Issue with syncing to last pg read (Kindle)

[gweminence]

Ah, I was referring to the Amazon Kindle app, not ACL. In the same post that I told the OP that ACL was an option, I told him he could do the same thing with the browser.

To be clear: ACL does NOTHING for the page sync feature, other than that it's ONE method of getting the book to your phone without destorying the page info, like emailing it seems to.

[Statch]

The embarrassing truth (for me) is that I haven't been able to figure out how to access the Calibre server using my Android browser. I was able to do it from my Kindle by entering 192.168.1.5:8080 (with the IP address of course being the IP of my computer that's running Calibre). It works wonderfully, and I can now download any book I have in Calibre to my Kindle without having to sideload via USB -- and, most importantly, it preserves the 'last page read' feature (which emailing didn't do). I tried doing the same thing with my Android browser, and it told me that it was an invalid URL.

Can someone explain how to do it on Android without using the app? And I'm fine with having there be an app for things people may not want to learn to do themselves, but I do certainly appreciate the other posters pointing out that there's a free way to do it too.

[Starson17]

Originally Posted by gweminence

The whole point of his thread is the last-page sync feature...which ONLY kindle for android has.

I'm not starting a 'which device or app is better' war, here. Just stating a fact. The OP wants that VERY useful feature, and THIS app is the only one that has it, because Amazon is currently the only entity supplying server, storage, and processing time to make it possible. Granted, they didn't intend for books other than their own to have the capability, but intrepid Calibre authors took matters in their own hands.

I, for one, am insanely thankful that they did.

Edit:

Well, the Kindle for xxxxx App. They all have it.

I'm confused. I'd like to be not confused. I don't have a Kindle, but I thought page syncing with a Kindle required you to send through the Kindle system. I'm not trying to steer anyone to or away from the Kindle for Android app

My comment was about using the Calibre Library app for Android, which has nothing to do with the Kindle, and which has nothing to do with page syncing, as far as I know. I was responding to the post that said they bought the Calibre Library app (that app is not associated with Calibre) to transfer ebooks from the Calibre library to an Android phone. The free readers will do that job for free. You don't have to use those readers to read anything - you can use them just to do the transfers if you wish.

If the OP was using the Calibre Library app, I assumed the OP wasn't using the Kindle system and didn't get page syncing. Am I wrong? Did I miss something?

[Starson17]

Originally Posted by Statch

You're right, of course, but I'm using the Kindle app for Android, which I think doesn't do that. (If I'm wrong, though, I'd love to know.) I'm using the Kindle software because of the last page sync feature.

Ah! I was referring to this: "It's called, interestingly enough, Calibre Library. However, it has no affiliation with the main Calibre software, or Kovid. The author makes this clear in the app itself. "

Not the Kindle app.

[Starson17]

Originally Posted by Statch

The embarrassing truth (for me) is that I haven't been able to figure out how to access the Calibre server using my Android browser. I was able to do it from my Kindle by entering 192.168.1.5:8080 (with the IP address of course being the IP of my computer that's running Calibre). It works wonderfully, and I can now download any book I have in Calibre to my Kindle without having to sideload via USB -- and, most importantly, it preserves the 'last page read' feature (which emailing didn't do). I tried doing the same thing with my Android browser, and it told me that it was an invalid URL.

Can someone explain how to do it on Android without using the app? And I'm fine with having there be an app for things people may not want to learn to do themselves, but I do certainly appreciate the other posters pointing out that there's a free way to do it too.

Try removing the password from the Calibre library. If the Android Browser works then, it's the authentication digest issue with Android. If it still doesn't work, it's something else.

I'm also "fine with having there be an app for things people may not want to learn to do themselves," but this is the strangest app I've ever run across. Setting up the Calibre Content Server is the hard part, while doing the part that the Android Calibre Library app does is (by far) the easiest part. I can't imagine that anyone could learn how to set up the Calibre content server and still have any trouble using it ????

