Can I load Kindle books to a Sony T1?

TonyGamble · 08-18-2012, 08:00 AM

I want to buy an e ink reader as I have learnt the hard way that my Android tablet is useless in bright sunlight.

My reading so far suggests that the Sony T1 will be more flexible when it comes to sources of books than a Kindle - as long as I can collect Kindle books on the Sony.

In other words it seems that the Kindle is more locked into Kindle and will not accept ePub format or material from sources such as Gutenberg.

My Android has an app called Amazon Kindle. Is there something similar for the Sony?

I have given up looking for an e ink machine that is good for web browsing. Or have I not looked far enough yet?

Thanks in advance for the advice for this total newbie...

cfrizz · 08-18-2012, 03:05 PM

Welcome Tony.

You have pretty much summed up the situation. If you buy a Kindle you will pretty much be locked into Amazons ecosystem. If you get the Sony which uses epub you will have greater choices in where to get your books.

Now if you are willing to strip the drm from the Kindle books (see Apprentice Alf for this) you can utilize a program called Calibre to format change the Kindle book into an epub and then can load it onto the Sony.

I'm not interested in being locked into Amazon for my books, nor am I interested in Barnes & Noble for the same reason. You can't load Nook books onto a Sony either unless you strip the drm.

I regularly strip the drm from my books because I want to keep them & put them on any reader/tablet I might have. I refuse to trust any company/cloud etc. for the storage of my books.

That's why I download all of my books to my pc & sideload them onto my reader and make sure to back up my library to an SD card & a seperate hard disk backup drive.

soulfuldog · 08-18-2012, 05:38 PM

All e-readers are pretty much "locked-in" to a format (there are some that read both .epub and .mobi (BeBook Pure, Kobo Touch) but only DRM free mobi). Yes there are more choice of shops to buy epubs from, but on the other hand, the best single shop with the widest variety and competitive prices is Amazon and they don't sell anything other than mobi/azw format. Plus, there are some other shops that sell mobi formats and not just epubs, like booksonboard & smashwords for example. So it's subjective really, 'locked in', or 'locked out'?

Also, you can download just as many Kindle format books from Gutenberg as you can .epub books.

That said, as far as the PRS-T1 goes, it's possibly best suited for you, as if you check out the Sony forum here, I'm pretty sure you can root the T1 and run apps on it, so you'd possibly be able to read Kindle books using the android app.

However, the best option (if you are willing to do so), is to learn to strip the DRM from your ebooks. It's fairly quick and simple to strip the DRM and convert the books to your preferred format, and then you can simply buy the ereader of your choice.

TonyGamble · 08-19-2012, 02:17 AM

Thanks I_m,

But would I be able to 'buy' a Kindle book from Amazon on an unrooted PRS-T1 ?

Tony

Fluribus · 08-19-2012, 04:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TonyGamble

Thanks I_m,

But would I be able to 'buy' a Kindle book from Amazon on an unrooted PRS-T1 ?

Tony

Only if you buy a Kindle and write "PRS-T1" on it.

If your main concern is getting books directly from Amazon, then your best bet is to buy a Kindle. A Sony reader won't read Kindle books without either jiggering the book or the reader.

TonyGamble · 08-19-2012, 05:00 AM

Fluribus,

OK, then let me reverse the question. Can I download ePub books and PDFs to a Kindle?

Tony

EowynCarter · 08-19-2012, 07:07 AM

ePub no, pdf yes.

spindlegirl · 08-19-2012, 07:22 AM

I have both a Kindle and a T1. To put books onto one or the other you'd need to convert the files via calibre.

T1 takes epubs, and the Kindle takes mobi. I have my library converted to both so I can pick which books I want to read on which reader I choose.

If they are DRM locked, google apprentice alf and you'll disinfect the DRM first.

soulfuldog · 08-19-2012, 09:17 AM

There isn't any ereader that can read both epub and mobi books without either rooting the device or removing the DRM from the ebooks first. So I guess your options are:

1) Stick with your android device and put up with the battery life & screen glare.

2) Buy a PRS-T1, learn to root it and install a Kindle app.

3) Learn how to use Calibre & some plug-ins so you can easily convert between ebook formats & remove DRM easily, and therefore use whichever ereader you prefer.

I personally went with no.3 as it's quite easy to do and I like to use Calibre to manage my ebook library anyway. Plus, I want to be able to keep a back-up of my own library and be able to read it on whichever reader I own.

