Android

Remove DRM from Kindle Books

I recently found myself in a bind for law school – I have to read 150 pages by Monday of a novel for a class.  I was driving to Georgia over the weekend and realized 8 hours in the car would be perfect.  However, I struggled to get the book I needed downloaded and converted.  I have a Windows machine but am a Linux user.  I needed to get the Kindle de-DRM functions working in Linux so I could listen to the book I purchased.  By the way – I now own the paperback ($14), the Barnes and Noble version ($12.99) and the Kinde version ($12.99).  I have $42 invested and feel ensuring I can listen to this book is well justified.

The following instructions are for Calibre and Linux.

Linux.
1) Install Calibre.  Choose software updater in Linux and install Calibre.
a) Open Calibre and ensure all looks OK.
2)  Go to Alf’s Apprentice Blog and download the latest DRM tools
a) Download the zip file and unzip it.
3) Install Wine on the Linux machine —https://wiki.winehq.org/Ubuntu
a) If your system is 64 bit, enable 32 bit architecture (if you haven’t already):
sudo dpkg –add-architecture i386
a) add-apt-repository ppa:ubuntu-wine/ppa
b) apt-get update
c) apt-get install wine1.7
d) Launch Wine Configuration
e) Follow the prompts: Wine configuration setup will ask to install the missing Wine dependencies in order to complete its setup to configure wine on the system. Most probably it requires wine Gecko installer and wine Mono installer.
f) Run “Configure Wine”, which will set up the default ‘wineprefix’
5) Run winetricks, select the default wineprefix and install component vcrun2008
6) Follow the following Linux instructions below:
——————————————————————————————–
Download all of the following to a folder
a) Download Kindle for PC
b) Adobe Digital Editions 1.7.x from http://helpx.adobe.com/digital-editions/kb/cant-install-digital-editions.html.  (Adobe Digital Editions 2.x doesn’t work with Wine.)
c) ActivePython 2.7.X for Windows (x86) from http://www.activestate.com/activepython/downloads
d) PyCrypto 2.1 for 32bit Windows and Python 2.7 from http://www.voidspace.org.uk/python/modules.shtml#pycrypto (PyCrypto downloads as a zip file. You will need to unzip it.)
7) Run the mis-named “Uninstall Wine Software”, which also allows installation of software.
 a) Install Kindle for PC. Accept all defaults and register with your Amazon Account.
 b) Install Adobe Digital Editions. Accept all defaults and register with your Adobe ID.
 c) Install ActiveState Python 2.7.x. Accept all defaults.
 d) Install PyCrypto 2.1. Accept all defaults.
8) Don’t do anything yet — we did the easy part.  Now we need to run the script to get the Kindle Key
Hidden away in the Help button of the keys under customize plug is this information.
a) Open Calibre
b) ChoosevPreference
c) Choose Plugins
d) Choose File Type Plugins
e) Choose DRM —
f) Click Customize Plugins and click help to see this text:
First, choose Preferences, then plugins.  Click File Input,
Linux Systems Only
Generating decryption keys for Adobe Digital Editions and Kindle for PC. If you install Kindle for PC and/or Adobe Digital Editions in Wine, you will be able to download DRMed ebooks to them under Wine. To be able to remove the DRM, you will need to generate key files and add them in the plugin’s customisation dialogs.

To generate the key files you will need to install Python and PyCrypto under the same Wine setup as your Kindle for PC and/or Adobe Digital Editions installations. (Kindle for PC, Python and Pycrypto installation instructions in the ReadMe.)Once everything’s installed under Wine, you’ll need to run the adobekey.pyw script (for Adobe Digital Editions) and kindlekey.pyw (For Kindle for PC) using the python installation in your Wine system. The scripts can be found in Other_Tools/Key_Retrieval_Scripts.Each script will create a key file in the same folder as the script. Copy the key files to your Linux system and then load the key files using the Adobe Digital Editions ebooks dialog and the Kindle for Mac/PC ebooks dialog.

