Converting AZW back to PDF and/or reading personal docs in Kindle PC app?

[Llleo]

Hi all,
converting PDFs to Kindle format (AZW) via the "Send to Kindle" app works quite well in my experience, and I've been doing it a lot lately to read scientific papers on the Kindle.
Does anyone know whether there's a way of running this process in reverse, ideally while keeping highlighting and notes made on the Kindle, and reverting to original formatting (page numbers etc.)? The great advantage would be that documents read and annotated on the Kindle could be read on any other device, with page numbers correctly showing (important for citing and quoting).
Alternatively, is there a not-too-complicated way of reading such personal documents in the Kindle app on a PC or tablet?
Many thanks in advance!

[eschwartz]

No, you cannot reconvert to PDF (well, you can, but you'd just create yet another new document, without any annotations whatsoever and with yet more conversion artifacts).


Go to http://amzn.com/manageyourkindle
Select the Settings tab, and make sure Personal Document Archiving is enabled.

Then your send-to-Kindle documents will be downloadable through Kindle for Android, and will sync between devices.
Kindle for PC does not support PDOCs, but you can manually copy them from your Voyage and add them to My Kindle Content, which should do the same thing.

[susan_cassidy]

And, of course, you can read the original pdf on your pc.

[johnnyb]

Originally Posted by Llleo

Hi all,
converting PDFs to Kindle format (AZW) via the "Send to Kindle" app works quite well in my experience, and I've been doing it a lot lately to read scientific papers on the Kindle.
Does anyone know whether there's a way of running this process in reverse, ideally while keeping highlighting and notes made on the Kindle, and reverting to original formatting (page numbers etc.)? The great advantage would be that documents read and annotated on the Kindle could be read on any other device, with page numbers correctly showing (important for citing and quoting).
Alternatively, is there a not-too-complicated way of reading such personal documents in the Kindle app on a PC or tablet?
Many thanks in advance!

It think it would already help if Amazon supported personal documents in their PC and Mac apps (for exactly that reason; reminds me to write to Amazon again, would appreciate if more of you did)...
The workaround I am using is this: I installed Bluestacks (an Android emulator) on the Mac and the Kindle app in there. I does not support retina resolution, is a bit clunky for navigation but once in the document, I can browse the ebook and it even supports copying of content which then can be pasted into my writing...

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by johnnyb

It think it would already help if Amazon supported personal documents in their PC and Mac apps (for exactly that reason; reminds me to write to Amazon again, would appreciate if more of you did)...
The workaround I am using is this: I installed Bluestacks (an Android emulator) on the Mac and the Kindle app in there. I does not support retina resolution, is a bit clunky for navigation but once in the document, I can browse the ebook and it even supports copying of content which then can be pasted into my writing...

The philosophy behind personal docs is that they give you a method of reading documents that you have on your PC or Mac on portable Kindle devices. Given that you have the original document on your PC/Mac, you can already read it there. Can you give an example scenario under which you'd have a document on your PC, send it to Amazon, and then want to re-download it from Amazon to read on your PC again? Could you not simply read the original document that you sent to Amazon in the first place?

[rowanmoor]

Originally Posted by HarryT

Can you give an example scenario under which you'd have a document on your PC, send it to Amazon, and then want to re-download it from Amazon to read on your PC again?

I have all my books in Calibre on my main PC at home. I send them to personal docs to get them on my Voyage and phone. I then want to read them at work in a lunchtime on my office PC (and have my current reading position synced etc). It would be far easier to just be able to read them in K4PC from PDocs rather than having to email them to myself and hoping that they make it through the email filtering etc.

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by rowanmoor

I have all my books in Calibre on my main PC at home. I send them to personal docs to get them on my Voyage and phone. I then want to read them at work in a lunchtime on my office PC (and have my current reading position synced etc). It would be far easier to just be able to read them in K4PC from PDocs rather than having to email them to myself and hoping that they make it through the email filtering etc.

Fair point. Thanks!

[johnnyb]

Originally Posted by HarryT

Fair point. Thanks!

Add to that: if I add annotations to the documents, I would like to review them comfortably from my PC. But there are no annotations in the original document...
But thanks for explaining how Personal documents work, your insight into the strategic orientation of different companies’ services is as always highly valued!

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by johnnyb

But thanks for explaining how Personal documents work, your insight into the strategic orientation of different companies’ services is as always highly valued!

Can we please lose the sarcasm? It adds absolutely nothing to the discussion.

Thanks.

[johnnyb]

Originally Posted by HarryT

Can we please lose the sarcasm? It adds absolutely nothing to the discussion.

Thanks.

So do you think that stating and justifying the intended limitations (which you call a “philosophy”) of a product when the discussion is about circumventing these limitations (implying that these limitations are in fact limiting in a clearly described use case) DOES add to the discussion?


Back to topic: I actually just chatted with Amazon CS and the rep told me that the “Kindle Technical team” is “working on final stage of the issue to include personal documents in the Kindle for PC and Mac app”.
Whether that actually means anything at all or Amazon CS has just switched to telling people what they want to hear (cf. the Kindle confirmation from the other thread) is another question...

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by johnnyb

So do you think that stating and justifying the intended limitations (which you call a “philosophy”) of a product when the discussion is about circumventing these limitations (implying that these limitations are in fact limiting in a clearly described use case) DOES add to the discussion?

Yes, I do. And whether or not you agree with that, your sarcastic response is completely inappropriate. I don't ask that you agree with me; I do ask that you express your disagreement in a manner that's consistent with MR's Posting Guidelines, wihch request that members maintain a friendly and supportive atmosphere. With the very greatest respect, a tone such as the one that you adopted in your response is neither friendly nor supportive. It doesn't cost anything to be polite, even if you don't agree with someone.

[Dr. Drib]

Moderator Notice

The sarcastic comments - from anyone - need to stop now, please.

Any deviation from the above statement and the post will be deleted.

Thank you for your understanding.

[johnnyb]

Originally Posted by Dr. Drib

The sarcastic comments - from anyone - need to stop now, please.

Any deviation from the above statement and the post will be deleted.

Thank you for your understanding.

But are we still allowed to discuss the topic?

[eschwartz]

Originally Posted by johnnyb

But are we still allowed to discuss the topic?

I thought Dr. Drib was very clear.

You (rhet.) are not allowed to make sarcastic comments about other members.
Nothing was said about non-sarcastic comments.

If you can discuss the topic without resorting to sarcasm, you will most probably find yourself in full compliance with the Posting Guidelines, without need of moderator intervention.

[Dr. Drib]

Originally Posted by johnnyb

But are we still allowed to discuss the topic?

Of course, as long as you can jettison the sarcasm from any future posts you care to make.

Don
(Moderator)