Easy Question about Kindle for the PC

morlaine · 01-12-2011, 03:38 PM

I've looked on the internet but haven't found the answer to this. Do you have to be online to use Kindle for the PC? I live in a rural area and the internet connection is very unstable, hardly suitable for email. If I need to download something or research something, I have to go into town and find a more stable signal. If you have to be online to use Kindle for the PC then it would not be for me.

Thanks for any info you can give me, Carole (morlaine)

WalkingDistance · 01-12-2011, 03:42 PM

Hey Morlaine.

I just tried. Yes you can. As long as you have them on your computer (you can tell if you seem them in your 'Home' screen and not your 'Archived').

Also (obviously), you won't be able to use the whispersync feature if you don't have internet connection.

Welcome!

DiapDealer · 01-12-2011, 03:52 PM

Quote:

Do you have to be online to use Kindle for the PC?

It depends on what you mean by "use".

If you already have your own library of non-drmed mobi-books, then yes... you can use K4PC to read those ebooks without an internet connection.

If you want to read/purchase Amazon content on it without an internet connection, you're going to have to trek on into town and download your content (encrypted for K4PC) onto a flash drive (or laptop or whatever), and take it back home to load on your computer.

But, no, reading a book with K4PC does not require an internet connection.

screwballl · 01-12-2011, 04:03 PM

The program needs a connection to receive the books, but for just normal reading itself, it does not need a connection.

FF2 · 01-12-2011, 04:10 PM

Someone will correct me if I'm wrong...

But if you were to go to town with a laptop and download content for kindle-4-pc on the laptop, you would be able to read it at home on THAT LAPTOP. But you would not be able to read it on your computer with its version of kindle-4-pc since each book is encrypted to match the specific device.

In other words, if while you were in town, and a friend grabbed a copy to their version of k-4-pc, it would not work on either your laptop or computer.

So somehow you have to initially get the content to the computer you will be reading on.

DiapDealer · 01-12-2011, 04:23 PM

Quote:

But if you were to go to town with a laptop and download content for kindle-4-pc on the laptop, you would be able to read it at home on THAT LAPTOP. But you would not be able to read it on your computer with its version of kindle-4-pc since each book is encrypted to match the specific device.

Almost correct.

From Amazon's webpage, you can choose "Download to PC". At that point, you get to choose which of your devices you are downloading it for. So you could be on any PC (perhaps with a USB drive plugged into it) and download a copy of the file that is encrypted for your copy of K4PC at home (or your Kindle, or your other K4PC installation). Then take the USB drive (or laptop) home and load up the ebook in K4PC.

abookreader · 01-12-2011, 04:55 PM

I just went to test it out

When I choose "Transfer via Computer" for download my iPADS, my iPhone and my Kindle for PC are greyed out and non-selectable. I can only choose the actual Kindles.

DiapDealer · 01-12-2011, 05:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by abookreader

When I choose "Transfer via Computer" for download my iPADS, my iPhone and my Kindle for PC are greyed out and non-selectable. I can only choose the actual Kindles.

Wow, you're right! I've never really had a need to download that way but always assumed I could since they were in the list. I never even noticed they were greyed out.

Sorry for the misinformation.

FF2 · 01-12-2011, 06:37 PM

So this thread "Easy Question about Kindle for the PC" turns out to be anything but "easy." I guess OP needs to travel to town with the pc that will do the reading. Then grab the book. Then go home. Maybe, grab a few books while in town!

(and fingers crossed that once downloaded to a laptop, for instance, darn kindle-4-pc will not need the internet again for further reading. Someone want to turn off their inet as a further test?)

dwig · 01-12-2011, 07:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FF2

So this thread "Easy Question about Kindle for the PC" turns out to be anything but "easy." I guess OP needs to travel to town with the pc that will do the reading. Then grab the book. Then go home. Maybe, grab a few books while in town!...

This is true, but only for Kindle books with DRM (e.g. virtually all of those from Amazon). Amazon's DRM is coded specifically for the particular reader, either Kindle device or installation of "Kindle for ..." . Unfortunately, the "Download to PC" option on their web site only allows selecting Kindle devices. The various "Kindle for ..." software readers have to download the purchased books themselves.

