device: Too many!
Quote:
Originally Posted by JSWolf View Post
Do not listen to Apple. An iPad can never ever replace a laptop. There are way too many thing you cannot do.

That said, you really do need a laptop to properly manage your eBooks and firmware (if you patch or use add-ons). You cannot manage collections nearly as easily. You cannot remove DRM. You cannot patch the firmware. You cannot manage series with side loaded eBooks. If you buy Kindle eBooks, you cannot read any of those on your Kobo because you cannot remove any DRM. There's more. You just cannot do it with an iPad. So when Apple says an iPad is a laptop replacement, they lie.
A Mac Mini would do the job too. Or indeed an iMac.
Crowriver is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-14-2020, 10:45 AM   #7
4691mls
Wizard
4691mls ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.4691mls ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.4691mls ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.4691mls ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.4691mls ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.4691mls ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.4691mls ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.4691mls ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.4691mls ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.4691mls ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.4691mls ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
Posts: 2,776
Karma: 30081762
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: US
Device: ALL DEVICES ARE STOCK: Kobo Clara, Tolino Shine 2, Sony PRS-T3, T1
Quote:
Originally Posted by davidfor View Post
The real question is, where are your books?

If you buy books from Kobo, you just download them over WiFi and read. And the firmware will update over WiFi as well. There is an iOS Kobo app. You will be able to see the books there and do some management. Some other management functions an be done on the Kobo web site.

For books from other sources, you need some way to get them onto the device. You can do that through the browser. And @MGlitch mentioned FTP. The iPad might be able to mount the device as using an OTG connection. People have discussed this, but, I'm not sure if anyone has reported success.

There are other solutions that require changes to the device. And that might be a problem. The patches and some of the addons need to be reinstalled or reenabled after a firmware updated. You could some of that via telnet from the iPad, but, creating the patches would be a problem.
I didn't know it was possible to get books from non-Kobo sources via the browser. I'll keep this in mind in case I want to try this someday.
4691mls is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-14-2020, 01:14 PM   #8
Gone
Out of order
Gone ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Gone ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Gone ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Gone ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Gone ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Gone ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Gone ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Gone ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Gone ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Gone ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Gone ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
Posts: 601
Karma: 1652684
Join Date: Feb 2014
Device: Libra Colour
Quote:
Originally Posted by dancomor View Post
Hi, guys.
My iMac broke and l’m thinking on buying an iPad.
But, what about my Kobo?
Can I update the firmware?
Can I manage the books?
Can I manage it computer-less?
I guess the answer is not, but I need your assistance.
Thanks in advance.
Buy an iPad, if you want, but for ebooks related stuff, you could get alongside a used cheap windows pc.
Gone is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-14-2020, 02:19 PM   #9
MGlitch
Wizard
MGlitch ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.MGlitch ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.MGlitch ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.MGlitch ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.MGlitch ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.MGlitch ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.MGlitch ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.MGlitch ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.MGlitch ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.MGlitch ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.MGlitch ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
Posts: 2,855
Karma: 22003124
Join Date: Aug 2014
Device: Kobo Forma, Kobo Sage, Kobo Libra 2
Quote:
Originally Posted by Claude_C View Post
Buy an iPad, if you want, but for ebooks related stuff, you could get alongside a used cheap windows pc.
Even a cheap used surface pro running Windows 10 would work.

The issue with the iPad isn’t the hardware, it’s more than powerful enough to do all the management tasks. It’s the software and what it’s designed to allow.
MGlitch is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-14-2020, 03:35 PM   #10
JSWolf
Resident Curmudgeon
JSWolf ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.JSWolf ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.JSWolf ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.JSWolf ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.JSWolf ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.JSWolf ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.JSWolf ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.JSWolf ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.JSWolf ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.JSWolf ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.JSWolf ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
JSWolf's Avatar
 
Posts: 79,758
Karma: 145864619
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: Roslindale, Massachusetts
Device: Kobo Libra 2, Kobo Aura H2O, PRS-650, PRS-T1, nook STR, PW3
Quote:
Originally Posted by Crowriver View Post
A Mac Mini would do the job too. Or indeed an iMac.
Even better is a Microsoft Surface which is a full Windows computer in tablet clothing.
JSWolf is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-14-2020, 03:36 PM   #11
JSWolf
Resident Curmudgeon
JSWolf ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.JSWolf ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.JSWolf ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.JSWolf ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.JSWolf ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.JSWolf ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.JSWolf ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.JSWolf ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.JSWolf ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.JSWolf ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.JSWolf ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
JSWolf's Avatar
 
