Is there an app to read Kindle books on phone?

[akcmommy]

I saw that amazon kindle has an app for iPhone. Anyone know if I can buy ebooks from Amazon that I can read on my phone? I have an eris. Thanks.

 

[Podivin]

Check in to the Aldiko book reader. I don't know what the Kindle format is, but Aldiko reads epubs. There are also several sites where you can download books that the reader CAN use. It's free, so it won't cost anything to try.

 

[shh]

eReader.

 

[smacky]

I'm not familiar with Kindle but do they use .pdf formats for the books or are they in a unique format to prevent them from being copied and such?

Your phone can read .pdf files so just download .pdf files from a site and stick them on the SD card.

If you need sites, let me know.

 

[AdmSuvvuk]

Kindle books are proprietary format. While the kindle can read other formats, other readers can't read a kindle book. I have a Kindle and love it, it goes everywhere with me. An Android kindle app is reportedly in the pipeline. I can't wait.

 

[ericDylan]

i know this is off topic but only slightly ... but i have a barnes and noble nook and i think they have been working on an app that automatically syncs books and last page read. does anyone know if the app has been released or if it hasnt when it may be? i have the leaked 2.1 rom if that matters.

 

[Pocalypse]

Amazon has made apps for the iPhone and Blackberry, as well as programs for the PC and Mac. An Android app has been "coming soon" for the past 6 months or so.

The apps can automatically download any purchased books from Amazon, as well as sync your last read pages between devices.

 

[OfTheDamned]

Until they finally finish a kindle app for android the best option is aldiko or ereader and using software like calibre to convert the books.

If you are in need of reading material then take a look at this list of great sites with free ebooks:

Free Ebooks
Many Books
Project Gutenberg
Scribd
Nowhere land
Daily Lit
Know Free
The eBook directory
Get free ebooks
Fitctionwise
ebook mall
Planet Ebook

There are also some search engines that work too:
Data-Sheet
PDF Geni
Pdf Search Engine

Some sites will have all free content and some have a mix of paid and free.

 

[jkmailley]

@OfTheDamned : You are the most friendly and helpful undead...second to Louis! Thanks...

 

[DDustiNN]

I can't imagine enjoying reading a book on my phone...

 

[OfTheDamned]

I can't imagine enjoying reading a book on my phone...

Why? I love being able to read on my phone. I have 40 different novels at my fingertips 24/7. The font size, colors, brightness, etc. can all be adjusted inside the app. You can bookmark, make notes, highlight, etc. all in the app.

 

[Podivin]

I can't imagine enjoying reading a book on my phone...

I'm an avid reader, and used to think that nothing electronic could ever replace the feel of a book in my hands. I tried reading a book on my old Ipod touch, once I got started I never looked back. Don't know how long it's been since I actually read a BOOK. Now I'm carrying something like 70 books on my phone. I always have a choice of something to read -and I don't need a book in my car, and a book at my bedside and my primary book (yes, I'll read 2 or 3 books at the same time), I just have keep my phone with me - which I do anyway.

 

[DDustiNN]

Oh I hope no one took offense! The convenience and portability is outstanding, of course. My only issue would be staring at such a small screen for so long, and having to do so much constant scrolling. Even for web pages... I'll look up a quick site on my phone every now and then when I need to, but for full-fledged browsing I prefer a regular monitor and mouse. OTD, the features you listed sound pretty helpful.

I'm not saying it's a bad thing though... Purely preference, that's all. Though I've never actually tried it, so that's why you'll notice that my post is purely an assumption about myself But you both enjoy it, so that's awesome. Everyone uses their smart phones for different reasons, so this should be no exception

 

[OfTheDamned]

Oh, I certainly didn't take any offense. I am just always quick to let people know how great it is. I have been reading off of a digital device since I had my first Palm pilot. Like mhotovec I carry 40 to 50 books around with me at all times. I am usually reading 2 or 3 and have one audio book going in Ambling Book Player.

If you ever want to give it a try, Aldiko is free in the market and comes with "Art of War" and "The Invisible Man" for free. You can also download more for free from a pretty decent list right in the app as well as a bunch found in the market. There are a ton of settings to adjust it for brightness and font size. There are also day and night modes that really help prevent eye strain when in a dark or low light environment. As far as scrolling goes, you don't with Aldiko. It uses natural left and right swipe gestures to turn pages. It is a really great app.

Aldiko

 

[grvthang]

OTD, is it hard to find ebooks to legitimately buy? I'm just getting into loading some books on my Eris (I just downloaded Mark Twain's "Roughing It" from Google Books in ePub format), and I'm looking for Tom Wolfe's "The Right Stuff". When I Google it, the only available format is Kindle, which Aldiko can't read (not counting the shady bit torrent pdf sites).
"The Right Stuff" was a huge best-seller. I'm looking to buy it, not steal it. Is that the case with a lot of books - that they're just not available in a format other than Kindle?

 

[doogald]

OTD, is it hard to find ebooks to legitimately buy? I'm just getting into loading some books on my Eris (I just downloaded Mark Twain's "Roughing It" from Google Books in ePub format), and I'm looking for Tom Wolfe's "The Right Stuff". When I Google it, the only available format is Kindle, which Aldiko can't read (not counting the shady bit torrent pdf sites).
"The Right Stuff" was a huge best-seller. I'm looking to buy it, not steal it. Is that the case with a lot of books - that they're just not available in a format other than Kindle?