However, if you do that it is worth noting that the ease of buying and downloading ebooks wirelessly to an ereader is at times very handy, so with that in mind, it is worth thinking carefully about where you are most likely to buy your ebooks from before choosing which one to buy.

Fluribus · 08-19-2012, 09:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TonyGamble

Fluribus,

OK, then let me reverse the question. Can I download ePub books and PDFs to a Kindle?

Tony

As others have said, it is possible to convert books with Calibre. Books that don't have DRM (such as Project Gutenberg offerings) can be converted without the Apprentice Alf plug-ins.

PDF can be done, but it's really clunky to read. (My experience is with the Kindle Keyboard.) I recall reading that the Sony readers do a better job with PDF.

If accessing the Amazon store from the reader is important to you, then I would suggest buying the Kindle, converting the epub books, and reading the PDFs on a computer or a tablet.

TonyGamble · 08-21-2012, 05:17 AM

I've now found out that the T1 has a useable web browser that will, it seems, enable me to read/write emails using the web site of my email service and enable me to decide where to dine using Tripadvisor. Plus let me read books, of course!!

My understanding is that I can buy a Kindle book using my PC and then use Calibre to convert it to an e-pub that my T1 can read (again using the PC). I had not realised that my Kindle books that I bought for my Android are also filed on my PC. Where will they be, please?

Tony

Fluribus · 08-21-2012, 10:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TonyGamble

I had not realised that my Kindle books that I bought for my Android are also filed on my PC. Where will they be, please?

My recollection is that Kindle for PC creates a folder called My Kindle Content inside your document folder.

AnemicOak · 08-21-2012, 10:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TonyGamble

I had not realised that my Kindle books that I bought for my Android are also filed on my PC. Where will they be, please?

Once you have Kindle for PC installed and registered to your account any books you download (everything you bought is available in your archives) will be stored in My Kindle Content folder inside the Documents folder (as Fluribus mentioned).

Synamon · 08-21-2012, 10:34 AM

nevermind

TonyGamble · 08-22-2012, 09:36 AM

Thanks folk.

I went shopping and my T1 arrived today.

First priority is to fix it so it reads my emails on holiday. Then to load it with some books.

Tony

08-18-2012, 08:00 AM	#1
TonyGamble Groupie Posts: 159 Karma: 505924 Join Date: Aug 2012 Device: None	Can I load Kindle books to a Sony T1? I want to buy an e ink reader as I have learnt the hard way that my Android tablet is useless in bright sunlight. My reading so far suggests that the Sony T1 will be more flexible when it comes to sources of books than a Kindle - as long as I can collect Kindle books on the Sony. In other words it seems that the Kindle is more locked into Kindle and will not accept ePub format or material from sources such as Gutenberg. My Android has an app called Amazon Kindle. Is there something similar for the Sony? I have given up looking for an e ink machine that is good for web browsing. Or have I not looked far enough yet? Thanks in advance for the advice for this total newbie...

08-21-2012, 10:34 AM	#14
Synamon Lunatic Posts: 1,691 Karma: 4386372 Join Date: Dec 2011 Location: Land of the Loonie Device: Kindle Paperwhite and Keyboard, Kobo Aura, iPad mini, iPod Touch	nevermind Last edited by Synamon; 08-21-2012 at 10:37 AM. Reason: AnemicOak beat me to it :(

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08-18-2012, 03:05 PM	#2
cfrizz Wizard Posts: 1,531 Karma: 34583358 Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Quincy, MA Device: Samsung 54A, Kobo Libra H2O, Samsung S6 Lite	Welcome Tony. You have pretty much summed up the situation. If you buy a Kindle you will pretty much be locked into Amazons ecosystem. If you get the Sony which uses epub you will have greater choices in where to get your books. Now if you are willing to strip the drm from the Kindle books (see Apprentice Alf for this) you can utilize a program called Calibre to format change the Kindle book into an epub and then can load it onto the Sony. I'm not interested in being locked into Amazon for my books, nor am I interested in Barnes & Noble for the same reason. You can't load Nook books onto a Sony either unless you strip the drm. I regularly strip the drm from my books because I want to keep them & put them on any reader/tablet I might have. I refuse to trust any company/cloud etc. for the storage of my books. That's why I download all of my books to my pc & sideload them onto my reader and make sure to back up my library to an SD card & a seperate hard disk backup drive.

