Kindle downloads

Maddz

Maddz

Demi-God
There’s a rumour on Mobilereads that Amazon is blocking the download and transfer route for older Kindle models later this month.

Not sure how definite this is, but if you are contemplating a purchase and you use that method, it might be wise to purchase now just in case.

Another nail in Amazon’s ebook policy.
 
What I find bizarre is that several published insist on DRM free books but it's just as awkward to pull those off the device.
 
@Maddz - does it matter which device I pull them down with?

My account has 3 Kindles associated with it:

My original Kindle Keyboard (which is the one that the serial number when in for on DeDRM on Calibre but is long since dead and gone)
My Kindle Voyage (my back up device)
My Kindle Paperwhite (11th Generation)

I'm assuming it would be better to download for the Kindle Keyboard or Voyage?

Need to reinstall Calibre next and download probably 800 books...

D
 
Dom said:
@Maddz - does it matter which device I pull them down with?

My account has 3 Kindles associated with it:

My original Kindle Keyboard (which is the one that the serial number when in for on DeDRM on Calibre but is long since dead and gone)
My Kindle Voyage (my back up device)
My Kindle Paperwhite (11th Generation)

I'm assuming it would be better to download for the Kindle Keyboard or Voyage?

Need to reinstall Calibre next and download probably 800 books...

D
Click to expand...
It shouldn't do. If you want to import to Calibre, probably one of the earlier ones because of KFX issues.

There's some threads with linked scripts kicking around on Mobilereads that saves a lot of clicking through pages on Manage my content & devices (there's maybe others as well).

Amazon is removing Download & Transfer option - MobileRead Forums

Amazon is removing Download & Transfer option Amazon Kindle
www.mobileread.com www.mobileread.com

Amazon ends allowing downloads - MobileRead Forums

Amazon ends allowing downloads News
www.mobileread.com www.mobileread.com

Downloading Kindle Books? - MobileRead Forums

Downloading Kindle Books? Amazon Kindle
www.mobileread.com www.mobileread.com

Download and transfer by USB going away - MobileRead Forums

Download and transfer by USB going away Calibre
www.mobileread.com www.mobileread.com

Fortunately, I did a big push some years ago to make sure I had everything dowloaded and imported into Calibre, and properly logged. Now I just use Kobo, publisher websites and bundles for purchased content. Amazon frankly isn't worth the hassle anymore.
 
Since I have 2 Kindle Keyboards and I don't download and transfer but send to those Kindles directly then i think I am fine, since I may well still read my books on those functional Kindles [which I replaced the batteries in with my own two hands].
 
Guvnor said:
Since I have 2 Kindle Keyboards and I don't download and transfer but send to those Kindles directly then i think I am fine, since I may well still read my books on those functional Kindles [which I replaced the batteries in with my own two hands].
Click to expand...
Bear in mind that if you want access to your content on other non-Kindle devices you won't be able to access it. It's why I've religiously downloaded my content and got it in a device-agnostic format more or less as soon as I purchase it. Frankly, I don't trust any large corporation to keep my access going (viz Microsoft .lit books, various ebook retailers going bust...)

I've never owned a Kindle device, just the apps. I've owned a Hanlin Elonex, some cheapo thing from WH Smiths, a Kobo Touch, an Icarus (android), and now my Kobo Forma. I dislike being locked into an eco-system which is why I've never used iBooks and refuse to use any one-trick pony app specific to a publisher. To put it in context, when I purchase a paper book, I can read it anywhere. Why do I have to be locked into a retailer/publisher specific device/app for an ebook?

Oh, and it looks like 2G & 3G wireless transfer is going to be disabled by Amazon as well given the networks are largely gone.
 
Last edited:
Maddz said:
Bear in mind that if you want access to your content on other non-Kindle devices you won't be able to access it.
Click to expand...
Oh I back up my keyboard KIndles to calibre regularly - I think I am ok for now.

It seems reasonable they have dropped the 2G and 3G network options. However it does remind one of how fleeting some tech is.

Like paperbacks.. I look at some of the 60s paperbacks I still have and the paper has almost totally eaten itself away with the acid load it carries - let's not kid ourselves that paperbacks last very long in the scheme of things.
 
Guvnor said:
Oh I back up my keyboard KIndles to calibre regularly - I think I am ok for now.
Click to expand...

