eReader as a gift

anamardoll · 11-16-2011, 08:52 PM

I could use some advice.

I want to buy an eReader for my niece, and include with it a year's subscription to the Free Library of Philadelphia. My niece isn't really tech-savvy, and I don't want to force her through the Adobe rigmarole of downloading the book, plugging in eReader, authorizing eReader, sending book over.

I think those of you with Kindles have said that the library integration is truly seamless - you just send the book to your Kindle via the library interface, and then Kindle deletes the book when you're done. Is this right?

I guess I'm asking about Kindle Touch -- is it easy to use out of the box for someone who isn't tech savvy? And particularly with library books?

Also, how does one "gift" a Kindle? I'd order it from Amazon, but I don't want it associated with MY account. What will she need to do to set it up? Maybe I should walk her through this during Christmas.

CRussel · 11-16-2011, 10:31 PM

Others will have to answer about the Library issue, but all you have to do for gifting it is when you buy it, check the "This will be a gift" box just below the Add To Cart buttons. Then it will not be automatically added to your account. If it does somehow get added to your account, all you do is deauthorize it and it is then available to be added to another person's account.

ATDrake · 11-16-2011, 10:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by anamardoll

Also, how does one "gift" a Kindle? I'd order it from Amazon, but I don't want it associated with MY account. What will she need to do to set it up?

You can order a Kindle with the "this is a gift" option (little clicky box at the end when you scroll past the extra stuff under the Add to Cart button) which should make sure it doesn't auto-link to your Amazon account.

Your niece will need her own Amazon account, of course, and I think that once the Kindle ships, you'll probably get a confirmation receipt with the serial number which she can enter to register the Kindle to her own account. If not, then all she really has to do is enter her account details on the Kindle itself while connected via the Wi-Fi and the Amazon servers will do the rest.

In the meantime, she can register Kindle for PC/Mac from her own computer to pick up any freebies/deals she might want to read and transfer them over later once she's got the Kindle itself.

If you think she might have further difficulties loading non-Amazon books, once she's got it set up, you can also e-mail DRM-free books to her at the Kindle's @kindle.com address which are then supposed to auto-load when next she turns on the Wi-Fi.

Hope this helps.

anamardoll · 11-17-2011, 01:34 PM

Thank you, all! As it turns out, I decided to ask her in advance (which would spoil the surprise, but I thought she should have a choice in the matter). Turns out she already has one and I missed that little bulletin. Haha. But she likes it, so there's that.

I'm setting her up with a subscription to the FLP. Thank ya'll.

susan_cassidy · 11-17-2011, 03:11 PM

By the way, you can't email books to her Kindle unless your email is authorized on her "Manage Your Kindle" page (to prevent spam stuff showing up as documents).

anamardoll · 11-17-2011, 05:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by susan_cassidy

By the way, you can't email books to her Kindle unless your email is authorized on her "Manage Your Kindle" page (to prevent spam stuff showing up as documents).

Good to know, thank you!

tubemonkey · 11-17-2011, 10:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by anamardoll

I want to buy an eReader for my niece, and include with it a year's subscription to the Free Library of Philadelphia. My niece isn't really tech-savvy, and I don't want to force her through the Adobe rigmarole of downloading the book, plugging in eReader, authorizing eReader, sending book over.

I think those of you with Kindles have said that the library integration is truly seamless - you just send the book to your Kindle via the library interface, and then Kindle deletes the book when you're done. Is this right?

It's really easy and bypasses Adobe completely:

login to your Amazon account
login to your library's digital page
select a book
from Kindle Book, click Add to Cart
from My Cart, click Proceed to Checkout
from Check Out, select lending period, click Confirm Check Out
from Download, click Get for Kindle
that opens an Amazon page called: Get Your Public Library Loan
select deliver to option, click Get library book

That's it. No Adobe, no wires, no sideloading. The book has been sent to your Kindle and will download the next time it connects to wifi.

dwig · 11-18-2011, 09:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ATDrake

...

In the meantime, she can register Kindle for PC/Mac from her own computer to pick up any freebies/deals she might want to read and transfer them over later once she's got the Kindle itself...

Yes, she can set up an account now and use Kindle for PC/Mac, but in most cases, due to DRM, you can't "transfer them over later" to a Kindle device. The books downloaded for Kindle for PC/Mac will be DRM locked to that particular software installation.

Instead you must register the new device to the same Kindle account and then download the books again, either directly from the device or via a web browser specifically for the new device. Most Amazon DRM locked books allow them to be loaded onto several (commonly 4-6) installations though a few allow only a single installation. Only when the ebooks lack DRM (a few books from Amazon and any from other sites) can you simply copy them from one Kindle, device or software installation, to another.