08-18-2012, 05:38 PM	#3
soulfuldog I ♥ Calibre Posts: 2,073 Karma: 5678911 Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: UK Device: Kindle Oasis, Voyage, Sony PRS-350, Hudl2	All e-readers are pretty much "locked-in" to a format (there are some that read both .epub and .mobi (BeBook Pure, Kobo Touch) but only DRM free mobi). Yes there are more choice of shops to buy epubs from, but on the other hand, the best single shop with the widest variety and competitive prices is Amazon and they don't sell anything other than mobi/azw format. Plus, there are some other shops that sell mobi formats and not just epubs, like booksonboard & smashwords for example. So it's subjective really, 'locked in', or 'locked out'? Also, you can download just as many Kindle format books from Gutenberg as you can .epub books. That said, as far as the PRS-T1 goes, it's possibly best suited for you, as if you check out the Sony forum here, I'm pretty sure you can root the T1 and run apps on it, so you'd possibly be able to read Kindle books using the android app. However, the best option (if you are willing to do so), is to learn to strip the DRM from your ebooks. It's fairly quick and simple to strip the DRM and convert the books to your preferred format, and then you can simply buy the ereader of your choice.

08-19-2012, 02:17 AM	#4
TonyGamble Groupie Posts: 159 Karma: 505924 Join Date: Aug 2012 Device: None	Thanks I_m, But would I be able to 'buy' a Kindle book from Amazon on an unrooted PRS-T1 ? Tony

08-19-2012, 05:00 AM	#6
TonyGamble Groupie Posts: 159 Karma: 505924 Join Date: Aug 2012 Device: None	Fluribus, OK, then let me reverse the question. Can I download ePub books and PDFs to a Kindle? Tony

08-19-2012, 07:07 AM	#7
EowynCarter Wizard Posts: 4,332 Karma: 4000000 Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Paris Device: Cybooks; Sony PRS-T1	ePub no, pdf yes.

08-19-2012, 07:22 AM	#8
spindlegirl Wizard Posts: 1,594 Karma: 21245891 Join Date: Apr 2011 Location: Canada Device: Kobo Libra h20, Paperwhite 2017, Phone & Tablet w Moonreader	I have both a Kindle and a T1. To put books onto one or the other you'd need to convert the files via calibre. T1 takes epubs, and the Kindle takes mobi. I have my library converted to both so I can pick which books I want to read on which reader I choose. If they are DRM locked, google apprentice alf and you'll disinfect the DRM first.

08-19-2012, 09:17 AM	#9
soulfuldog I ♥ Calibre Posts: 2,073 Karma: 5678911 Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: UK Device: Kindle Oasis, Voyage, Sony PRS-350, Hudl2	There isn't any ereader that can read both epub and mobi books without either rooting the device or removing the DRM from the ebooks first. So I guess your options are: 1) Stick with your android device and put up with the battery life & screen glare. 2) Buy a PRS-T1, learn to root it and install a Kindle app. 3) Learn how to use Calibre & some plug-ins so you can easily convert between ebook formats & remove DRM easily, and therefore use whichever ereader you prefer. I personally went with no.3 as it's quite easy to do and I like to use Calibre to manage my ebook library anyway. Plus, I want to be able to keep a back-up of my own library and be able to read it on whichever reader I own. However, if you do that it is worth noting that the ease of buying and downloading ebooks wirelessly to an ereader is at times very handy, so with that in mind, it is worth thinking carefully about where you are most likely to buy your ebooks from before choosing which one to buy.

08-21-2012, 05:17 AM	#11
TonyGamble Groupie Posts: 159 Karma: 505924 Join Date: Aug 2012 Device: None	I've now found out that the T1 has a useable web browser that will, it seems, enable me to read/write emails using the web site of my email service and enable me to decide where to dine using Tripadvisor. Plus let me read books, of course!! My understanding is that I can buy a Kindle book using my PC and then use Calibre to convert it to an e-pub that my T1 can read (again using the PC). I had not realised that my Kindle books that I bought for my Android are also filed on my PC. Where will they be, please? Tony

08-22-2012, 09:36 AM	#15
TonyGamble Groupie Posts: 159 Karma: 505924 Join Date: Aug 2012 Device: None	Thanks folk. I went shopping and my T1 arrived today. First priority is to fix it so it reads my emails on holiday. Then to load it with some books. Tony