Aura H2O Buying Books

[CherryChieri]

Hi there, recently got myself a H2O (Kindle didn't suit my needs).

I've been wanting to buy books from various online stores (Barnes and Noble, Amazon etc), but being from Australia, our selections are smaller/pricier/etc etc.

I know you can use VPN's to bypass geolocks, that isn't an issue (I use hola). However, I tried getting a free ebook (manga) from Barnes and Noble (put in a US address) and it went through okay. Only problem is, it won't download.

Anytime I try to get anything from the kindle store (US address), it says it can't download as there's no kindle connected. I downloaded the kindle for windows app, but nothing...

Assuming I get this to work (been trying for a few hours so far...), you use the DeDRM thing and then Calibre, correct? From Calibre, it then can be put on the H2O and you're good to go! ...in theory lol

I have a feeling I'm missing something incredibly basic, so if anyone could lend a hand, that would be awesome!

[meeera]

Go to Apprentice Alf's blog for all your DeDRM needs. B&N is tricksier - check out the detailed info over there. We can't give you detailed guidance on that here.

I don't think all Kindle books are available for Kindle for PC/Mac, which is what you need to get the file onto your computer. You'll need to check each individual book for that information.

You don't need a VPN to bypass geolocks at Kobo, btw - just change your country in your address details.

[GeoffR]

(You'll probably get better help with buying from B&N/Amazon by asking in the Nook/Kindle forum.)

Downloading from B&N has become difficult, even if you have a Nook, but is still possible. See the B&N removed download option on all books in "My Nook" library thread. Personally I wouldn't bother trying to buy ebooks from B&N, it is just far more effort than it is worth.

Amazon is easier to deal with if you have a Kindle than if you don't, some recommend buying a cheap second-hand Kindle just so you can link it to your account, even if you never actually use it to read ebooks. But if you don't have a Kindle linked to your account then you should be able to download most ebooks to Kindle for PC. However things seem to be changing, and I haven't bought a book from Amazon for a while (there is almost always somewhere else cheaper) so I don't know if that always works. Amazon are apparently fairly tough on enforcing georestrictions, so you are better to open a new account, and don't pay with a credit card associated with your main account.

Kobo is much easier to buy from when travelling, just change your address to the country you are visiting and you will see all the ebooks and prices available in that country. Books that are not discountable in Australia might well be discountable in other countries, so you probably want to check out the Kobo Discounts: Coupon Codes + Discussion thread for promo codes.

I would also check out the publisher's site for some books, some publishers sell their books DRM-free and are easy to download directly, even if they use DRM when selling through retailers.

[CherryChieri]

Thanks for the responses!

@meeera Yeah, I know we can't speak of DeDRM here, but it's not like it matters until I can actually download something lmao

I didn't know that... I've got the Kindle for PC, works fine, but that's helpful info. Would have been great if someone had told me that sooner :/

Tried doing that with Kobo. Got a free ebook onto my account, can't download it with Adobe DRM. So far the Kobo is becoming nothing but a major waste of money...

@GeoffR

Yeah B&N seems like a supremem effort with little gain, so I think I'll stay clear.

I've got no funds for a second hand kindle. I had to haggle and get this as an early gift as it was. It seems the previous manga I was trying to get from Amazon was not available on PC - tried at $3 book, downloaded to PC just fine. I opened a new account, but I've got the same debit card. If I can figure out the problem with the kobo store now (it's always something lmao) then I won't need to buy from Amazon anyway.

Yeah, that was the reason why I got the Kobo. I'm going to Japan for a month in just over a month, and probably moving there next year, so it was just a lot more convenient to have something 'travelable'. Thanks for the link!

I was just wondering if it'd be easier to download some kindle stuff to my adndroid tablet and then move to computer, break DRM if necessary and then calibre it? Well, not easier, as it's far clunkier, but it's an option, I suppose...

Just to check, how do GooglePlay books work on Kobo??

[GeoffR]

To download Adobe DRM books you need to install Adobe Digital Editions (ADE). This works pretty much the same whether you download from Kobo, Google, or one of the many other ePub retailers with Adobe DRM books. It is best to install a version of ADE earlier than version 3.0 if you want to be sure you can remove the DRM from future books once downloaded. I use version 1.7.2 and it works fine, but some others have found they need to use version 2.0.1 for Google.

You will also need ADE if you want to borrow pubic library books to read on your Kobo.

(An old version of ADE might not be so good for actually reading books with, but it is fine if you are just using it to download.)

Here is one of Kobo's help pages on ADE. You don't need to actually authorize your ereader device if you don't intend to transfer DRM books to it, but you should create an Adobe ID and at least authorize the computer you have installed ADE on.

Here is the link for ADE 1.7.2. (Windows)

Edit: You can currently still get ADE 2.0.1 from this page.

[CherryChieri]

Alright, I figured out the Kindle part and it's on the H2O!!

Not sure about the Kobo store, but I think it's being more cooperative when I try to access the store directly from the H2O instead of the desktop.

Not entirely what I wanted but I'll take what I can. However, it's saying the free manga I've download is on the cloud. Can I get a copy of that to my computer?

EDIT: Oops, sorry didn't see that you'd replyied! Yeah, I've got ADE installed and that worked fine with whatever I did last night, but it's not working on this Kobo one for some reason (from desktop, but the device itself is still downloading so fingers crossed!) Good to know they work relatively the same.

[GeoffR]

Originally Posted by CherryChieri

Not entirely what I wanted but I'll take what I can. However, it's saying the free manga I've download is on the cloud. Can I get a copy of that to my computer?.

Is the manga from Kobo? There are some special 'ebooks' that don't work on e-ink readers or ADE. On the Kobo website you need to check the "Download options" section at the bottom of the book description (See this post for a screenshot): If there are no download options listed then you probably won't able to download it to your computer either directly or with ADE, but will need to have the appropriate app installed to read it.

Edit: I have never bought manga or any book from Kobo that wasn't available as EPUB2 or EPUB3, so someone else might have better advice about this.

[CherryChieri]

Huh, that's interesting. Yeah, it's Kobo. At the moment, it's on the device itself, so I'm happy with that (free is free, after all).

Thanks for the information, I'll keep a close eye out for specific download info in the future!