I am not an eBook reader myself, but the old eReader (since buying eReader, Barnes & Noble is changing it to work with ePub) is still around, and has an Android reader. They use a different format. There is no "The Right Stuff", but they do have "I am Charlotte Simmons".

Anyway, here is the link: ebooks for your iPhone, BlackBerry, Windows Mobile Smartphone, Palm Treo and Centro, Symbian Mobile Phones and more - Over 60,000 Titles and counting!

Hopefully, both Amazon and Barnes & Noble will have Kindle and ePud eReader versions for Android soon.

 

[OfTheDamned]

OTD, is it hard to find ebooks to legitimately buy? I'm just getting into loading some books on my Eris (I just downloaded Mark Twain's "Roughing It" from Google Books in ePub format), and I'm looking for Tom Wolfe's "The Right Stuff". When I Google it, the only available format is Kindle, which Aldiko can't read (not counting the shady bit torrent pdf sites).
"The Right Stuff" was a huge best-seller. I'm looking to buy it, not steal it. Is that the case with a lot of books - that they're just not available in a format other than Kindle?

I found it at Macmillan in ebook format for $15.99. You can use Calibre to convert it to ePub format.

This tutorial will also explain how to convert a kindle book to ePub format and allow you to read it in Aldiko.

 

[grvthang]

Thanks, OTD and doogald.
I saw "The Right Stuff" on Macmillan's site, too - it has it listed, but you can't buy it (notice it doesn't say "add to cart" after the name, as it does on the hard copy).

Thanks very much for the tip on Calibre and the tutorial - I can buy the kindle version on Amazon and convert it. (btw, it's an incredible book - and movie, too)

I started reading the Mark Twain book last night. I can see why you like Aldiko so much, OTD; it really is a great app. Very customizable, and easy to use. After a few pages I forgot that I was reading a book on my phone.

 

[Pocalypse]

So can Calibre convert books purchased from the Amazon Kindle store? I thought they had some kind of DRM on them?

 

[OfTheDamned]

So can Calibre convert books purchased from the Amazon Kindle store? I thought they had some kind of DRM on them?

You can use this tutorial to remove the DRM and calibre to convert a kindle book to ePub format and allow you to read it in Aldiko.

 

[Kevkelsar]

You can use this tutorial to remove the DRM and calibre to convert a kindle book to ePub format and allow you to read it in Aldiko.

While the link mentioned will allow you to convert your books on your Kindle to work on your Eris, I found a MUCH easier method. When you order the books on Amazon, download the Kindle for PC program, and download the books to that instead. Then, follow this tutorial on how to convert them to work on your Eris (import them into Aldiko). MUCH easier to do, especially for those who don't understand how to use Python or other DOS type programs. I've used this method to convert over books that I downloaded from Amazon to my Kindle for PC in just a few minutes.

 

[OfTheDamned]

While the link mentioned will allow you to convert your books on your Kindle to work on your Eris, I found a MUCH easier method. When you order the books on Amazon, download the Kindle for PC program, and download the books to that instead. Then, follow this tutorial on how to convert them to work on your Eris (import them into Aldiko). MUCH easier to do, especially for those who don't understand how to use Python or other DOS type programs. I've used this method to convert over books that I downloaded from Amazon to my Kindle for PC in just a few minutes.

That really does look like it is a lot easier to use. Great find! I am really stocked up on books right now, but I am going to play with this the next time I need something.

 

[Wraithbane]

I can't imagine enjoying reading a book on my phone...

Well, assuming you have the Eris, start imagining, I've got about 60 on my phone and am in process of trying to convert the 800 or so from my Palm LifeDrive into a format I can use with the reader on my phone. I find it very convenient to have, and it's nice to know that if I have time to kill I've got books to read.

Oh, and I think OTD may have missed this one, but I've been pretty happy with FB Reader, I prefer it to Aldiko.

Also, if you're going to be converting book formats, check out the program Calibre, it converts to and from most formats. Just not from my Plucker PDB format, darn it.

 

[grvthang]

While the link mentioned will allow you to convert your books on your Kindle to work on your Eris, I found a MUCH easier method. When you order the books on Amazon, download the Kindle for PC program, and download the books to that instead. Then, follow this tutorial on how to convert them to work on your Eris (import them into Aldiko). MUCH easier to do, especially for those who don't understand how to use Python or other DOS type programs. I've used this method to convert over books that I downloaded from Amazon to my Kindle for PC in just a few minutes.

Thanks! That DOES sound much easier. I started to use the method suggeated by OTD (thanks again, OTD) bit being unfamiliar with it, once I saw what it entailed, I decided to put it off until I had a bit of spare time to mess around with it (which is still waiting to happen) . This looks much simpler.

I sure pity the person who has an Eris and doesn't follow this forum...

 

[chassum]

Oh I hope no one took offense! The convenience and portability is outstanding, of course. My only issue would be staring at such a small screen for so long, and having to do so much constant scrolling. Even for web pages... I'll look up a quick site on my phone every now and then when I need to, but for full-fledged browsing I prefer a regular monitor and mouse. OTD, the features you listed sound pretty helpful.

I'm not saying it's a bad thing though... Purely preference, that's all. Though I've never actually tried it, so that's why you'll notice that my post is purely an assumption about myself But you both enjoy it, so that's awesome. Everyone uses their smart phones for different reasons, so this should be no exception

I have very poor eyesight, but I can my Aldiko reader is easier to see than most of my dead-tree library.