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Kindle and piracy suggestions (lemmy.pt)
submitted 3 years ago* (last edited 3 years ago) by to c/piracy@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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Hi sailors,

I'm trying to get into the habit of reading but books are often expensive and cumbersome. However I don't particularly like reading on my phone screen since I'll get distracted eventually.

So, e-readers seems to me a perfect fit. It's tech enough that I find it interesting. Not too expensive. Gorgeous paper white display.

So, essentially what I want to know is, which kindle (or other device) is best for cracking/exploiting/moding, and overall just your opinion on it.

Edit3: I've decided I'll buy a paperwhite kindle (2020 version). I found a 2nd hand one, like new, for 80€ with a screen protector + magnetic cover. This way I'm still not supporting amazon :)

Edit 2: I'm from the EU 🇪🇺 so, if you have EU specific tips it'd be great. Also my country doesn't really care about piracy so I'm not really worried about VPNs

Edit: I didn't expect so many people to reply! Thanks everyone!

Also I don't remember writing half of the things on this post? Might just install a monoxide detector... If some admin edited it, thanks. It's a lot clearer now, probably why it got so much traction.

all 24 comments

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[–] 1 point 3 years ago

Buy any kindle you prefer. Install calibre. Connect USB cable between kindle and computer.

Done.

Now download ebooks from anywhere, import into calibre and sync to your Kindle.

I have the paper white touch screen one.

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    [–] 1 point 3 years ago (2 children)

    After initially setting up your kindle, just keep it in airplane mode. Upload new books with calibre

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  • [–] 1 point 3 years ago

    If you skip updates long enough, someone might find a security hole, and if you've skipped the update that fixes it, you'll be able to jailbreak it, install koreader, read epubs without conversion, use the filesystem for ebook organization.

    Also, you'll avoid advertisements, which Amazon is now pushing to the homescreens even of kindles that were bought with the extra-cost no-ads option.

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  • [–] [S] 0 points 3 years ago (2 children)

    Do you do it for privacy or just so that new updates don't break it?

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    • [–] 1 point 3 years ago

    I know this isn't what you're asking for but the kobo H2O is what I use and it's fantastic. It's not sucked into Amazon's shitty ecosystem and right out of the box it works for loading pirated content. I get all my books from the zlibrary onion site and you literally drag and drop files into the file folder. It's e-ink so the battery lasts forever, it gets super bright for outside reading, and it's waterproof. I can't speak to modding but I haven't bought a book since 2020 because of it and I honestly prefer it to most physical books at this point

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    [–] 0 points 3 years ago (1 child)

    You can sideload on to any kindle.

    Paperwhite (non-SE) is the version to go for. They go on sale every month or two, check camelcamelcamel.

    https://singlelogin.re/
    https://calibre-ebook.com/

    Have fun.

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  • [–] 1 point 3 years ago (1 child)

    Also, buy the ad-supported version from a place other than Amazon, and tell Amazon you got it as a gift and would like to remove the ads.

    There’s a non-zero chance the customer service will remove it free of charge because I don’t think it’s possible for someone to pay to remove the ads if it wasn’t purchased from Amazon directly.

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    • [–] 0 points 3 years ago (1 child)

    Every single Kindle supports sideloading books via USB, or even, you can send non-legally obtained books OTA via the Amazon email on your kindle (yes, if you have a Amazon account you can have your device Linked to an @kindle.com mail address).

    But, be worry about some issues. Be sideloading or emailing, Kindle devices natively don't support ePub books. So, if you sideload via USB you WILL need to convert the books to some format like .mobi or .azw3 to be able to read it on the Kindle.

    On the other side, if you email the files, Amazon servers do the converting for you, so you can easily send epub files and the Kindle servers adjust the ebook, you just need to have your Kindle connected to WiFi.

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    • [–] 0 points 3 years ago (1 child)

    I have a Kindle paperwhite without ads, worth paying extra imo. I use Calibre to convert any books I “find” to mobis and send via email through Calibre. I’ve also done this with manga and it’s been working well. Loves me my paperwhite.

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  • [–] -1 points 3 years ago (1 child)

    I have a Kindle paperwhite without ads, worth paying extra imo.

    Pro tip: if you leave off wifi for long enough, the ads seem to expire and they're permanently replaced by some generic pencils image or something. And, since having wifi on can cause the kindle to overwrite your cover images, I sync with calibre over USB anyway. I have the ad-supported Kindle 4 from 2011 and haven't had ads on it since 2012.

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  • [–] 0 points 3 years ago (1 child)

    If you have the magnetic cover though, you’ll still need to press the button to unlock it.

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  • [–] -1 points 3 years ago (1 child)

    I don't follow. When you say magnetic cover, do you mean some of the newer models? Also, what does pressing the button to unlock it do? Does that turn on wifi or something? I have to press a button to turn my Kindle 4 "on" (aka remove the screensaver and show my book) but that doesn't cause an issue.

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  • [–] 0 points 3 years ago (1 child)

    With my ad-free paper white, there’s a magnet in the case that lines up with a sensor in the kindle.

    You open the cover, and it’s right where you left off.

    With the ad supported version, you’d open the cover, and have to push the button to dismiss the ad.

    IIRC, that behavior still persists even if the ads expire.

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  • [–] -1 points 3 years ago* (1 child)

    Huh. Yeah that must be a thing with newer models. Mine doesn't have any magnets, and its not in a shape a case would even make sense. I do press a button to dismiss the "screensaver" (the thing that keeps you from accidentaly turning pages with side buttons when not in use), but I don't see an ad on that screensaver. It's pencils laying on a book, and has been for about a decade now.

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  • [–] 0 points 3 years ago* (1 child)

    This is how the case works.

    With the ad supported kindle, there would be another screen showing the ad before you could use it.

    Not a huge deal, but it does get a little annoying

    It basically prevents you from being able to use the feature of the case

    The ads were a lot less noticeable on the older kindles with the keyboard

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    • [–] 0 points 3 years ago (2 children)

    I know this is the wrong /c/ for this, but.. your local library probably has tons of content you can check out on your Kindle for free.

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  • [–] [S] 0 points 3 years ago* (last edited 3 years ago)

    Seems like a good tip, but I'm from the EU so other than physical books and outdated PC's with dialup (okay, dialup might be going too far haha) I don't think there's anything else at the library here.

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    • [–] -1 points 3 years ago* (last edited 3 years ago)

    As others have mentioned, Kobo is a good device, especially if you use and are familiar with a Linux desktop and command line, as this can circumvent sign up while still getting updates. Discussed here:

    https://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?t=171664

    Then it's just a quick visit over to oceanofpdf (or wherever you can find pdf/epub books). Download book, mount the Kobo, copy the book file, unmount, and enjoy!

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