Tuesday 19 April 2011

Calibre - if you own an eReader you need this.

I've been using his free software on both the Kindle and Sony eReader and I must say it is an absolute must have if you own an eReader - It exists to organize, convert and even transfer your ebook collection to and from your ebook reader.

That's not all it does: you can use it to download RSS feeds and convert them into a format for reading on your eBook reader. You can even configure it as a web server, allowing you to access your books from any Internet-connected browser. It'll even convert between formats - ePub for the Sony and Mobi for the Kindle. Another nifty feature is that it will correct badly formatted eBooks-indent the paragraph, remove headers and everything.

And whilst it's interface may seem a little baffling at first it is simple to use and only needs an hour or so of use before it becomes second nature. Think of it as iTunes for eBooks - it's that simple.



The process starts by letting the program organise your e-books library. Point calibre at your files and it'll quickly (and almost automatically) build a database around your collection, downloading metadata like covers for extra visual appeal. You can then sort and search your books by title, author, date published, rating, custom tags and more, making it quick and easy to find whatever you need.
Calibre can then display your book, too (as long as it's not DRM-protected), with an integrated viewer that handles all the main formats and supports features like table of contents, CSS, printing, searching, embedded fonts and more.

You also get a comprehensive conversion tool that will convert documents in all the main e-book formats (CBZ, CBR, CBC, EPUB, FB2, HTML, LIT, LRF, MOBI, ODT, PDF, PRC, PDB, PML, RB, RTF, TCR, TXT) to any of twelve standard formats (EPUB, FB2, OEB, LIT, LRF, MOBI, PDB, PML, RB, PDF, TCR, TXT).

And there are many surprising extras. Calibre can automatically fetch news from websites or RSS feeds, for instance, then format the results into an eBook. A powerful sync tool will work with many different devices, from dedicated e-book readers like the Kindle to Android phones and the iPhone. And the program even includes an integrated web server that allows you to access your e-book collection from a browser, anywhere in the world.


Download the free tool HERE  where you will also find a demo that show the software in action.

1 comment:

Mack said...

You are spot on about Calibre, Gary. It is an astounding product. Until I read this post I hadn't done any real exploring of the additional features but that will change soon. I too recommend it highly.

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