Real kindle sideloading solution

[bdesja1]

I've posted this elsewhere with little reply. Hope I get one here...

I've searched the forums and MANY other outlets but have yet to find an answer to my problem. I have side-loaded some .mobi files via the Kindle Import homebrew app and have made various notes, highlights and bookmarks in those files. I wish to keep these files, BUT since they were not purchased via Amazon they are NOT backed up on Amazon's servers. So, I would like to export the notes and marks for backup on my PC. I've learned that such files are normally referred to as .mbp or .tan files (or even clippings.txt's?) but cannot locate such files (perhaps because the Touchpad app is a completely different animal from a standard Kindle ereader). Any ideas? And thanks for any help out there!

[kjhenrie]

Originally Posted by bdesja1

I've posted this elsewhere with little reply. Hope I get one here...

I've searched the forums and MANY other outlets but have yet to find an answer to my problem. I have side-loaded some .mobi files via the Kindle Import homebrew app and have made various notes, highlights and bookmarks in those files. I wish to keep these files, BUT since they were not purchased via Amazon they are NOT backed up on Amazon's servers. So, I would like to export the notes and marks for backup on my PC. I've learned that such files are normally referred to as .mbp or .tan files (or even clippings.txt's?) but cannot locate such files (perhaps because the Touchpad app is a completely different animal from a standard Kindle ereader). Any ideas? And thanks for any help out there!

Notes and bookmarks are ultimately stored in db8 database tables on the TP version of Kindle. In some cases they are written to a json file in the .palmkindle folder temporarily. Since the application is a market app according to this the data should be backed up with the webOS backup. If this does work then it will depend on having the same books and covers in the .palmkindle folder with the same names so you will want to back up that entire folder. I haven't tested this so ymmv.

[yozh]

I should stop doing this, but I have an issue:

Hello I have an issue that when I erase one of the books from using the kindle loader none of the books show up in the Kindle app anymore, as a matter of fact the kindle app doesn't even get to the library screen it just shows the guy reading a book and that's it.

Just to add, last time this happened. I had to deauthorize kindle and then authorize, but then everything in .folder was erased and I had to load from PC again.

This is for my father who basically uses touchpad for this purpose only, to read books thru kindle thats 95% of his activity on the touchpad.

Please help.

[kjhenrie]

Originally Posted by yozh

I should stop doing this, but I have an issue:

Hello I have an issue that when I erase one of the books from using the kindle loader none of the books show up in the Kindle app anymore, as a matter of fact the kindle app doesn't even get to the library screen it just shows the guy reading a book and that's it.

Just to add, last time this happened. I had to deauthorize kindle and then authorize, but then everything in .folder was erased and I had to load from PC again.

This is for my father who basically uses touchpad for this purpose only, to read books thru kindle thats 95% of his activity on the touchpad.

Please help.

I responded in the other thread.

[PROM3TH3US]

So you can't scale the mobi files in Amazon Kindle reader? I can't read the files because you can't scale it. I did a PDF to MOBI conversion so I am wondering what output should I set it to?

[ursula]

Thankyou so much for this you beautiful human being i can now enjoy tina fey's bossy pants

[welsh_babe1]

have been using the kindle import for a while now, but have just tried to use it, after adding some books to my touchoad via calibre and it is saying operation failed after i click laod new books and then it says operation in progress and just hangs.

i have tried restarting the touchoad, and have uninstalled and reinstalled kindle import app via preware

any other ideas???

ok i fixed it - removed it, installed the latest version via webosquickinstall, did a restart - NOT LUNA restart. it then worked, wierdly!!

[tboy2000]

Call me stupid but why would you want to sideload ebooks to your kindle when you can easily download them direct from the kindle store?

[stbxxl]

Originally Posted by tboy2000

Call me stupid but why would you want to sideload ebooks to your kindle when you can easily download them direct from the kindle store?

Not all ebooks are available in the (US) Kindle store.

[joedisaster]

Originally Posted by tboy2000

Call me stupid but why would you want to sideload ebooks to your kindle when you can easily download them direct from the kindle store?

I own many ebooks from previous devices unavailable in kindle store or which I'd rather not have to purchase twice. Many free e books are available which render better than Versions in kindle store in my experience

[TimBoch]

I may need to doctor my TP again and in the past, when I have had to do this, I lose my bookmarks and also my location in the books I have side loaded. Is there any way to keep these, or back them up and then reload them after doctoring? I read the other posts, but wasn't sure if they have worked or were applicable. Thanks for the help.

[spud101]

Shoot me if this has been asked before, but I was just wondering whether this wouldnwork for kindle for webOS. I assume not as it seems just a different front-end for the same functionality that doesn't work. Sending Documents to your Kindle Just Got Easier

[stevenshapiro]

Originally Posted by m0ngr31

Hey guys, who wants to help with a real kindle sideloading solution? I've done some kindle hacking in the past, and I'm pretty familiar with wispersync, so I'd like to get a real solution going so we don't have to use the download a book and replace it method...

