WiFi Advice Please

haino · 05-19-2011, 05:13 PM

I am considering buying an ebook reader with wifi. Never had one before but think it may be useful on my travels. What I want to be able to do is keep my ebooks "online" in a folder (Dropbox or similar). Then when I want a book, I will connect to Dropbox and locate the book I want.
What do I need to do to get the book from the online folder and into the device library for reading?

benham · 05-19-2011, 06:09 PM

Your ebooks should be kept in your account online. As long as you have wi-fi access you should be able to download them to your reader anytime you want. When you decide on the ereader you want they will tell you the exact procedure for their device.

CRussel · 05-19-2011, 06:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by haino

I am considering buying an ebook reader with wifi. Never had one before but think it may be useful on my travels. What I want to be able to do is keep my ebooks "online" in a folder (Dropbox or similar). Then when I want a book, I will connect to Dropbox and locate the book I want.
What do I need to do to get the book from the online folder and into the device library for reading?

Each device likely has a somewhat different requirement. But most that don't have a backend store involved require some sort of computer connection to pull from Dropbox or equivalent, though if your eReader comes with a browser you may be able to browse to your dropbox and pull the file down that way.

For WiFi to work, you need an available WiFi connection that you have the rights to connect to. (ie, either a public hotspot, one that you have paid access to, a friend's internet connection, etc. )

If you have a Kindle (and I assume other readers that have a back end store), then you always have access to your entire purchased catalog at all times, as long as you can get connected. Additionally, you can use the web browser to browse to any site that has your books on it and download them directly to the home page of your Kindle.

taustin · 05-19-2011, 06:41 PM

I've yet to see a book reader that won't hold literally hundreds, if not thousands, of books at a time. How much do you read?

pidgeon92 · 05-19-2011, 08:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by taustin

I've yet to see a book reader that won't hold literally hundreds, if not thousands, of books at a time. How much do you read?

Amen. I have more than 187 ebooks on my Kindle, and still have more than 2GB of space available.

paola · 05-20-2011, 03:06 AM

with Dropbox and Calibre you won't have any problems - you can also use OPDS to create a catalogue and browse the online catalogue you created (which is easier to organize as you wish) rahter then your Calibre library (which I have online just in case as a backup anyway). That said, this would be more of a need if you get a reader with no expansion for a card. In my case, with a 8GB additional micro card, I prefer to carry all my books with me. But some people don't like the way the reader software organises their books, in which case it may make sense not to hold a long list. As benham said, once you have pinned down your shortlist of readers, you can then study better the details for each particular device. But what you propose is certainly doable with several readers!

Andrew H. · 05-21-2011, 09:51 PM

The free version of dropbox gives you 2 GB of memory. Most e-readers have 4GB built in, so there's no real point in keeping books in dropbox.

(Also, most dedicated e-readers won't have access to dropbox; you would need a tablet for that).

AnemicOak · 05-21-2011, 10:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by taustin

I've yet to see a book reader that won't hold literally hundreds, if not thousands, of books at a time. How much do you read?

But, sometimes you're 'out and about' and get a craving to read that one book that you don't happen to have with you. At least it's happened to me.

I use DropBox as one of the places I keep a backup of my books and as a bonus can use the Kindle's web browser to log in and grab a book if need be (or to grab one from someplace like Feedbooks or Gutenberg).

garrybuck · 05-22-2011, 11:48 AM

I'm a big fan of DropBox, every time I get a new ebook, I let DropBox sync it to all my computers. There's no DropBox app for the Kindle, so I manually copy it to my Kindle 3, and leave it there. I have over 1600 books on my Kindle. I never delete anything, and I still have plenty of room to spare. The whole reason I got the Kindle was to always have my library with me. I like not having to wonder if I have a particular book with me or not, I just do.

Included among those books are the MobileRead and Feedbooks guides, so I have access to those catalogs anywhere I have a connection, plus I can use the internal browser to surf over to Gutenberg and download their stuff.

If you absolutely must have DropBox running on the device, then as someone else already pointed out, maybe a tablet might be more suitable. There's also smartphones, I run DropBox on my Android phone, so I know that works. I'm not sure about other platforms.

05-19-2011, 05:13 PM	#1
haino Connoisseur Posts: 59 Karma: 10 Join Date: Jan 2010 Device: none	WiFi Advice Please I am considering buying an ebook reader with wifi. Never had one before but think it may be useful on my travels. What I want to be able to do is keep my ebooks "online" in a folder (Dropbox or similar). Then when I want a book, I will connect to Dropbox and locate the book I want. What do I need to do to get the book from the online folder and into the device library for reading?

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05-19-2011, 06:09 PM	#2
benham Guru Posts: 882 Karma: 5565888 Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Townsend, WI Device: Palm TX, PRS-505 (BLUE)	Your ebooks should be kept in your account online. As long as you have wi-fi access you should be able to download them to your reader anytime you want. When you decide on the ereader you want they will tell you the exact procedure for their device.

05-19-2011, 06:41 PM	#4
taustin Wizard Posts: 1,358 Karma: 5766642 Join Date: Aug 2010 Device: Nook	I've yet to see a book reader that won't hold literally hundreds, if not thousands, of books at a time. How much do you read?

05-20-2011, 03:06 AM	#6
paola Wizard Posts: 2,840 Karma: 5843878 Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: UK Device: Pocketbook Pro 903, (beloved Pocketbook 360 RIP), Kobo Mini, Kobo Aura	with Dropbox and Calibre you won't have any problems - you can also use OPDS to create a catalogue and browse the online catalogue you created (which is easier to organize as you wish) rahter then your Calibre library (which I have online just in case as a backup anyway). That said, this would be more of a need if you get a reader with no expansion for a card. In my case, with a 8GB additional micro card, I prefer to carry all my books with me. But some people don't like the way the reader software organises their books, in which case it may make sense not to hold a long list. As benham said, once you have pinned down your shortlist of readers, you can then study better the details for each particular device. But what you propose is certainly doable with several readers!

05-21-2011, 09:51 PM	#7
Andrew H. Grand Master of Flowers Posts: 2,201 Karma: 8389072 Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: Naptown Device: Kindle PW, Kindle 3 (aka Keyboard), iPhone, iPad 3 (not for reading)	The free version of dropbox gives you 2 GB of memory. Most e-readers have 4GB built in, so there's no real point in keeping books in dropbox. (Also, most dedicated e-readers won't have access to dropbox; you would need a tablet for that).

05-22-2011, 11:48 AM	#9
garrybuck Connoisseur Posts: 64 Karma: 69964 Join Date: Dec 2007 Device: Kindle	I'm a big fan of DropBox, every time I get a new ebook, I let DropBox sync it to all my computers. There's no DropBox app for the Kindle, so I manually copy it to my Kindle 3, and leave it there. I have over 1600 books on my Kindle. I never delete anything, and I still have plenty of room to spare. The whole reason I got the Kindle was to always have my library with me. I like not having to wonder if I have a particular book with me or not, I just do. Included among those books are the MobileRead and Feedbooks guides, so I have access to those catalogs anywhere I have a connection, plus I can use the internal browser to surf over to Gutenberg and download their stuff. If you absolutely must have DropBox running on the device, then as someone else already pointed out, maybe a tablet might be more suitable. There's also smartphones, I run DropBox on my Android phone, so I know that works. I'm not sure about other platforms.

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