Pseudo-Sync an eReader with iTunes and iBookstore

Apr 15, '11 07:30:00AM

Contributed by: Andrew J Freyer

In this hint, I describe the process I use to sync my Sony PRS-350 eReader with iTunes and the iBookstore. NOTE: this does not circumvent any DRM for iBookstore purchases. For simplicity, this hint assumes that books/PDFs import to the device are DRM-free, or otherwise viewable on your device.

First, some facts:

I make use of these four facts in this way: Here are the scripts. Each of these will require some customization for your particular reader:

To Sync:
rsync -va --delete /Users/YOUR USERNAME/Music/iTunes/Books/ /Volumes/READER/database/media/books/
To Eject (in the case of the Sony PRS-350, there are two partitions mounted that need to be ejected):
diskutil unmount `disktool -l | grep 'READER' | sed 's/.*\(disk[0-9s]*\).*/\1/'`
diskutil unmount `disktool -l | grep 'SETTING' | sed 's/.*\(disk[0-9s]*\).*/\1/'`
For Hazel:

Add a the /Volumes directory for a 'Folder with name YOUR EREADER VOLUME NAME.'

For the action, add a shell script containing the scripts above. Click here to see a screenshot of the full Hazel rule.

I also have a Hazel rule that imports to iTunes all *.epub files (and other reader files) that appear in the downloads directory. This action also includes a script to re-mount the eReader upon a new import. Simply change the diskutil script above to read 'mount' instead of 'unmount.'

I call this a pseudo-sync because iTunes does not behave well when third party scripts delete its library files. The current script will only delete files on the device. Thus, if you delete a book on your device but not on iTunes, it will re-appear on your device on your next sync. All book management should be completed in iTunes. Also, I should note that to access the iBookstore, you'll need an iPad, iPhone, or iPod touch.

[crarko adds: I haven't tested this one.]

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