3 Freeware utilities for Kindle users

If you are representing the new crowd of Ebook gadgets’ users, you might already face the necessity to convert the text format of the found texts to the particular format that will be accepted by your device properly. While each gadget has the list of the supported formats, not all of them are convenient to use on your device. For example, Kindle is reading PDF, but if the file is not prepared properly, you might find it unacceptable.

So, if you own Kindle, you need software to convert text file formats in the formats, supported by this device, preferably to the branded Kindle format – MOBI. In this post, we will present several freeware utilities to help you.

1. Calibre

Calibre is considered by many users as the only best software for Calibre, for some it is even the only software needed. Supporting major operation systems as Windows, Mac, and Linux, this features-reach, ambitious eBook management suite includes eBook format conversion, an eBook reader for any format, and online tagging and local organizing of eBook files. It also supports direct synchronization with Android, iOS, and most all eBook reading devices, including the Kindle.

For Kindle owners, Calibre is the easiest and most reliable way to convert almost any document format into a Kindle friendly format (such as .MOBI). It is also a great tool for tagging/downloading metadata to your eBook files as well as syncing them with the Kindle. It is especially great tool for those who mostly use external, non-Amazon sources to fill the gadget library.

Calibre supports the conversion of many input formats to many output formats. It can convert every input format in the following list, to every output format.

* Input Formats: CBZ, CBR, CBC, CHM, DJVU, EPUB, FB2, HTML, HTMLZ, LIT, LRF, MOBI, ODT, PDF, PRC, PDB, PML, RB, RTF, SNB, TCR, TXT, TXTZ

* Output Formats: EPUB, FB2, OEB, LIT, LRF, MOBI, HTMLZ, PDB, PML, RB, PDF, RTF, SNB, TCR, TXT, TXTZ

The conversion engine has lots of powerful features. It can rescale all font sizes, ensuring the output e-book is readable no matter what font sizes the input document uses. It can automatically detect/create book structure, like chapters and Table of Contents. It can insert the book metadata into a "Book Jacket" at the start of the book.

Website: http://calibre-ebook.com/

Direct Download Page: http://calibre-ebook.com/download

2. Hamster

This freeware Hamster software also can convert pretty much any eBook and document format into a Kindle friendly format such as .MOBI. It does not try to cover all the features, which Calibre offers, but the conversion part is done by this utility with high speed and quality.

The software is very user-friendly and can perform a job for multiple files on the go, applying drag-and-drop approach. Format selection can be done directly, or you can just chose your device type, and select the preferred output format for your operation.  

Website: http://ebook.hamstersoft.com/en/home

Direct Download Page: http://stuff.hamstersoft.com/launch/hamsterfreeebookconverter.exe

Note that once run, the installer will download installation data from the internet (approx 45 MB of data). The installer will ask if you also want to install Hamster Free Zip Archiver by default, so make sure to UNCHECK that if you do not want it.

3. Auto Kindle eBook Converter

The Auto Kindle eBook Converter is free open source utility, developed for the same purpose as the software, offered above, however, it covers much smaller list of the applicable formats, while doing that well. The input file formats supported are: PDF, Lit, and HTML files, while the output is a Kindle-friendly .MOBI format.

The software has almost no interface, it will ask you to point to the input files and will generate MOBI output files pretty fast.

Website: http://sourceforge.net/projects/autokindle/

Direct Downloading Page: http://sourceforge.net/projects/autokindle/files/latest/download?source=files

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Update 02-10-13:

Out of the three utilities mentioned in this post, I am using Calibre. It is the best and the only software you need for your Kindle. Software is in active development, and recently the new software version 0.9.18 was released. You can download it from the following link: http://status.calibre-ebook.com/dist/portable.

Highly recommended!