Thursday, October 28, 2010

Kindle Skills - Mobi and Your Mac

Don't think for a minute .mobi files are only for your PC and Kindle. If you have a Mac, and want to read .mobi files (or any other Kindle compatible files) on your computer, you just need the right software. One of the first that comes to mind is the FREE  Amazon Kindle app for the Mac. Download it and install it on your machine and you will have an extra Kindle! And this extra Kindle will display any .mobi  files you may download from places like manybooks.net.

Calibre is another great software that you can use on either a PC or Mac, the latest version is available for each. With Calibre, you can even convert files to something more Kindle friendly, as well as use the Calibre software to transfer book files to your Kindle.

You really don't need any special software to transfer files to your Kindle, whether you own a Mac or a PC. All you need are some good file management skills, being able to connect the thing via the USB cable and open the Documents folder on the Kindle, then drag the book you want to transfer to your Kindle to that Documenta folder.

If you don't have software that will read a .mobi file on your Mac, you can still transfer that .mobi file to the Documents folder on your Kindle with no special software and read that book on your Kindle.

Manybooks.net note: You can actually download these books from your Kindle, directly from the web site. It is certainly worth clicking these book links and experimenting with your 5-way toggle. It may be a little clunky, but actually works fine. You will make good use of that free Amazon whispernet connection. The .mobi file format is my personal favorite for books from Manybooks.net on my Kindle, but you can also use .prc, .txt, and .azw files with no trouble. Experiment with them all and decide for yourself which formats you like the best. Manybooks.net books are always FREE!

Instant refresher:
How to download a book file from manybooks.net and how to get it to your Kindle.
Downloading 101 - Firefox
Downloading 101 - Internet Explorer
Kindle File Management

Ask Mrs. Wizard:
Please send me a personal email (mrswizard@mrswizard.com) if you have any questions. I answer all my emails and am more than happy to help any time I can. Your questions mean a lot to me, and may even inspire an article that will help others and make this a more valuable resource to anyone who reads it. 

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