Again, perhaps I'm missing something. I'm not trying to run down any app, or get anyone to use or not use it. I'm just wondering how it fits into anyone's needs? Once the content server is set up, it's trivial to use. I can certainly see that people may have trouble setting it up, but AFAIK, the app doesn't help with that part. Perhaps it helps with the digest authentication issue that Android has with Calibre?

[gweminence]

Originally Posted by Starson17

I'm confused. I'd like to be not confused. I don't have a Kindle, but I thought page syncing with a Kindle required you to send through the Kindle system.

The sync feature is handled by Amazon's servers, but calibre makes it possible to utilize the sync feature on ANY .mobi file, regardless of origin, (retailer OR conversion). It's all done completely in the background. However, for it to work, one MUST be using the Kindle for xxxxxx app (iOS, android, blackberry, etc), and/or kindle hardware -- though the hardware is not required. It's all done in the background, seamlessly.

The free readers will do that job for free. You don't have to use those readers to read anything - you can use them just to do the transfers if you wish.

This is, yes, another method of doing it. However, within the context of this thread -- ie, page syncing -- you couldn't use those free apps to read the book and get the sync feature. You could, of course, use them to get the book, and read it, so long as you didn't look to be at the same place in the same book on another piece of hardware. So for this OP, it seems to me that since he HAS to use Kindle for Android (and WANTS to), for the syncing, it'd be redundant to use one of those apps.

Like you, I'm not trying to steer anyone one way or another. To me, the sync feature is well worth limiting myself to Kindle for xxxxx. To others, it might not be. To me, the 3 bucks for ACL to easily transfer my books was worth it. To others, it probably isn't.

If the OP was using the Calibre Library app, I assumed the OP wasn't using the Kindle system and didn't get page syncing. Am I wrong? Did I miss something?

I believe he was not using the ACL app at first, but WAS using Kindle for android. However, since he was attempting to get the sync features on .mobi files that he had not either acquired from amazon, or converted in calibre, the feature was not enabled. Now he knows what to do, and he knows all his options for the various ways of doing it.

[gweminence]

I can certainly see that people may have trouble setting it up, but AFAIK, the app doesn't help with that part. Perhaps it helps with the digest authentication issue that Android has with Calibre?

I don't really know the nuts and bolts of how it works. I just know that it's fire-and-forget. You set it up once, and then can forever just open it up and access your books. I haven't tried a mobile browser or any other ereader app to compare, so I can't speak to them, other than to say that, for the mobile browser anyway, don't you have to enter the url and password every time? If so, that right there makes it much more cumbersome than ACL.

I could be wrong about that, so don't rake me over the coals, lol. Like I said, I haven't done it, but it seems that that's what you'd have to do?

[Statch]

Gweminence, I don't want to quote your entire post, but you explained it perfectly.

[Starson17]

Originally Posted by gweminence

I don't really know the nuts and bolts of how it works. I just know that it's fire-and-forget. You set it up once, and then can forever just open it up and access your books.

You're managing to confuse me more than explain. Are you talking about Calibre's content server or Kindle? I was talking about Calibre's content server, and I don't see how any app that remotely accesses Calibre's content server can be called "fire and forget". Don't you have to turn on the calibre server and configure your router to get to it remotely? If you manage that (which is far from fire and forget) then the step of actually going to the server is trivial. It's one click.

I haven't tried a mobile browser or any other ereader app to compare, so I can't speak to them, other than to say that, for the mobile browser anyway, don't you have to enter the url and password every time?

No, the URL and the password are easily stored in a bookmark. Or you can let any one of the free ereader apps store the URL and the password. I just click on my library link in any of my browsers, or in any of several ebook readers and they grab my books (and put them into the ereader index).

If so, that right there makes it much more cumbersome than ACL.

Since that's not needed, what else is there that the app offers? Is there any advantage to ACL that the multiple free browsers and multiple free ereaders don't give users? (BTW, I thought you were talking about Kindle apps and page syncing, so I'm more confused now that you're referring to "ACL", which I assume is the Calibre Library App) Is there some connection between ACL and the Kindle?)

