Chapter 3

Getting Books on the Thing

In This Chapter

Moving eBooks to your eReader

WiFi is in the air

Getting in sync

You can take a leatherbound, crisply printed, parchment book anywhere you’d care to read it. So, too, your eReader can go just about anywhere you’d like to take it. In this chapter I explain how to bridge the gap between the bookstore and your device.

Moving eBooks to Your eReader

Your eReader has a communications platform — aka, this is how your device goes online so you can buy and download (pull the files onto your eReader) books. Some devices offer all of the methods mentioned in this chapter, and some devices offer just a select few from the list. The first two are the most popular transfer methods.

Cellular

WiFi

Side loading

Tethering

By memory card

Cellular communication

Some eReaders include a cellular radio:

The most advanced version of the Amazon Kindle

Apple iPad (certain models)

Samsung Galaxy Tab (certain models)

BlackBerry PlayBook (certain models)

The advantage of cellular communication is that it is almost ubiquitous. You’ll run into few places that just can’t get a signal, and most companies also let you carry data — including the web, email, books, and newspaper and magazine subscriptions.

The disadvantage in some plans is that data communication can be very expensive to use — especially if you’re roaming away from your main provider (especially if you’re out of your country). Some plans offer unlimited data, but speak to your cellular phone provider to fully understand the costs and your options.

One exception is Amazon, which offers Whispernet. This specialized cellular data service is offered without extra charge to owners of Amazon Kindle models that have the added 3G or 4G data radios. Again, make certain you understand the capabilities of your particular Kindle if you own one.

WiFi communication

Through the WiFi connection, your eReader can connect to either a specific online bookstore (such as Amazon or Kobo) or something similar. The link to these stores may already come on your device.

Many eReaders can connect to any other site on the web, including all the locations I discuss in Chapter 5 as sources of books and other reading material. When you connect directly from your eReader to any of these websites, they should be able to automatically send books (which come as files).

WiFi systems are all around us. Table 3-1 lists the most common types, and a bit about each.

Table 3-1 Common WiFi Systems

Type of System	Where You’ll Find One	All About It
Home	Where your heart is	Connect a WiFi router to a wired cable modem or DSL phone modem. It’s safer to require users to enter the system key you set at least the first time a connection is made. Unless you tell it not to save the information, an eReader records the info it needs to connect to the system anytime it’s within range of the router.
Office or organizational	Office buildings, libraries, schools, or other organizations	You might be an authorized user who has the system key (and login name, sometimes).
Open	Coffee shops, libraries, stores, and some local government buildings	Free! You need a login; ask at the desk. Got a NOOK? Take it to Barnes & Noble.
Pay sites	Airports and other locations	Some spots sell Internet access by the hour or by subscription. You may need to set up an account beforehand on a laptop or personal computer, or enter credit card info from your eReader. Make sure the operator is worthy of being entrusted with your card number. A better option: pay cash for a time-limited password.

Side loading

Don’t blame me for the unusual name for this means of communication; I’m just the reporter here. Side loading means bringing a file to a laptop, personal computer, or other device that can go online. (I call all of these devices a computer for this particular explanation.) The file is side loaded, or transferred, from the computer to your eReader. It’s done with a USB cable (see Chapter 2) or a wireless connection between the two devices.

You can follow these to get a USB connection:

1. Use the computer to connect to a bookstore or other source of reading material.

2. Download the file for the books or materials you want and put them on the computer.

3. Attach your eReader to the computer using the USB cable that came with the device.

Carefully insert the plug at each end; if it doesn’t attach easily it may be upside down or the wrong size. Forcing a plug into the wrong port can damage your computer or eReader.

4. Transfer the files to your eReader device.

You’re side loading! Some devices show a screen on your computer to help with the transfer. Others show the familiar Windows Explorer (on a PC) or Finder (on a Mac) so you can drag and drop files into eReader.

Some eReaders communicate with something called Bluetooth, which is a wireless protocol that works well over a short distance. Check the instruction manual for your device to see if you can use Bluetooth.

You may come across offers of hacks or other unofficial changes (aka mods) to your eReader’s operating system — especially for Android, Windows, Apple iPad or BlackBerry PlayBook. Don’t install an unofficial version of an operating system; the chances of headache are high.

Side stepping

Some eReaders can do other things with the USB cable connection to a laptop or personal computer:

Install a major update to the operating system. You may be told to download a file to your computer and then move the file onto your eReader, especially on models that don’t have WiFi or cellular radios of their own.

Charge the eReader’s battery. The USB port on a computer supplies electrical power as well as a data signal. It takes longer to charge from the computer than it does using the AC adapter; in addition, drawing power from a battery-operated laptop will reduce the working time for that device. Read the device’s instruction manual for requirements; some require the eReader to be turned and others insist that the system be turned off before the batteries are charged.

Taking the Communication Scheme Less Traveled

Some eReaders offer other ways to transfer files to and from a computer or other electronic device. Check with the maker of your device for specific details.

Tethering

Some eReaders and tablets let you tether, or piggyback on another device’s Internet connection. The thinking is that you probably already have a computer with an Internet link or a smartphone with similar capabilities, so why pay for something extra? For example, certain Kobo models can connect to a computer via the USB cable that comes with it and then use the computer to link to the Internet.