If you're downloading ebooks from non-DRM sources like this site (.PRC files), Project Gutenberg (their .MOBI Kindle files), ManyBooks (.PRC, .MOBI, or .AZW), ... they can be downloaded from any connected machine and then moved to the "C:/My Documents/My Kindle Content" folder on the machine running Kindle4PC.

wallcraft · 01-12-2011, 07:30 PM

A related question would be what alternative is there? I have not actually tried disabling my internet connection, but Nook for PC would be my recommendation. Since B&N's DRM relies on username/password (from a credit card) it should not need internet access and you can definitely download ebooks via any web browser and put them on a USB stick.

If you are already lugging your laptop (say) to town to get a connection, then K4PC is probably ok too.

01-12-2011, 03:38 PM	#1
morlaine Member Posts: 12 Karma: 10 Join Date: Jan 2011 Device: Kindle for PC	Easy Question about Kindle for the PC I've looked on the internet but haven't found the answer to this. Do you have to be online to use Kindle for the PC? I live in a rural area and the internet connection is very unstable, hardly suitable for email. If I need to download something or research something, I have to go into town and find a more stable signal. If you have to be online to use Kindle for the PC then it would not be for me. Thanks for any info you can give me, Carole (morlaine)

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01-12-2011, 03:42 PM	#2
WalkingDistance Connoisseur Posts: 58 Karma: 50018 Join Date: Sep 2010 Device: Kindle 3	Hey Morlaine. I just tried. Yes you can. As long as you have them on your computer (you can tell if you seem them in your 'Home' screen and not your 'Archived'). Also (obviously), you won't be able to use the whispersync feature if you don't have internet connection. Welcome!

01-12-2011, 04:03 PM	#4
screwballl NewKindler Posts: 504 Karma: 1865773 Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: NWFL Device: Kindle3 Wifi	The program needs a connection to receive the books, but for just normal reading itself, it does not need a connection.

01-12-2011, 04:10 PM	#5
FF2 Wizard Posts: 1,105 Karma: 1025784 Join Date: Oct 2010 Device: WiFi Kindle3	Someone will correct me if I'm wrong... But if you were to go to town with a laptop and download content for kindle-4-pc on the laptop, you would be able to read it at home on THAT LAPTOP. But you would not be able to read it on your computer with its version of kindle-4-pc since each book is encrypted to match the specific device. In other words, if while you were in town, and a friend grabbed a copy to their version of k-4-pc, it would not work on either your laptop or computer. So somehow you have to initially get the content to the computer you will be reading on.

01-12-2011, 04:55 PM	#7
abookreader Wizard Posts: 1,516 Karma: 2567610 Join Date: Oct 2009 Device: Kindles - Keyboard, Fire, 2-US, iPhone, iPAD	I just went to test it out When I choose "Transfer via Computer" for download my iPADS, my iPhone and my Kindle for PC are greyed out and non-selectable. I can only choose the actual Kindles.

01-12-2011, 06:37 PM	#9
FF2 Wizard Posts: 1,105 Karma: 1025784 Join Date: Oct 2010 Device: WiFi Kindle3	So this thread "Easy Question about Kindle for the PC" turns out to be anything but "easy." I guess OP needs to travel to town with the pc that will do the reading. Then grab the book. Then go home. Maybe, grab a few books while in town! (and fingers crossed that once downloaded to a laptop, for instance, darn kindle-4-pc will not need the internet again for further reading. Someone want to turn off their inet as a further test?)

01-12-2011, 07:30 PM	#11
wallcraft reader Posts: 6,977 Karma: 5183568 Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Mississippi, USA Device: Kindle 3, Kobo Glo HD	A related question would be what alternative is there? I have not actually tried disabling my internet connection, but Nook for PC would be my recommendation. Since B&N's DRM relies on username/password (from a credit card) it should not need internet access and you can definitely download ebooks via any web browser and put them on a USB stick. If you are already lugging your laptop (say) to town to get a connection, then K4PC is probably ok too.

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