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Transfer ebooks (without using iTunes)

mrbig

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Hi,

Can anybody recommend me how can I transfer e-books to iPad (from PC) without using iTunes?

Thank you in advance.
 

Mickey330

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The easiest way is to get the free Dropbox app (plus, you get up to 2GB free storage). You have to download a Dropbox program to your PC, but once it's there, you can drag-n-drop an e-book into the Dropbox file folder (it's like a regular file/folder in your PC - defaulted to be under My Documents).

Once it's in your Dropbox folder, you open the app and, depending on what type of ebook it is, you select the app you want to use to open the item.

PDFs will open in the Dropbox app's view window or you can choose to open them in Goodreader or iBooks. Epubs have to be opened with either Stanza, Nook or Bluefire Reader. I've not named a bunch of ereader apps you can use, mainly because there are a LOT - all free at the App Store. The main thing is that Dropbox will not open an epub file, you'll have to use another app for those files. Oh, and I don't know about mobi files, 'cause I don't have any of those...

For a more complicated answer, if you have a large e-book collection, and you use Calibre to manage it, there is a way (using Calibre2OPDS) to put your library into Dropbox and create a catalog that you can use to access all your e-books.

Hope this helped.

Marilyn
 
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mrbig

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Thank you for your suggestion, Calibre is the way to go!
 

Wreybies

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If you have Calibre loaded on your PC you can use it to transfer eBooks to any reading device, including the iPad.

I am a serious Calibre fan. Learned me some regex and all that jazz in order to make Calibre give me the best results possible and I have to say that once you know a few tricks, Calibre dances like Baryshnikov.

But.... (and it's a big ole J-Lo butt)

When I first plugged my iPad into my Mac with Calibre open, it did something that it had never done with my iPod Touch. It recognized it and said, "Yo, my man! I see an iPad! Watchu'wanna' do, youngblood??"

Well, maybe not those exact words, but... You catch my drift. :)

If you send an eBook to the iPad directly via Calibre, where does the eBook go? I'm afraid to try and have it end up in some inaccessible place where I can't even erase it. You feel me?
 

Mickey330

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Wreybies:

I don't really use my iPad to read ebooks, as a general rule. I prefer my e-ink screened Pocketbook 360. So, I don't hook my iPad up to Calibre and I don't know how the two interact. I do think that it's more a case of having Calibre talk with iTunes, which you then sync with the iPad.

Although I can'thelp, I do know of an awesome forum that deals specifically with electronic books and the devices with which to read them: Mobileread.com.

There is a thread there that was started to help people work with Calibre and the iPad. It's titled "Calibre 0.7 + iTunes: Start here" and you can get there via this link: Calibre 0.7 + iPad: Start here - MobileRead Forums. Of course, there are more threads and discussions about the iPad, but this'll be a good one to, well, start with. :)

If anyone can help you figure out the finer details of the iPad, Calibre and e-books, it'd be those great folks over there.

Good luck and hope this helps.

Marilyn
 

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