Clara Do you have to made a Kobo account?

[Oceanslider]

I want to set up a Kobo Clara HD for my wife and have it loaded with a few ePub using Calibre when I give it to her as a gift.

Would I have to setup an account on it to load a few of our ePub files?

[Quoth]

Not if they are DRM free.
You do need at least a fake email address and wifi once to get past the welcome screen, simpler and safer than editing the database.

[davidfor]

Originally Posted by Oceanslider

I want to set up a Kobo Clara HD for my wife and have it loaded with a few ePub using Calibre when I give it to her as a gift.

Would I have to setup an account on it to load a few of our ePub files?

If you want to give it to her and let her do the setup, you can plug it in and sideload some DRM free books. They will be imported once the setup is done.

If you want to completely avoid creating a Kobo account, there are instructions for updating the database to fake it. Or, you can use a fake email address as Kobo do not validate it.

[Oceanslider]

Originally Posted by Quoth

Not if they are DRM free.
You do need at least a fake email address and wifi once to get past the welcome screen, simpler and safer than editing the database.

Thanks, I’m not sure she will ever need a Kobo account. I manage our epubs and can load them for her. Just that I want to give it to her the day we leave for vacation. Later she can decide if she wants a Kobo account. If she wants one later I’d assume she could anytime without resetting everything.

I did buy this with the intention that she would like to borrow library books using Overdrive, which neither of us have experience using.

Also thanks Davidfor, where do you find the instructions that you reference?

[Oceanslider]

Originally Posted by Quoth

Not if they are DRM free.
You do need at least a fake email address and wifi once to get past the welcome screen, simpler and safer than editing the database.

I am pretty sure they are.

[davidfor]

Originally Posted by Oceanslider

Thanks, I’m not sure she will ever need a Kobo account. I manage our epubs and can load them for her. Just that I want to give it to her the day we leave for vacation. Later she can decide if she wants a Kobo account. If she wants one later I’d assume she could anytime without resetting everything.

The setup includes signing into an account. If you want to change that later, you sign out and then back in. That loses the reading status of sideloaded books, but, they will be imported again.

I did buy this with the intention that she would like to borrow library books using Overdrive, which neither of us have experience using.

If you are planning on using the Overdrive integration, then you will need to use a Kobo account.

Also thanks Davidfor, where do you find the instructions that you reference?

Somewhere in the forum. A search will find them. I don't keep a link to them as I think that they are pointless.

[Quoth]

Originally Posted by davidfor

I don't keep a link to them as I think that they are pointless.

Because it's simpler and safer simply to use a fake email address. Kobo doesn't check it.

[JSWolf]

What's with the paranoia? I've had a Kobo account since before I got my H2O.

[Quoth]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

What's with the paranoia? I've had a Kobo account since before I got my H2O.

Certainly a real Kobo account is a minor issue compared to Facebook, Microsoft (inc their LinkedIn), Google or Amazon. I'd not worry about it. It's not like you have to give them any details / payment options unless you buy.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by Quoth

Certainly a real Kobo account is a minor issue compared to Facebook, Microsoft (inc their LinkedIn), Google or Amazon. I'd not worry about it. It's not like you have to give them any details / payment options unless you buy.

And if you do have a proper account at Kobo, you can buy eBooks if you want.

[rashkae]

If anyone wants to use it, your welcome to just copy my blank data base into your .Kobo directory. Disconnect/eject, and reboot the Kobo before trying to use it, (this is a 3.19 database, Kobo will want to update it before it works properly.)

https://www.transfer.sh/I52N2/KoboReader.sqlite

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by rashkae

If anyone wants to use it, your welcome to just copy my blank data base into your .Kobo directory. Disconnect/eject, and reboot the Kobo before trying to use it, (this is a 3.19 database, Kobo will want to update it before it works properly.)

https://www.transfer.sh/I52N2/KoboReader.sqlite

This is still a form of paranoia. There's no need to be paranoid here. Just create an account at Kobo and register the Reader. There is nothing at all wrong with doing this.

[mirage]

Does Kobo "call home" from the ereaders? Rakuten is not Facebook, Google, et. al., but they may well want user data for their own use for similar purposes. No paranoia, just wondering.

[4691mls]

FWIW:

https://authorize.kobo.com/terms/privacypolicy

[mirage]

Thanks for posting that. I should have looked for it. They make it pretty clear that they're tracking user activity just like so many other companies do.

We collect Personal Information when you use or otherwise interact with the Kobo Services. For example, we collect information about how you use the Kobo Services, such as pages you view, the rate at which you consume e-content (how often and for how long), genres, authors or subject matter you prefer and searches you make or share, the ebooks or audiobooks you have liked, comments you have left and also websites you have viewed through links in the comments. We collect this information across the various devices, applications, and other tools via which you access and interact with the Kobo Services.

...We may disclose certain Personal Information with service providers, business partners or affiliates, or by selling it to third parties where such sales are compliant with applicable law. As used in this Policy, the “sale” of Personal Information refers to sharing your Personal Information with a third party for monetary or other valuable consideration, subject to any exceptions under applicable law.

Those who prefer to avoid providing an email address and/or stay offline have reason to do so if these things concern them.