The BlackBerry PlayBook pioneered a similar concept called the BlackBerry Bridge. The tablet communicates by Bluetooth wireless to a nearby BlackBerry smartphone and goes out onto the Internet.

Tethering isn’t always the fastest way to connect to the web. In addition, some cell phone companies have blocked their own users from using their smartphones this way; other companies have imposed additional charges for the privilege of repurposing a service you’ve already paid for once.

Speak to your cell phone provider and make sure you understand what they allow; a few minutes on the phone might save you a startlingly large bill.

Copying files onto a card

Some eReaders can store and access book files on a memory card that plugs into a little slot on the top end of the device. The card, referred to as an SD or SDHC card, gives you extra memory — it stores more books. Figure 3-1 shows both sides of one kind of SD card.

Figure 3-1: SD cards store more books.

The following steps are much like what digital camera owners use to transfer photos from memory cards. Check with the maker of your device to make sure it allows you to move files this way.

1. Push gently on the top of the card and then let go.

2. Install the card in a card reader that attaches to your computer.

3. After your computer acknowledges the card, drag and drop files to (or from) the card.

4. Remove the card from the computer’s card reader.

5. Put the card in the SD slot at the top of your eReader.

Any compatible files you put on the card should be recognized and available for reading the next time you turn on the device.

On many devices, if you add files to your eReader by copying them to an SD or SDHC card, the files will stay on that card and not be copied into the internal memory of the device. However, the files will be accessible for reading.

Syncing anywhere but in the Kitchen

One of the more intriguing features on most eReaders is the ability to sync (synchronize). When you sync, you update so that every device has the same file, and ensures it’s the latest version of that file. You can sync several eBook sources and across almost any of your electronic devices, including a smartphone.

Whatcha got? Here’s one set of compatible devices that all work with the Kobo system:

Kobo eReader

BlackBerry smartphone

Personal computer with a Kobo desktop app

Apple iPad plus a BlackBerry PlayBook and an extra Samsung Galaxy Tab tablet

The same thing is covered by Amazon. Kindle applications (apps, or programs) can run on nearly every tablet and computer with the exception of the Apple iPad. Apple? The same story, with apps for everything except arch-competitor Amazon Kindle.

These multiplatform sync programs work very well with books purchased from the bookstores of Kobo, Amazon, Google Books, or Apple. It isn’t common to find synchronization from free sites like Project Gutenberg or other collections of public domain titles (those out of copyright protection).

When you sign up for an account you will create a username and a password. From that point forward, each time you sign on to your account from any compatible device, it (usually) automatically synchronizes with all of the books you’ve purchased and informed of the last page you were reading. (On some programs, synchronization isn’t automatic: You have to click or otherwise select a button to begin the process.)

Some of the online bookstores — including Kobo and its Borders ancestor — don’t limit the use of a purchased file to only one device, or only one device at a time. As long as a particular device is linked to an account, files are shared and available. Other stores may limit the number of devices that can be synchronized. For most users, two or three synced devices are more than enough.

Ejecting You from the eReader Game

Whether you’re side loading a file or tethering (see earlier sections in this chapter), you don’t want to hurt your device:

Use the original cable that came with the device. Or use an exact duplicate. Not all USB cables are the same. (You can read more about them in Chapter 1.)

Eject the device before you physically unplug the USB cable. When you connect your device to a Windows PC or a Mac computer, the eReader becomes a sort of extra hard disk drive (more memory!) for the larger machine. If you don’t eject the eReader, you might damage the files that are copied from the computer to the eReader.

After you eject an eReader, it will probably tell you that it’s processing any new files. Give it a moment to put books on the shelf.

Ejecting a device in Windows: Method 1

The eReader may have an eject button on its screen. If not, you can eject a USB-connected device from a PC running windows with these instructions:

1. Click the icon that says Safely Remove Hardware.

The icon is on the taskbar at the bottom of the Windows screen.

2. Read the notice that pops up.

It should say something like, “Safely remove USB mass storage device Drive x.”

3. Click the item in the notice that comes up.

The system should respond with, “Safe to remove hardware.”

4. Unplug the USB cable from the computer.

Or instead, you can unplug the cable from the eReader or leave it attached if you intend to connect again to the computer soon.

Ejecting a device in Windows: Method 2

These steps show a different way to eject a USB-connected device from a computer running windows:

1. Open the My Computer (or Computer) folder.

2. Click the icon that represents the eReader or tablet.

3. Now right-click the icon.

Right-clicking means clicking once with the right mouse button. A submenu appears.

4. Click Eject.

5. Unplug the USB cable from the computer.

Ejecting a device on a Mac

Here’s how to eject the Kobo eReader from either a desktop or a laptop Macintosh computer:

1. Open the Finder and select the eReader.

2. From the File menu, select Eject.

If an SD card is installed in your eReader, you also need to eject that memory card.

3. Unplug the USB cable from the computer.

4. Unplug the cable from the eReader.

Or, you can leave it attached if you intend to connect again to the computer soon.