I could be wrong about that, so don't rake me over the coals, lol. Like I said, I haven't done it, but it seems that that's what you'd have to do?

I'm not trying to rake you over the coals, but I truly am confused. As far as I can tell, the program you are referring to as ACL has nothing to do with Kindle, has nothing to do with page syncing and is nothing more than a Browser that points only to a Calibre Library that you have to configure yourself? Is that right?

[kovidgoyal]

@Starson17: Perhaps the calibre library app uses bonjour to auto detect the calibre server, like stanza on the iOS devices, which is what makes it easier to use.

[gweminence]

@starson17: You seem to be going out of your way to list all the reason to not use the app. That's fine, your reasons are valid...for you, and anyone who agrees with you.

You're wrong, however, about the fire-and-forget. Yes, you have to set the app up once, and of course you have to have the calibre server running -- just like you would for anything to access it. But once done, it IS a simple matter of open, download, close. Fire and forget.

@Kovid: Thank you for helping to clarify.

[Starson17]

Originally Posted by kovidgoyal

@Starson17: Perhaps the calibre library app uses bonjour to auto detect the calibre server, like stanza on the iOS devices, which is what makes it easier to use.

Ah. That would make sense. I was thinking they were using it for remote (WAN) access and needed to set up their router. If they only used it for local access and used bonjour to find it on the LAN, I can see how it would make it easier.

[Starson17]

Originally Posted by gweminence

@starson17: You seem to be going out of your way to list all the reason to not use the app. That's fine, your reasons are valid...for you, and anyone who agrees with you.

You're wrong, however, about the fire-and-forget. Yes, you have to set the app up once, and of course you have to have the calibre server running -- just like you would for anything to access it. But once done, it IS a simple matter of open, download, close. Fire and forget.

@Kovid: Thank you for helping to clarify.

I wasn't trying to list any reasons why it shouldn't be used. I was trying to find the reasons you knew about that you thought made it easier. I understand you're not technical and can't give me technical reasons. I didn't understand that the app doesn't give you WAN (remote from outside your home) access (perhaps it does - but then you'd still need to set up the router, which is the hard part).

Can you tell me what "Yes, you have to set the app up once" means? Do you have to enter the local address of the Calibre server or does it find that address itself? Do you have to enter the password? Can you tell me if it's possible to access from outside your home network?

And again - I'm not trying to list reasons why it should not be used. I might recommend it to my mom if it makes it easier for her. I'm just trying to understand it. If it's easier, great. If not, I'd like to know that, too.

[Statch]

@Starson17, I did have to enter the Calibre server address in the settings section of the app. There is a place to enter the password as well.

I'm using it on my internal network only, but the ad for it says, "If your Calibre server is visible on the Internet, you can even use your phone's data plan to download books. If your phone has wireless, you can download books from within your own lan regardless."

[Starson17]

Originally Posted by Statch

@Starson17, I did have to enter the Calibre server address in the settings section of the app. There is a place to enter the password as well.

I'm using it on my internal network only, but the ad for it says, "If your Calibre server is visible on the Internet, you can even use your phone's data plan to download books. If your phone has wireless, you can download books from within your own lan regardless."

Thank you for the reply. That tells me that it doesn't use the Bonjour service to automatically discover the address. The bottom line seems to be that the program seems to be aimed at those who don't know that the free ereaders and the free browsers already do this function. That's fine, but I'd prefer to use the tools that I already have installed. The setup process seems to be the same for all - just give them the address, port, username and password. It doesn't seem to simplify anything for my Mom. (Possibly it skips the step of asking for the port, and assumes you use the Calibre default port. That might simplify it a bit for some, but not enough for me to recommend it.)

I'm sorry if this seems negative, but that's how I see it. If I'm missing some function it does, I'm still interested in knowing what it is.