Yes, but that's the point - you probably won't be able to do that going forward because of the Amazon DRM. What do you see when you link your Kindle to your computer? Do you see the file structure with meaningful file names? Or are they ASINs which you have to sort by date order and run the risk of missing something or importing it again if the file has changed?

What seems to be happening is that Amazon is following the Adobe route in that you get a link to the file but it doesn't download the book itself.
 
Maddz said:
Fortunately, I did a big push some years ago to make sure I had everything dowloaded and imported into Calibre, and properly logged. Now I just use Kobo, publisher websites and bundles for purchased content. Amazon frankly isn't worth the hassle anymore.
Click to expand...
I stopped when KFX became a pain to deal with - now having to do lots of clicks to get everything down at the moment, but all working fine! Need to grab my old library from the old MacBook and add it to the some folder.
 
My keyboard Kindle works fine with calibre. If that ceases then so be it.

My OASIS doesn't work that way. My keyboard kindle (3rd gen I think) is my backup route.
 
I find myself gazing at my physical shelves and the file list in Amazon and thinking: If I lost all of these overnight, which ones would I bother to buy again? The replacement list is quite short, actually. And if a title is not on that list, how much do I care if Amazon removes it from play?

We each likely have different answers for those questions. In my case, inertia rises triumphant as usual.
 
Over the years, I've done multiple culls of my physical library as I ran out of shelf space. Generally, I've disposed of books I cannot conceive of ever reading (or ever wanting to read) again, but others I've rather regretted getting rid of. Those last I've slowly replaced as ebook, but there are books that have never got an ebook version. That's why I make sure I control my content, not some global corporation.
 
I asked about downloading from a Kindle into Calibre:

"Kindle Oasis 9th generation here. You need to install the KFX plugin on calibre. See https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sh...d.php?t=361503 for its download. What I do is buy the book on Amazon, then wait for it to show up in the Library on the Kindle (bottom right on the screen; took me a while to notice it since I never use my Kindle), then tap the 3 dots thing for the book and select Download. Using their Content web page and the Deliver or Remove from Device button doesn't work for me. You'll also need the DeDRM plugin if you want to convert the book to EPUB, or maybe it's needed regardless. After it shows up on your Kindle, connect it to your PC, then find the books down in the Kindle's Documents folder and drag them into the Calibre window. I then convert the books to EPUB and transfer them to my Kobo. (After all these years of not using my Kindle I'm still amazed at how horrid the Kindle UI is compared to the Kobo.)"
 
And another reply:

"It definitely will depend on the age of the device and the firmware level. A fully patched Kindle 4 Touch will download and sync via WiFi, and you can grab the KF8-format book using Calibre with DeDRM installed and configured correctly.

Registering older devices is a bit of an issue, as you must enable and configure two-factor authentication (2FA) on your Amazon account, then disable it. The registration attempt from your older Kindle with your Amazon username and password will then generate a 2FA token that will be sent to you in whatever way your 2FA had been configured (e-mail, SMS, etc.), and you must then register again with your Amazon username but use the 2FA token (6-digit number) as the password. An alternate that sometimes works is to keep 2FA enabled on the account, and append the token to your normal password."
 
And done... Far too many clicks...
 
@Maddz Thank you for sharing the guides etc, finally got me to get off my posterior and install Calibre and deDRM on my Apple Silicon device. Shame that the route will only work for another five days, but next up is learning how to connect the device and take directly off there. I can see my old Kindle Voyage being used as a transfer device.

That and I need to add deKFX in as well.
 
Dom said:
@Maddz Thank you for sharing the guides etc, finally got me to get off my posterior and install Calibre and deDRM on my Apple Silicon device. Shame that the route will only work for another five days, but next up is learning how to connect the device and take directly off there. I can see my old Kindle Voyage being used as a transfer device.

That and I need to add deKFX in as well.
Click to expand...
If the worse comes to the worse I might consider lending you one of my old Kindle keyboards, as long as you love it and take very good care of it ;)
 
  • Like
Reactions: Dom
Well, I don't think that the Voyage has KFX files but I could be wrong ;-)
I do have my mum's old Kindle Touch so that's an option too.
 
Interesting - I can access my Azimov's and Analog back issues to download, but I can't get to Clarkesworld. I suspect that's because Clarkesworld rolled over into the new scheme and Amazon cancelled my subscription rather than me doing it. (I get Clarkesworld via their Patreon now).
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top