9) So….easiest thing to do is go to the folder within your DRM zip folder and copy the kindlekey.pyw script over to your Wine Python folder.  Home/your name/.wine/drive_c/Python27/
a) Drop the kindle key in that folder
b) Choose “Open Folder in terminal”
c) Type wine python kindlekey.pyw
d) Take the key file that is generated and copy it back to your DRM folder.
10) Open Calibre, if closed from above, and go to plugin customization, choose Kindle for PC and Import Data Key.  Choose the key.
11) Close Calibre
12) Go to Kindle for PC – log in and sync your books.  You will see the .azw files under My Documents\My Kindle Content
13) Open Calibre
14) Choose Add Books and browse to the kindle folder to import the books.  Next, choose Convert Books and convert to epub format.
15) I then open the calibre path and cut and paste the converted books to my dropbox.  Now, they are available on my android and I can pull them into Moonreader.

E-Book On the Android

E-book reading Experience

I have a Samsung Galaxy 3S in the Android world.  My three most important programs are Google Reader (for my RRSS feeds), Podcaster to listen to podcasts offline and MoonReader+ as my e-reader.

Podcaster and MoonReader allow me to listen to many things while at the gym or in the car – time otherwise wasted for most people.  This article is meant to explain how to effectively use an e-reader.

First, download MoonReader+ from the Play Store. https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.flyersoft.moonreader

Second, download and install a better text to speech program like Ivona. You can set this as the default text to speech on your android device and use it with maps and other applicatons. https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.ivona.tts&referrer=utm_source%3Daffilate%26utm_medium%3Dcpa%26utm_campaign%3Divona

Install both programs from Google Play and check them for operation on your Android Device.

 

Next, download your epub books.  Quite frankly the public domain libraries suck and I suggest buying good books from Amazon or Barnes and Noble.  However, that presents a problem because they are protected with “DRM” – digital rights management.  I do not condone in any way violations of copyrights.  However, I am a believer that once I have bought the book it is mine to use as I please.  Thus, I need to use MoonReader for highlights and text to speech.

Download and install on your computer the program called Calibre. http://calibre-ebook.com/

This is a great tool for epub book files on your computer and is available for any architecture.  You can search your computer install books you already have. More importantly, you can find and add your Kindle and Nook books.  If you have only used your Nook (Android) then download the files to your computer by logging into your Barnes and Noble account.

At this point you should have MoonReader and Ivona on your Android.  You should have Calibre on your PC.  Lastly, we need to break the DRM.  To do so, download the python DRM application here: http://epubee.com/drm-removal-tool-tutorial.html

Follow the instructions.  It is not for the faint of heart, but can be done.  Just take your time.  You can now convert all of your books and test them with Calibre.  Note, you will see two copies of the books (epub and epub.original).  Calibre archives the original and it is still accessible.  You can test the true epub version within Calibre.

The last step is to copy the books over to your Android. My Galaxy has an application called “KiesAir” which allows me to copy wirelessly.  Worst case, you can use a wire….

 

A few other side notes:

–          In MoonReader make sure you setup a dropbox account. This will allow you to synchronize your position among different devices (i.e. android tablet and android phone)

–          In MoonReader change your background for easier reading

–          Setup an Evernote account and use MoonReader+ t o export highlights to share with others.

Microsoft Outlook Tips and Tricks

Microsoft Outlook Tips and Tricks
I travel between time zones and work on site in other times zones often. Keeping my calendar straight in Outlook has been a huge challenge. Second, I have more than one calendar: my primary Outlook, a second Outlook domain, my Gmail calendar, and finally I use “Tripit.com” to aggregate my travels.
In this tutorial I will cover the following:
1) Adding a an additional time zone to Outlook
2) Maintaining time zone support on your iPhone
3) Publishing calendars and viewing a published calendar

Adding Time Zones to Outlook
My business problem is that I live in Eastern Time (Atlanta) and often travel to Pacific Time (Salem, Oregon) to spend several days in meetings. Instead of doing the time zone math in my head when setting meetings it is easiest to have Outlook do this for me.