ATDrake · 11-18-2011, 09:56 AM

I did mean register Kindle for PC/Mac ... pick up any freebies/deals she might want ... transfer them over later in a more general "acquire the desired titles now while the price is still good and put them on the gifted device by whatever means, be it Transfer via Computer from the Manage Your Kindle page or directly from within the Kindle's Archives at leisure in the future" sort of sense rather than specifically stating it's a drag and drop process directly from the K4PC/Mac folder, which it isn't unless you've been using "the tools".

But yeah, for those who are non tech-savvy or unfamiliar with how Amazon'd DRM changes the way things work, it's probably worth spelling out more explicitly.

JSWolf · 11-18-2011, 09:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by anamardoll

Thank you, all! As it turns out, I decided to ask her in advance (which would spoil the surprise, but I thought she should have a choice in the matter). Turns out she already has one and I missed that little bulletin. Haha. But she likes it, so there's that.

I'm setting her up with a subscription to the FLP. Thank ya'll.

There goes the wait times going up, up, up.

JSWolf · 11-18-2011, 10:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PhillipA82

I am thinking about buying a Kindle for my mother's birthday. Hmm, it should be great

My Mom and my mother-in-law both have Sony Readers and get along really well with them so I think your mom would get along well with a Kindle.

11-16-2011, 08:52 PM	#1
anamardoll Chasing Butterflies Posts: 3,132 Karma: 5074169 Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: American Southwest Device: Uses batteries.	eReader as a gift I could use some advice. I want to buy an eReader for my niece, and include with it a year's subscription to the Free Library of Philadelphia. My niece isn't really tech-savvy, and I don't want to force her through the Adobe rigmarole of downloading the book, plugging in eReader, authorizing eReader, sending book over. I think those of you with Kindles have said that the library integration is truly seamless - you just send the book to your Kindle via the library interface, and then Kindle deletes the book when you're done. Is this right? I guess I'm asking about Kindle Touch -- is it easy to use out of the box for someone who isn't tech savvy? And particularly with library books? Also, how does one "gift" a Kindle? I'd order it from Amazon, but I don't want it associated with MY account. What will she need to do to set it up? Maybe I should walk her through this during Christmas.

11-16-2011, 10:31 PM	#2
CRussel (he/him/his) Posts: 12,156 Karma: 79742714 Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Sunshine Coast, BC Device: Oasis (Gen3),Paperwhite (Gen10), Voyage, Paperwhite(orig), Fire HD 8	Others will have to answer about the Library issue, but all you have to do for gifting it is when you buy it, check the "This will be a gift" box just below the Add To Cart buttons. Then it will not be automatically added to your account. If it does somehow get added to your account, all you do is deauthorize it and it is then available to be added to another person's account. Attached Thumbnails

11-18-2011, 09:56 AM	#9
ATDrake Wizzard Posts: 11,517 Karma: 33048258 Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Roundworld Device: Kindle 2 International, Sony PRS-T1, BlackBerry PlayBook, Acer Iconia	I did mean register Kindle for PC/Mac ... pick up any freebies/deals she might want ... transfer them over later in a more general "acquire the desired titles now while the price is still good and put them on the gifted device by whatever means, be it Transfer via Computer from the Manage Your Kindle page or directly from within the Kindle's Archives at leisure in the future" sort of sense rather than specifically stating it's a drag and drop process directly from the K4PC/Mac folder, which it isn't unless you've been using "the tools". But yeah, for those who are non tech-savvy or unfamiliar with how Amazon'd DRM changes the way things work, it's probably worth spelling out more explicitly. Last edited by ATDrake; 11-18-2011 at 10:04 AM. Reason: Change quoting style to differentiate actual previous statement.

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11-17-2011, 01:34 PM	#4
anamardoll Chasing Butterflies Posts: 3,132 Karma: 5074169 Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: American Southwest Device: Uses batteries.	Thank you, all! As it turns out, I decided to ask her in advance (which would spoil the surprise, but I thought she should have a choice in the matter). Turns out she already has one and I missed that little bulletin. Haha. But she likes it, so there's that. I'm setting her up with a subscription to the FLP. Thank ya'll.

11-17-2011, 03:11 PM	#5
susan_cassidy Wizard Posts: 2,251 Karma: 3720310 Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: USA Device: Kindle, iPad (not used much for reading)	By the way, you can't email books to her Kindle unless your email is authorized on her "Manage Your Kindle" page (to prevent spam stuff showing up as documents).