Kobo Vox and NetGalley

Ever since I heard about the new, shiny Kobo Vox, I knew I wanted one. And with an initial release date of October 28th, just one day after my birthday, I knew it was meant to be.

I wandered into a Chapters on October 29th and was informed that the date had been moved to November 2nd. I was a little annoyed, but things happen. Luckily they had a demo in stock and let me play with it. I loved it! It was everything I wanted and needed, or so I thought.

I asked the salesman many questions and was told it had Android Market Place for apps (which is does not) that it reads PDFs (which it will, but only after you install a 3rd party app) and that it would read my NetGalley DRM-protected files (which it didn't, until I stayed up until 1 a.m. figuring out a workaround).

So, if you want a shiny new Kobo Vox and are willing to use some workarounds, this post is for you, so you don't have to stay up until 1 a.m. only moments away from teaching your Vox how to fly...

But anyhow...

First of all, before anyone out there tells me I'm a dumbass or something and that Kobo Vox does have Android Market Place because they say they do...here is what Android sent me specifically when I asked them for more information:

"Hello there,

Thank you very much for writing in this morning. After some research I've found that the device you're using isn't supported for use with Android Market at this time.

This is why you have run into troubles. Be aware that the Android operating system is open source, which means any device manufacturer is free to use Android on its devices.

However, Android Market is an application created by Google that's only made available to devices that pass Google’s compatibility requirements.

In addition, manufacturers must obtain a license from Google in order to install Android Market on their devices.

For more information about the Android Compatibility Program, please visit:

http://source.android.com/compatibility/index.html

If you have any further questions, I recommend contacting the manufacturer of your device directly. If I can advise any further, please contact me again, I'd be happy to help.

Regards,

Elijah
The Android Market Team"

OK, now that that's accomplished, let's move on...

Some links of interest that helped me along the way were the following:
Kobo Vox Review - Full Hands On
Essential Kobo Vox Apps and Tools
(I refuse to take all the credit. These two links helped me so much it's not even funny!)

The one good thing Kobo Vox going for itself is the browser. I was able to use the browser to direcetly open the Apps and Tools link above and directly download some of their recomendations onto my machine.

This post is specifically about Aldiko.

Hopefully you already know how to get your files from NetGalley to Adobe Digital Editions.

Adobe Digital Editions will recognize your Kobo Vox, but only after you have installed Aldiko. Using the Essential Kobo Vox Apps and Tools link, download and install the Aldiko app. You might get a warning that you are unable to install non-Android Market apps (which is a joke since it doesn't even come with Android Market), but just go into your settings, applications, and turn off the option to only accept official apps.

Once this has been installed, plug your Kobo Vox into your computer and set it to USB storage (steps should appear on the screen to do so). Once your computer recognizes it as an external drive you can open Adobe Digital Editions. From here it works pretty much the same as it did for older Kobos, simply drag the files you want from Adobe Digital Editions to the Aldiko folder.

But wait...there's still more!

Once you have transferred the required files over to the Kobo Vox, make sure you eject it so it removes itself from USB storage mode.

Now, from your Kobo Vox, navigate to your apps and open Aldiko. Now don't freak out like I did because your shelves are still blank. I swear, that was the moment Voxy (my loving nickname for my pain-in-the-ass Kobo Vox) almost learned how to fly like Peter Pan...but I digress...

Hit the home button in the top left corner (that looks like a little house) and then hit SD Card. Yes, I know it's not really located on the SD Card, but that's where you have to go, trust me. I have no idea why, but after hitting every single button on this machine at 1 a.m. trust me when I say this is where it was...anyhow...

Once you have chosen SD Card there is a list of folders, navigate to the Adobe Digital Editions folder and once you choose that you should see a list of the files you loaded up. Pick the file(s) you want and chose import to Aldiko.

Now wasn't that simple?
(After almost 4 hours or Googling, trial and error, and 1/2 a bottle of wine!)

I will update this post, or write new posts about updates or other apps that might help the Kobo Vox reading and reviewing experience more pleasant.

Do you have a Kobo Vox? 
Do you have any hints and tips you'd like to share? 
I'd love to hear them!