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Notices, Help With Problems and Your Forum Ideas... => Computer Help => Topic started by: upnick on September 16, 2012, 12:11:36 AM

Title: Kindle for PC
Post by: upnick on September 16, 2012, 12:11:36 AM
Hi  All,   

I  have thought about purchasing a kindle but not being a big reader i  cant justify the outlay for one although i  know they are good value given the range of  books available for them.

I was looking on the net  out of interest how to purchase books for the kindle when  i  spotted a kindle  download for the PC  ;) now thats better  use a medium i  already have read when  i  want  :thumbsup:

Already i   downloaded a free book to see how quickly they came to the PC  & i was impressed   :) now to my question  does anyone know of  a site where books are available for  Kindle on  a PC   that accept paypal as payment rather than  a  card ?
Title: Re: Kindle for PC
Post by: Tom@Crewe on September 16, 2012, 07:06:21 AM
I too wanted a Kindle but mostly read at work or when out and about. So I have the Kindle app on my phone. I get my Kindle books from Amazon. I have an account set up with them and pay via Paypal. I can order my books anywhere anytime on move and get them in minutes.
Title: Re: Kindle for PC
Post by: tutenkhamunsleeping on September 16, 2012, 07:19:53 AM
Quote from: Tom@Crewe on September 16, 2012, 07:06:21 AM
I get my Kindle books from Amazon. I have an account set up with them and pay via Paypal. I can order my books anywhere anytime on move and get them in minutes.
I use the Kindle app on an iPad but have never found a way to pay via PayPal.  What's the secret?
Title: Re: Kindle for PC
Post by: Jerry Howlett on September 16, 2012, 07:43:00 AM
Quote from: tutenkhamunsleeping on September 16, 2012, 07:19:53 AM
Quote from: Tom@Crewe on September 16, 2012, 07:06:21 AM
I get my Kindle books from Amazon. I have an account set up with them and pay via Paypal. I can order my books anywhere anytime on move and get them in minutes.
I use the Kindle app on an iPad but have never found a way to pay via PayPal.  What's the secret?

Having bought Mrs H a kindle (to offset the damage caused by pre-ordering a certain 6 car Blue item), I seem to find that the only way to pay is direct from the Amazon account.
I have just looked into payment methods and I CAN NOT find any way to add a Pay Pal account. Others may know more.
Title: Re: Kindle for PC
Post by: Tom@Crewe on September 16, 2012, 08:16:09 AM
 :sorrysign:  I am that used to using Paypal and Amazon. Amazon is not Paypal I have the Amazon account set up on the same card as the Paypal account But Amazon comes straight from card. Its just the same for me.

Once the Amazon account is set up you dont have to put the details in each tme just tick a box and proceed.

Title: Re: Kindle for PC
Post by: Bikeracer on September 16, 2012, 08:29:12 AM
My wife has a Kindle and it always amazes me how a complete book or trilogy can download in seconds.
We use a one click account at Amazon,it's easy and I always get a confirmation email afterwards.

Allan
Title: Re: Kindle for PC
Post by: MikeDunn on September 16, 2012, 09:30:18 AM
You guys have gotten away with the cheap Kindle ? 

You jammy b****rs - SWMBO has seen & played with the Nexus, so that's on the "you got a toy, now it's my turn" list  :'(
Title: Re: Kindle for PC
Post by: upnick on September 16, 2012, 10:22:52 AM
Many thanks for the replies i added a card to  my amazon account & downloaded a  couple of books   ;)

Well  Mike i came across the  Kindle for the PC   by chance on a search  of the net &  aving it on the  the phone would  give me bad eyes   i  have enough trouble reading the  site  if i visit at work  never mind books   :smiley-laughing:

Another question for you techies out there can i  move the  kindle for PC  to  my  external storage device  as it has a terrabite of  capacity so i  can plug it in  read what i  want &  remove from the USB  until next time   far better to store  things there than on the laptop.


Quote from: MikeDunn on September 16, 2012, 09:30:18 AM
You guys have gotten away with the cheap Kindle ? 

You jammy b****rs - SWMBO has seen & played with the Nexus, so that's on the "you got a toy, now it's my turn" list  :'(
Title: Re: Kindle for PC
Post by: scotsoft on September 16, 2012, 10:30:30 AM
You should have no problem with storing on your external HD, you will just have to tell the Kindle app where the books are stored when you go to look for them, a bit like uploading pictures to Photobucket, you direct it to your folder that contains the pictures to upload  :thumbsup:

cheers John.
Title: Re: Kindle for PC
Post by: EtchedPixels on September 16, 2012, 12:06:14 PM
For Kindle you have to go via Amazon and its engineering so you basically have to buy via Amazon at Amazon prices. You can load other cheaper or alternative source ebooks on it but it generally needs a convertor as Amazon also use different formats to most other companies. Calibre will do much of that.

