How to add e-books to your new e-reader and tablet.
It's time to manage all the new digital content that you have amassed. While I know that a great number of you already know how to move content from your computers to your devices, I would like to share some of the tricks that I use to circumvent using Calibre or iTunes. I like to save time and I know many of you do too.
Have you ever wanted to have a file instantly available on many devices all at once? Well an app called Dropbox (https://www.dropbox.com) is the solution. I often have an eBook on my iPod Touch or iPad that I want to also access on other devices. Syncing is just too time consuming…
Well let tell you about this little handy app called Dropbox. It's one of the most user friendly apps in its approach to content management. Dropbox is available for many smart devices (iPads, Tablets, Smartphones) and desktop computers. After installing Dropbox to your desktop a designated Dropbox folder is created. From within this folder any documents you place there are immediately sync to the Dropbox cloud storage server and available on any other device you install Dropbox on. You just need to search the app store on your smart device to find and install Dropbox on your smart device…or visit their website.
Dropbox is very intuitive. When you select a single document, a user is given the choice of opening the document in a host of apps; depending on which apps are installed on the device. For example when I have a book that I want to read on my iPod Touch, Dropbox gives me the option of opening the eBook in iBooks, Bluefire or Adobe Reader. After selecting an app to read the book in, said app launches and the eBook is downloaded into the app's library listing. iTunes and a computer are not required. Two additional feature that make Dropbox a great utility are:
1. The service offers 2GB of personal cloud storage space at no charge
2. The ability to share document with single user or group for review, collaboration and editing.
Another app that does not require a computer for transferring files is the Overdrive app (http://www.overdrive.com). The Overdrive app is a must for those looking to borrow eBooks from the public library system. Overdrive is the company that manages most of the country's licensed library digital content. Libraries have come a long way in providing readers with content that matters. A majority of the libraries offer best-selling authors and aspiring new author’s e-books. Through the overdrive app a user can select their preferred web library site and login using their library card account. Some of the features of the Overdrive app include browsing compatible downloadable content, checking out said content and downloading it to the app. The app even lets you place an item on hold and return e-books to the library early. EBooks and audiobooks are delivered to the requesting device via Wi-Fi. A huge selection of eBooks are available in Adobe Drm e-pub and Drm Pdf format. Recently a growing collection of Kindle formatted e-books have also been added.
Although the Overdrive app does not support the Kindle format, there is a Kindle web app and a desktop app as well as corresponding mobile device apps. While borrowing Kindle eBooks from the library requires a user to login from a computer to checkout an eBook, the library's download link is a convenient portal to a user's Amazon.com account. It is here that the book is actually borrowed and sent to the user's selected device via Wi-Fi. The only drawback that I have experienced is that there does not seem to be a way to return the book early.
While these methods are just some of the ways to transfer content without a computer, the more traditional approaches such as e-mail and computer assisted wired/wireless syncing are also a viable option.
So there you have it! Some great ways to transfer and share eBooks and documents without a computer and new insights on how the whole Kindle library eBook portal works.
Have fun and start reading today!
About Victoria: Victoria currently owns a classic nook wifi-3G, an iPod Touch 4th Gen and an iPad wifi-3G. You would probably ask why so many, the nook is more for indoor reading, while the iPod touch is that on the go reading in line at the bank and waiting for a movie to start device. The iPad is used for long term review reading and annotating. She still purchases many of her favorite authors in print, but her library has grown exponentially since she has embraced eBook technology.