1) First and foremost, ensure your Windows settings are correct.

a. Right click on the date/time on your computer
b. Choose “Adjust Date/Time”
c. Ensure the time and date are correct
d. Second, click on the tab labeled “Time Zone”
e. Ensure the time zone is correct for your “home” location. This is where you consider your base office. For instance, if you live in Dallas and the default time zone is “Pacific time” then change it to Central time.
f. Make sure the check box, “Automatically adjust for daylight savings time” is checked.

2) Start Microsoft Outlook
3) Click on “Calendar”
4) Once the calendar shows, click on the “Week” view.
5) In the blank area, just below the date, right-click and choose “Change Time Zone”
6) A pop-up screen will show with another of options:

a. Click “Show an additional time zone”
b. Choose the time zone and click “Adjust for daylight saving time”
c. Give the zone a name, for me I choose “Salem” and the time zone is Pacific Time.

7) Use the button “Swap Time Zones” when traveling to change or to easily set appointments.
8) When done, click “OK”, your second time zone shows on the screen.

Maintaining Time Zone Support on Your iPhone
When traveling I used to struggle with the iPhone not properly showing my appointments in another location. As an example, let’s assume we are headed to a trade show in Las Vegas and normally live in Atlanta. Using the steps in the previous section, setup Las Vegas as an alternate time zone and swap time zones. Appointments for the week of the trade show can be setup in the local Las Vegas time zone.
To ensure your iPhone looks right on arrival you must ensure iPhone Time Zone Support is off.

1) Go to the Home screen on your iPhone
2) Choose Settings
3) Scroll down to Mail, Contacts, Calendars
4) Scroll down the calendar to “Time Zone Support”
5) Click on it and ensure the setting is “Off”

Since all of your calendar settings are in correct local time, which means they reference to UTC time correctly then the events will shift as you travel. Thus, an appointment set in Outlook for 4pm EDT will show at 1pm in Salem, Oregon on your iPhone calendar.
Publishing Outlook Calendars and Viewing Published Calendars
The next challenge I faced was sharing two distinct versions of Microsoft Outlook on my computer. I did this to segregate emails and keep appropriate domain names filed separately. Fortunately my iPhone made managing the calendar easier as I could see multiple calendars. However, I needed the same capability in Outlook.
To make this change I had to publish each calendar to the other Outlook. Let’s say we have Outlook1 and Outlook2. Outlook1 is one domain and Outlook2 is the second.
Before starting you will need a Microsoft Live Account (Create MS-Live Account).

1) Open Microsoft Outlook
2) Choose Calendar
3) You may be able to share your calendar if your domain settings allow, but most domain settings will not allow this.
4) On the left hand side find the option “Publish My Calendar”
5) You will be prompted for your Microsoft Live credentials.
6) At the end of publishing you will be prompted for emails to invite to your calendar. Enter your Outlook2 email address.
7) When done, exit Outlook.
8) Re-open Outlook, but open Outlook2.
9) Accept the invitation in your email to read the published calendar.
10) Click on calendar
11) On the left hand side there will now be a checkbox available under “People’s Calendar”
12) Click the box and you can see the published calendar.

Repeat the above steps within Outlook2 to publish to Outlook1.

Viewing your calendar
When adding the new calendar, the second one, to your Outlook the two will show side by side. Personally I prefer an overlay that allows me to see a single weekly calendar with all of the dates overlaid.

1) Start Outlook
2) Click Calendar
3) I prefer to be in week view, click “week” at the top
4) On the left hand side, under “People’s Calendars” ensure there are additional calendars selected
5) Two possible views exist; overlay view and side by side view.
6) Right click under the date, on the main calendar
7) Click the appropriate choice:
a. “View in Overlay Mode”, or
b. “View in side by side mode”
For more information, visit Microsoft’s help page by clicking here.

Fly through TSA security

Traveling with my laptop and my iPhone always slows me at TSA going through Atlanta Hartsfield Airport.  I have to take the laptop out and put it in a separate bin.  I always worry about dropping it.  By the time I get my shoes off I realize I have two bins, a backpack and luggage I am managing.  So, I wondered if I could replace the laptop with my gTab?

Read my recent column discussing this issue on the tech review over at “The Biship of Technology“.

