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There have been several threads about this on HN over the past few days and months. Just to avoid the confusion that seems to follow these, a few notes: (1) Th
by 42772827 2y ago
There have been several threads about this on HN over the past few days and months. Just to avoid the confusion that seems to follow these, a few notes:
(1) This is the "Download and Transfer" option where Amazon allowed users to select books they had purchased a license to and download them from the Amazon website.
(2) The ability to transfer books from your computer to your Kindle using a USB cable is not affected.
(3) The ability to send non-Amazon-licensed ePubs using the Send to Kindle email feature is not affected.
- spookybones 2y agoI was reading a Reddit thread on this, and not a single person there understood this. It isn’t good news, but it’s being severely misinterpreted.
- wkat4242 2y ago> (2) The ability to transfer books from your computer to your Kindle using a USB cable is not affected. Well, it kinda is. If you can no longer download the books you paid for, you can't upload them over USB. That's what that feature on their website was meant for, in fact. Of course you can still upload non-Amazon content yes. Which is probably what I'll end up doing. I won't buy books on Amazon anymore if I can't remove the DRM.
- 42772827 2y agoYou can still download books you paid a license to Amazon for, you just have to use a Wi-Fi or 4G LTE-enabled Kindle to do it.
- goosedragons 2y agoWhich may or may not be possible. For 2G Kindles like the Kindle 2 there is no more 2G service and there is no Wifi. Download and Transfer was the only remaining way to load books on from Amazon without ironically removing the DRM.
- 42772827 2y agoAccurate info, edited my comment to specify.
- mattl 2y agoNot suggesting it as a good option but does the Kindle app on Windows and macOS not work with these devices?
- goosedragons 2y agoNope. Kindle for PC can't send books to devices.
- mattl 2y agoElsewhere here and Reddit it seems the trick is to use the Kindle app plus Calibre. Good luck with it.
- wkat4242 2y agoYes, but this is a different method. Using the encrypted books downloaded by the app for PC viewing. Right now they use an old version of the app though, that can easily be blocked by Amazon. I'm surprised it wasn't. The good thing about the download option on the web was that some older Kindles don't support any newer DRM methods so it would always work.
- jsbisviewtiful 2y agoThanks. I feel like the commentary and “news blogs” around this have been very confusing.
- bo1024 2y agoThis is far worse for me than the other possible interpretation - that you could download books but not transfer them. I buy Amazon e-books to read them on other e-readers, but now it looks like I can't.
- starfezzy 2y ago[dead]
- freeAgent 2y agoThat’s the bottom line. Kindle books will now be fully locked into the Kindle ecosystem and if Amazon decides to take back something you’ve “purchased,” you’ll have no recourse. I’m done purchasing ebooks from Amazon because of this.
- barbazoo 2y agoTIL that Kobo integrates with libraries, that means you can download and read library ebooks on your Kobo.
- arez 2y agoyep, that's exactly why I got a Kobo, so much better
- cowsandmilk 2y agoKobo is owned by Rakuten who used to own Overdrive/Libby.
- mattl 2y agoKindle does this too via Libby.
- goosedragons 2y agoOnly in the U.S.
- Yeul 2y agoI like my Kindle because it was cheap (nobody can beat that price) but I've never bought a book from Amazon nor do I plan to. If they aren't interfering with (2) Amazon can do what it wants.