I am pretty decent at bash/batch scripts (use them at work all the time), and I wrote one a little while ago for sideloaded books for the kindle. It will assign each book you want a legit (enough) ASIN number so that it'll sync progress across your devices. I'd like to use that script and use it as a base for what we need to do to make sideloading on the touchpad work.

I've been browsing the kindle books database in impostah and the source for the kindle app, so I think I would make a script that would use sqlite to inject the correct values into the database to read your real books. This script would be generated when you run my original script on your PC to assign ASIN numbers to your books and extract cover art.

Is there anyone who can help me with the sqlite script? I think my original script is mostly ready to go for the first part. We need to figure out which database its keeping the files in, and then we are set. Who is in?

<<staff edit>>


************UPDATE***************

Here is what the current solution is at this time.

The Kindle-Import tool found on Preware, will import books in the .palmkindle folder of your TP. It will determine meta info from the title of the file so they need to be named properly. Something like one of these:

Title - Author.mobi
Title - Author - ASIN.mobi
Title - Author - ASIN - Locations.mobi

It will also import the cover art associated with these books if they are named properly and in the right place (.palmkindle/coverCache). They have the same naming scheme, but will -medium or -small at the end (ex. Title - Author - ASIN-medium.jpg). The medium cover images need to be 120x170 px, and the small need to be 52x74 px.

I have written a batch script to do this all for you found here

So here is how you do everything:
1. Deregister and then Reregister the Kindle App.
2. Install Kindle-Import from Preware
3. Restart your TP.
4. Use my script to take care of naming and cover art by extracting the .zip file into the directory where all your .MOBI/.AZW files are stored (**EDIT It does a recursive scan now**). Then run the kindleSide.bat file. Your books will be properly named and placed in a folder called .palmkindle. The cover images in a subfolder folder called coverCache. Copy these to your TP (in their respective folders).
5. Run the Kindle-Import app to load and then import your books.
6. Enjoy them in the Kindle app

You will need all the meta data and coverart set properly in Calibre for this to work right.

**EDIT**
I've updated the script to work with .AZW files, remove :'s from the Title of books (unable to use that as a filename), and made it recursive.

That means you can stick it in your Calibre library folder and it'll scan all of the subfolders and get everything it needs.

I don't get why Calibre hasn't incorporated this into it yet.

[eirendel]

First, thanks for creating this. But I've 2 issues. First, the sideload app isn't seeing all the mobi files in the .palmkindle folder, and two, when i try to add new files it add the existing files a second time. I've tried rebooting the TP, and deregistering the kindle and reloading the sideload app - i had to do that to get it to work in the first place. Any ideas why I'm having issues?

[jamestowbindodge]

I need help!!!

I have converted with Calibre and used the bat file to convert, then I imported my books into kindle.

But the imported books will not save my highlights.

I saw a few people mention that the highlights and notes are working fine for them. So how do I fix this?

The notes however do work. But the second I close a book and go to another book then go back to that same book my highlights are gone.

Someone please help

[jamestowbindodge]

Originally Posted by bdesja1

I've posted this elsewhere with little reply. Hope I get one here...

I've searched the forums and MANY other outlets but have yet to find an answer to my problem. I have side-loaded some .mobi files via the Kindle Import homebrew app and have made various notes, highlights and bookmarks in those files. I wish to keep these files, BUT since they were not purchased via Amazon they are NOT backed up on Amazon's servers. So, I would like to export the notes and marks for backup on my PC. I've learned that such files are normally referred to as .mbp or .tan files (or even clippings.txt's?) but cannot locate such files (perhaps because the Touchpad app is a completely different animal from a standard Kindle ereader). Any ideas? And thanks for any help out there!

How did you get your highlights to even save on the sideloaded mobi files??? As soon as I close the book they are all wiped out.

How do I save them so I can close it or read other books without having to leave the kindle open forever

[vashwood]

Having problems with Whispersync on the Touchpad side.

Windows Calibre 0.9.7
Amazon Kindle Beta 0.12.50 (513361)
Kindle Import 1.3.2

1. Re-converted mobi with Calibre
2. Ran kindleside script
3. Copied .palmkindle folder to Touchpad
4. Imported mobi to Kindle App using Kindle Import
5. Book imports fine but when I try to sync to the furthest page read, I get the following error:

"Book Sync Failed. Encountered a server side error. Please try again later"

I loaded the .mobi file in the .palmkindle folder onto my Android Phone and Kindle V2, and I am able to sync pages between the two devices.

I even restarted the touchpad. Does this feature work for the Touchpad?

[m0ngr31]

For some reason whispersync won't work with sideloaded books on the Touchpad. I'm not even sure if it works on books purchased from Amazon or not.

[vashwood]

Thanks for the quick response. It's not the answer that I want to hear. I guess I can switch to Android when I use the kindle app.

[shneor]

Originally Posted by m0ngr31

For some reason whispersync won't work with sideloaded books on the Touchpad. I'm not even sure if it works on books purchased from Amazon or not.

It does work with whispersync. (I'm still on 3.0.2)