Kindle versus Nook software for the gTablet

I have been using my Viewsonic gTablet for about a month now. In the first 30 minutes I owned it I flashed a new Rom and have a fully functional Android tablet.

One of the primary missions of getting a tablet was to replace my stack of books with something I could take with me. I travel a lot and having access to different topics was important to me. Primarily I read news via RSS feeds so I do not subscribe to magazines. I do, however, read huge amounts of literature. Thus, the original quest was to buy a Nook or Kindle. With the gTab I have the best of all worlds and much more at my fingertips. Continue reading…

G-Tablet Updates – Tips and Tricks

Holy Crap Batman!

The biggest problem I found was no one knows how to sync Outlook Calendars and Contacts. Here is the answer:
Google Calendar Sync. I did this first – NO PROBLEM.

Contacts took a little work.
Here is how to do your contacts. I ran into a “Captcha Error”. Here is the link I went to – Unlock your google account.

What else?

You have to read this article — gives great ideas. PC World Tips on Android.

Our company uses Lotus Notes and I installed the Lotus Notes traveler. All is working great.

My new Tablet Computer

My wife gave me a great new tablet computer for father’s day. Check it out here. I think this thing is an iPad killer, but it is horribly lame with the software installed from Viewsonic. When I first turned it on I was blown away – the regular Android software was running. Then a firmware update took place and I was left with Viewsonic’s “Touch n Tap.” I had already decided I was going to “root” the device and flash a new Rom. There are choices: TNT, Cyanogenmod, CreativeEyes, Mountain Laurel and the list goes on.

Feeling good, but nervous I prepped for the flashing upon arrival. This web site – www.raywaldo.com taught me everything I needed to know. There are several steps:
1) Determine your firmware
2) Install ClockworkMod
3) Flash the new OS

It took me less than 30 minutes.

Coming from the iPhone world I have had some other challenges. What apps to install? How does this thing work? Etc.

I did the following:
1) Installed the equivalent from the Android Market of apps I use on my iPhone
2) I installed Adobe Acrobat
3) I went with Documents to Go for Droid so I could truly edit word documents
4) I found some SQL Server console programs
5) I installed Angrybirds – of course!
6) I got a live desktop that looks like a fish tank – WOW!
7) My Kindle account is installed

I discovered I have 5 screens with which to work and am continuing to navigate. I will share more as I do more, but wanted to document my experience.

RSS Feeds

RSS Feeds

Last week I wrote about how I was learning to exploit more value from my iPod. Today is an unintended part II to that article.

Everyday I read about 15-20 web sites, a lot of blogs and news. There are some authors like James Howard Kunstler that I don’t visit that often. Thus, I miss his weekly blog. Additionally, a friend of mine just started a new column and instead of waiting for an email I wanted to get the updates immediately. Lastly, I want to read this on my iPod Touch (or iPhone or iPad as appropriate). Even this blog has RSS feeds, but I had no idea how to use them.

With a little work this morning I have once again overwhelmed myself with information and news, but I can manage it much better. Far far easier than visiting web sites everyday.

Here is what you need to do:
1) Select a reader. Quite honestly, Google Reader is intuitive and easy. If you already have a blogspot account, gmail, or another google service you can log in with your existing password and username.

2) Subscribe to fees. The easiest way to do this is go to the web site you desire and look for the “RSS” button. One of two things will happen:
a) You will see a list of possible readers. Pick the Google button and the web site will take you back to your google reader account. Accept the subscription.
b) Alternatively, you will find yourself on a page that most likely is the web address and has /feed/ in the title. Copy this address from the index bar (highlight the web address and press ctrl+c). Return to the google reader account window. Push the “Add subscription” button and paste the link.

Now you have a reader and feeds. Depending on how you use your PC will impact how often you read and see the updated news. No more visiting various web sites!

3) iPhone/iPod Touch/iPad – I have an iPod Touch and read news every day. I found a great application called “Reeder”. Visit the Apple iTunes store and download this program. It costs $2.99 and is easy to use. There are other iPhone apps, but I downloaded this and it linked to my google reader account effortlessly. I see each feed as a folder heading and can read through the news.