Posts: 79,758
Karma: 145864619
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: Roslindale, Massachusetts
Device: Kobo Libra 2, Kobo Aura H2O, PRS-650, PRS-T1, nook STR, PW3
Quote:
Originally Posted by Claude_C View Post
Buy an iPad, if you want, but for ebooks related stuff, you could get alongside a used cheap windows pc.
You don't want too cheap. You want 64-bit Windows 10 with at least 8gig of ram and a new enough video card.
JSWolf is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-14-2020, 07:31 PM   #12
Crowriver
Groupie
Crowriver ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Crowriver ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Crowriver ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Crowriver ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Crowriver ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Crowriver ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Crowriver ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Crowriver ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Crowriver ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Crowriver ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Crowriver ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
Posts: 151
Karma: 5800762
Join Date: Jul 2020
Device: Too many!
The OP is a Mac user. I'd advise sticking with the platform you know and trust.

I have a Windows laptop but I just don't like it. Useful very occasionally for running a bit of software that's not available on the Mac. And er, that's it. That whole Windows thing of fiddling around with drivers, settings, etc. I understand why that can be useful for customising the machine or solving a problem, but it gets on my nerves most of the time.
Crowriver is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-14-2020, 07:47 PM   #13
Uncle Robin
Diligent dilettante
Uncle Robin ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Uncle Robin ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Uncle Robin ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Uncle Robin ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Uncle Robin ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Uncle Robin ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Uncle Robin ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Uncle Robin ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Uncle Robin ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Uncle Robin ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Uncle Robin ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
Uncle Robin's Avatar
 
Posts: 3,661
Karma: 52758936
Join Date: Sep 2019
Location: in my mind
Device: Kobo Sage; Kobo Libra Colour
Quote:
Originally Posted by Crowriver View Post
That whole Windows thing of fiddling around with drivers, settings, etc. I understand why that can be useful for customising the machine or solving a problem, but it gets on my nerves most of the time.
In the last 10 years, I've had two Windows laptops, one running Windows 7, the other first on Windows 7, then on Win 10 Pro. Two is also the number of times I've had to "fiddle around with drivers, settings etc". If the OP has a large ebook library, then it definitely does sound like a cheap Windows laptop might be a viable option, and one much simpler than many Apple users assume it to be.
Uncle Robin is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-14-2020, 08:22 PM   #14
Crowriver
Groupie
Crowriver ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Crowriver ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Crowriver ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Crowriver ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Crowriver ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Crowriver ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Crowriver ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Crowriver ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Crowriver ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Crowriver ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Crowriver ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
Posts: 151
Karma: 5800762
Join Date: Jul 2020
Device: Too many!
As they say, YMMV.
Crowriver is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-15-2020, 01:45 AM   #15
Nightflyer
Connoisseur
Nightflyer ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Nightflyer ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Nightflyer ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Nightflyer ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Nightflyer ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Nightflyer ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Nightflyer ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Nightflyer ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Nightflyer ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Nightflyer ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Nightflyer ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
Posts: 81
Karma: 2122502
Join Date: May 2020
Location: Asia (from USA)
Device: Meebook M6, Kobo Clara HD
I manage my Kobo Clara HD laptop-less and computer-less and have never connected to a computer since purchase.

Buying books from Kobo, official firmware updates as scheduled, sync, etc. all ok via WiFi. I’m a Mac and iPad user trying to be a minimalist with my ereader.

I use FTP wireless from phone if need to add other non-DRM books like from Gutenberg. Can also use email. Or cable.

I like not relying on computer access to use ereader especially if out and about. And phone is always nearby if needed.

For eBook-library, I keep a copy of non-Kobo books in a folder somewhere like Dropbox.

Love the ease and breeze, just read and enjoy.
Last edited by Nightflyer; 09-15-2020 at 11:14 PM.
Nightflyer is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply
Page 1 of 2 1 2

« Previous Thread | Next Thread »

Forum Jump

Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Can Calibre manage more than one e-reader? SonDan1 Library Management 5 04-08-2018 02:43 PM
how to manage hundreds of ebooks at Kobo reader? bighead Kobo Reader 7 09-13-2015 12:48 PM
PRS-650 Laptop does not 'see' e-reader PAULINE BIRCHNAL Sony Reader 6 04-03-2012 07:19 AM
Over trying to manage Kobo reader with Kobo desktop. Some help with Calibre? digital_steve Calibre 14 09-18-2010 01:12 AM
Over trying to manage Kobo reader with Kobo desktop. Some help with Calibre? digital_steve Kobo Reader 11 08-02-2010 10:31 PM


All times are GMT -4. The time now is 06:06 PM.

Contact Us - FAQ - Guidelines - Privacy - Top

MobileRead.com is a privately owned, operated and funded community.