Ebook Readers and Book Machines

This is a copy and paste I just gave to someone else:

You can find working ones pretty easily on eBay. Search for “Kindle Keyboard 3rd generation,” make sure the listing says “tested and working,” and check the seller’s feedback. They’re often listed for around $40 to $50, though you can sometimes find a good working one cheaper.

The Kindle 3 by default supports USB sideloading, so you don’t need to register it or connect it to Amazon.

First, download Calibre, a free, open-source program (highly regarded!) for organizing and converting ebooks. Charge the Kindle, connect it to your computer with a USB cable, and Calibre will detect it automatically.

Add your DRM-free ebooks to Calibre and convert them to MOBI, which the Kindle 3 reads well. Then select the books and click “Send to device.” That’s really all there is to it. It probably took me longer to explain than the process actually takes.

There are plenty of other e-readers, of course. Newer models support EPUB and offer more control over fonts, layouts, and other settings. I stick with the Kindle 3 because it’s easy to repair, and converting books to MOBI is simple. EPUB is the standard these days, but Calibre can convert your DRM-free books into whatever format your reader needs.

The hooha around Amazon is that they don’t allow you to buy an ebook from the, then download and transfer manually like they used to. But since you already have your ebooks, you don’t have to worry about that. I never get my books from Amazon, so never an issue for me either.

I can still send you a kindle 3 for roughly my cost if ya want, which would also be around $50 since screens are and batteries are around $25 each.

Honestly, though, you can find an equally good Kindle on eBay and sometimes for for less, especially when someone is just selling an old reader after upgrading.