Kindle

[m.e.newby]

           Received a Kindle for Xmas but don't have WIFI. Tried to download books  from amazon but am asked to download an app. first to read the book on my computer when I want to transfer the books to my kindle. The apps they offer are for Windows or Mac. Is there a way round this problem?

[kjpetrie]

The first thing to do is complain. It's not as if Amazon don't know about Linux. All their sales systems run on it. The only reason they haven't written a Linux app is they don't think enough prospective customers use it to justify the expense. If enough people ask for it they will, because they're losing customers otherwise. They might even be able to advise a workaround. Maybe their Windows app runs in wine, for instance, but that's second best to having a native Linux app.

[dave_etrap]

Just use calibre. Open synaptic and search it will be found in office menu after you install it. Open it and connect your kindle and you can sync it also has many stores built in that you can use to get book.

[kalwisti]

Hi, m.e.newby,

It would be useful to know which model of Kindle you own ... However, I believe that regardless of which model it is, you should be able to do what's called "sideloading": temporarily downloading the eBook to an intermediary computer (desktop PC, laptop or netbook) and then transferring the book to your Kindle via USB cable. For this, you don't install any special app; you can use PCLOS's file manager (Dolphin, PCManFM, Thunar, etc.). In other words, you don't need a native Linux program on the intermediary computer to read the eBook because you're simply using the computer's capabilities to transfer the file to your reader.

Although I don't have a Kindle (I own a Nook Simple Touch), I use this method all the time to transfer Project Gutenberg eBooks from my PC to the Nook.

If you need to transfer your purchased (DRM-ed) Kindle books from your PC to your Kindle, you might try the procedure outlined here:

http://www.kindleboards.com/index.php?topic=58105.0
(See esp. the final post in that thread, by user pidgeon92)

If that doesn't work for you, I read that the Kindle Boards forum is a great source for Kindle-related help:

http://www.kindleboards.com/index.php

If you haven't checked out Project Gutenberg yet, I highly recommend it. They have an excellent selection of totally free eBooks in the public domain, in both Kindle and Nook format. You'll find enough to keep you happily reading for a long time ...

http://www.gutenberg.org/

HTH and Good luck.

[Ray2047]

[slightly O/T] Actually I found the Kindle computer app to run fine in Wine as does the Kobo computer app. I do use Calibre and Lucidore but for Amazon and Kobo I find it is just easier to use their reader app for computers.