Hi all

I have decided to buy an ereader and almost ordered a Kindle 2 yesterday. I wanted to buy the Kindle because I can use it outside the US. But the I heard about the B&N Nook and wanted to buy that one instead.

I then discovered that the Nook is only available in the US

Today I heard about Calibre and hoped it could help me.

But I can't seem to find out if it can.

Does anyone know if it is possible to buy a Nook outside the US (there are many on ebay), then buy ebooks on Amazon, convert them via Calibre and then transfer them to the Nook?

Thx

Jakob

a) a lot of books on amazon are released in .azw... the proprietary encrypted .mobi by amazon... there are ways to remove the DRM, but we won't discuss it here.
b) the nook allows ePub... you can purchase ePub from other eBook sites

You might want to try looking into services like US Unlocked. A Canadian member used the service recently to get a Nook.


While this is possible you are going to run into two hurdles. The first is getting the book. You will have to use the Kindle For PC application or an iPhone to actually download the book. Amazon does not allow you do download the ebook directly. As another person mentioned you will have to remove the DRM before calibre can convert the file. Also, be aware that Amazon sells books in the AZW and TPZ formats. TPZ is not supported by calibre at this time.

You really would be better off just buying from B&N or another ebook seller than trying to buy from Amazon for use on a Nook.

Hi

Thx for the quick response.

The reason I wanted to use ebooks from Amazon was because I assumed that I couldn't buy ebooks from B&N from outside the US.

But will I be able to do that? I am a registered user at B&N but didn't think it was possible.

Jakob

Jakob,
download, install and run HotSpotShield and you'll be able to buy books from B&N from your computer and then download them to nook over WiFi.

@stangri

Can you be a bit more specific?

I thought HotSpotShield was some kind of security program?

Will I be able to download the books directly from B&N with HotSpotShield installed on my computer or?

Jakob

It is a VPN. Basically what happens is you connect to it and it routes all of your internet traffic though their servers. They have an end point in the USA so it looks like you are in the USA.

according to the nook tech specs page, it only has GSM 850/1900 frequencies. Europe GSM operates on 900/1800.
Even if you could "unlock" it to work on other (non-AT&T) carriers, it does not have the radio frequencies to work in Europe.
It might work for you on WiFi only, however...

@skyyboy

Hi

I was aware of that. I guessed that if only the wifi would work, it would be fine.

But can I be sure it works with HotSpotShield?

Jakob

For anyone interested in buying a Nook from outside the US and downloading the books from B&N, here is how to do that:

If you are planning to get a Nook when you do not live in the US, below are the steps on how to do it.


Purchasing a Nook:
1) Firstly, sign up with http://wwwUSunlocked.com
2) Start shopping at B&N and fill up your basket, when ready for check out..
3) Register the content of your basket on the Ship It page of the US Unlocked website (you can also add purchases from other websites to the same shipment)
4) After submitting the registration you are provided with a unique US shipping address for this shipment
5) Use this address for both the shipping AND the billing address on the B&N website, while using your own credit card data.
6) Submit the order and wait for your order confirmation (please forward to info@usunlocked.com)
7) US Unlocked notifies you of the receipt and charges you the shipping cost to your country. After payment your shipment is sent to you.
8) Allow US Unlocked to register your Nook on the B&N website. This can only be done from US grounds. Be sure your account details are handled with the utmost care.

To estimate a shipping rate for the Nook: 3 lbs for just the Nook, 4 lbs including a cover.

Downloading eBooks: (only possible when your Nook is registered)

1) sign up with a vpn provider. This is because the system checks for your ip location and only US is accepted.
2) go to the B&N website through your vpn connection that works like a tunnel and converts your IP address into a US one.
3) choose the eBooks of your choice and pay for them with your own creditcard while using the same shipping and billing info you used for the purchase of the Nook.

This has been tested and it works!

If you need more information, contact info@usunlocked.com

USunlocked is only one of many options for re-shipping outside the US. Others include viaddress, shipito, and well...plenty more.

I'm advocating for none of them in particular, just pointing out there's options.

Canadians should go with a re-shipping company that offers USPS for shipping, as both FedEx and UPS charge exorbitant hidden brokerage fees.

Couldn't tell you the best option for Europe though. Good luck!

I had pretty much made up my mind to buy a Nook. That is get in line for one, then I ran into the "US addresses only" ........

I buy books at BN all the time and have them mailed here, I think I have done that for the last time.

I have read the details above, and am just not willing to go through all of that.

I will not be buying a Nook. I will go back to looking at the Sony, which is a shame, but it appears to be able to accept a wide range of formats. I haven't yet tried out the store to see if I can buy books from them, but at leats it is sold in Canada so that should be promising.

I get so heartily sick of being treated like a third world backwater by these marketing types.

Yep, that was me.
I bought the Nook through US Unlocked and they shipped it through FGX. Very reasonable shipping/brokerage fees. On taxes/shipping/brokerage I ended up paying around US$ 70.00. Note the shipping was overnight from New Jersey to Ottawa, ON and not for the Nook only but for it and a leather cover (which box was bigger than the Nook one itself).
I can buy and download books over Wi-Fi without any issues whatsoever and without any sort of VPN connection required to the US. I have a non-US credit card on file but with an US address on it (the one US Unlocked gave to me).

The only minor thing that annoys me is the fact you cannot change the date/time on the Nook. It is supposed to grab it from the cellphone network (what of course does not work in Canada). So I will have to wait for B&N to fix that on a future firmware release or wait until my next trip to the US.

After a week using the device, it does have its issues/quirks but nothing that I can say is a deal breaker and/or show stopper. It is, IMHO, a great device and an incredible v1.0 effort from B&N.

CR

I confirm what Crod just said about using a nook outside the US. It's working fine without a correct clock and with B&N shopping experience for me also. I didn't tried to add a visa card yet but I can download samples

Enjoy
planetrobbie

Slightly O/T but in response to the last post -- if you root your nook you could set the correct date/time thru busybox.