Also beware that you basically "license" not "own" Kindle books although that may change after one of the EU court cases. So you can't do a lot of things with them you can with real books (or many ebooks) like loan them or leave them to the family, or hand them on to your local club etc afterwards.

It's a very closed platform.

Alan
Title: Re: Kindle for PC
Post by: MikeDunn on September 16, 2012, 01:05:17 PM
There's something about adverts being flashed to devices as well, unless you pay (£25 or $25 ?) to not have them - with no guarantee that you will have gotten away from them.  Think this is on the new Kindle (SWMBO threw a hissy fit when she saw this !  Amazon lost a sale right there)

Mike
Title: Re: Kindle for PC
Post by: Gooders on September 16, 2012, 01:09:53 PM
Quote from: upnick on September 16, 2012, 10:22:52 AM
Another question for you techies out there can i  move the  kindle for PC  to  my  external storage device  as it has a terrabite of  capacity so i  can plug it in  read what i  want &  remove from the USB  until next time   far better to store  things there than on the laptop.
You should be able to do this by clicking Tools (on the menu bar) and then Options. On the dialogue box that should appear, click Content and that provides you with the option to change the location for your books.

Hope this helps.
Title: Re: Kindle for PC
Post by: Gooders on September 16, 2012, 01:18:03 PM
Quote from: EtchedPixels on September 16, 2012, 12:06:14 PM
For Kindle you have to go via Amazon and its engineering so you basically have to buy via Amazon at Amazon prices. You can load other cheaper or alternative source ebooks on it but it generally needs a convertor as Amazon also use different formats to most other companies. Calibre will do much of that.
I can certainly recommend Calibre (http://calibre-ebook.com/ (http://calibre-ebook.com/)). I use it to find and download books from a wide range of sources. There's a lot of good free stuff out there. Calibre's conversion to the Kindle's preferred format is seamless and I've not experienced any problems with it.

Hope this helps.
Title: Re: Kindle for PC
Post by: upnick on September 16, 2012, 03:12:39 PM
Quote from: EtchedPixels on September 16, 2012, 12:06:14 PM
For Kindle you have to go via Amazon and its engineering so you basically have to buy via Amazon at Amazon prices. You can load other cheaper or alternative source ebooks on it but it generally needs a convertor as Amazon also use different formats to most other companies. Calibre will do much of that.
Alan

Alan  /Gooders many thanks  watched Calibre video  now have it on  PC   more comprehensive & it can convert formats ideal for me as i'm not a techie sort  plug & play  method does me everytime   ;)
Title: Re: Kindle for PC
Post by: BobB on September 16, 2012, 03:38:25 PM
I keep thinking about e-books rather than the (old ?) hard copy format so that I don't have so much weight to carry around when I'm travelling. The only thing is that whenever I look, there aren't to many about trains that I want !
Title: Re: Kindle for PC
Post by: EtchedPixels on September 16, 2012, 04:08:50 PM
Quote from: BobB on September 16, 2012, 03:38:25 PM
I keep thinking about e-books rather than the (old ?) hard copy format so that I don't have so much weight to carry around when I'm travelling. The only thing is that whenever I look, there aren't to many about trains that I want !

I think that's because ebook readers right now are not very good at pictures and also don't work for the glossy table-top style look or for plans and things.

There are some interesting books out there. I've been reading the history of the Cambrian Railways which was published in 1922 and Smilies 'Lives of the Engineers' is my current electronic reading (both free and out of copyright).

The Cambrian is a mix of high farce and political dirt but a somewhat convoluted and slightly turgid book whose first half focuses on the political rather than technical creation of the railway. Nevertheless its an interesting insight into the early days and the descriptions of the first train services into Aberystwyth and the celebrations are proof that society hasn't changed that much 8)

Lives of The Engineers is an older book and in some ways the most interesting part in railway terms is the forward to the later edition which brought it up to date for the 1870s. As such it bothers to comment on things that had changed by the 1870s - like the end of a trumpeter on the station to 'bugle' out the train as happened with the mail coaches, "new" signalling stuff, block working etc.

Alan