Blog

Hi,

We are happy to introduce you our new product - Kindlean. It's a Windows-app for managing book and collections on Kindle. This short video shows how it works.

Bonus: all users that download Kindle will get a discount for Alfa Ebooks Manager Pro!

Dear friends!

We are happy to introduce you the new version Alfa Ebooks Manager 2.5. It looks like a major update, but we decided to deliver it for FREE. Here is the list of the new features:

1. Completely rebuilt Library Explorer. It works like the MS Outlook sidebar: you can show or hide buttons, transform buttons into icons or vice versa. In the Authors pane you can now display authors without grouping - it looks very cool. Besides, right in the Library Explorer you can view the number of books (in each genre, series, etc), edit and delete items. The bonus is that the new Library Explorer works much faster.

2. Import from Google Library. We used to have this feature in the older versions and now we take it back. You can select any book list in your Google Library and import all book data and covers to your AEM database.

3. Multiselect books in the Thumbs View. Though the Shift-select still in the development, but the Ctrl-select and Ctrl+A (select all) work fine.

4. File Manager now allows to automatically create folders and move/copy ebooks to them basing on any parameter. For example, you can create a folder for each author or genre and put the appropriate books to them

5. More ISBN-check services. Now you can select between ISBNdb.com, Open Library, WorldCat xISBN

6. MD5-check for detecting duplicates (in the Scan and inside the database)

7. Optimized (faster) Wall View, Web Search

8. And many more...

We hope, you'll enjoy the new version, and don't forget to press the Like button in the header!

p.s. If you own AEM 2 license and haven't received our Update notification, please contact support@alfaebooks.com

Good day everyone!

We continue to improve Alfa Ebooks Manager without having a rest. Today we are launching the regular update - AEM 2.4. It's available for free for all AEM 2 users.

The new version provides the following new features:

- Delete book files in the program interface
- MOBI format support (now you can parse all metadata from MOBI books)
- Dark Theme (is back!)
- New Metallic View (it's even cooler than Dark Theme)
- Transparent View panel
- Enhanced List Views with Author links
- Option to turn off instant search (because in large libraries instant search could be rather slow)
- Optimized Scan, Parser and Web Update tools (faster, more stable)
- Multilingual interface (English, Deutsch, French, Russian, Portuguese, Dutch, Czech). Big thanks for all who helped to translate the program!
- New Statistics Viewer
- New query "Books with " (it allows to detect books that have linked files, but these files where deleted or renamed or moved)

If you own AEM 2 license and haven't received our Update notification, please contact support@alfaebooks.com

Thanks for your support!

Hi there!
We have released the new minor update - AEM 2.3. It's available for free for all AEM 2.0 users

Though we were generally fixing issues that you have found in the version 2.0, we have also added some new (or for somebody - old) features, like Wall View, Drag-n-Drop support, etc. We have also optimized Scan, Parser and Import tools, so they now work faster and more reliable

Unfortunately we haven't realized much requested Dark theme, but it will also arrive soon

If you own 2.0 license and haven't received our Update notification, please contact support@alfaebooks.com

Thanks for your support!

So why did it take us so long? Because back in 2010 we decided to fully rebuild the Alfa's platform in order to make it more fast, stable and extensible. Now we will be able to add new features more often (just give us the summer vacation :).

So, what's new in Alfa 2.0?

First of all it now requires .Net Framework 4.0, but not 3.5. So, if you don't have it - download and install it from here (it's free).

Second, we have changed the database format from MDB to SDF. So, you need to create a new SDF database and import your old MDB database to it (using File -> Import From-> Alfa Ebooks Manager Database). Here is the detailed guide.

Not very interesting news, yeah? OK, here are some more interesting ones:

Multiple genres per book. Yes, we know you wanted it. From now you can assign as many genres as you want to each book. You can add/edit genres in multiple books at once using the Edit Books tool.

Tags. Now you can create any tags and add them to books. For example, you can create tag "Want to read", or "Wishlist", or "Favorites" (btw we have removed the separate Favorites feauture). You also can use tags to track loaned books (i.e. create tag "Loaned to Bill").

Custom fields. You can create up to 5 text custom fields in the book card. For example "Bought in". The custom fields are searchable, so you can quickly list the books with certaing parameter in custom field. And when you enter a value to custom field - the program shows you suggestions like when you enter addresses in GMail.

Universal search. No more separate searches by title, author, ISBN. One simple seach box will let you search-as-you-type by all these fields and custom fields at once.

New Edit Books tool. Now you can edit almost any parameter in multiple books at once (including authors, tags, custom fields...).

File Parser. Now you can retrieve ISBN, parse metadata and create cover thumbnails for the ebooks that are already in the database. And as well as the Scan tool, File Parses fully supports PDF

and more...

Besides, we introducing the new pricing model. From now we provide a FREE version of Alfa Ebooks Manager. It's absolutely enough for book lovers, that want to create a beautiful e-Library of books that they have read or want to read.

If you want to make working with this e-Library faster (i.e. automatically update books from Amazon, Google Books and other book sites, update covers and author pics from Google Images) - you can order the Lite version for $19.95

And for book collectors and academicials, that have the large ebook libraries, we recommend the Pro version with the Scan tool and File Parser, that allow to import and manage large amounts of ebooks, retrieve metadata. This version costs $39.95

Hi, we are already on the finish line with the new version! And one of the great news about the new AEM is that it will provide the FREE version.

We decided to publish this FREE version a couple of days before the official release, so that you could test and give us some quick feedback. If you find a bug or have not-very-complicated feature request, please send it to support@alfaebooks.com

Here is the download link:
http://alfaebooks.com/files/aem2.zip

But before installing, please read the What's new list here:
http://alfaebooks.com/help/upgrade_earlier_versions_alfa_ebooks_manager_...

We are happy to announce that integration plug-in with Bol.com is ready. Bol.com is a Dutch online retailer, specialized in books, both Dutch and English. It's the largest and most popular online retailer in the Netherlands.

Our users from Netherlands often requested integration with this site and we know how it's important for book lovers to update books from the most popular local book site. We also plan to develop integration plug-ins for bol.com branches: bol.de (Germany) and bol.it (Italy)

To add the bol.com plug-in you can use the auto-update tool in Help -> Check for Updates menu. For new users the bol.com plug-in is already included into the setup package.

We have dramatically enhanced the Amazon integration plug-in that enables to update book data from this most popular online book store in the world. Until now we provided 4 separate plug-ins for amazon.com, amazon.de, amazon.fr, amazon.co.uk. And it was impossible to search on there 4 sites at the same time. Now we developed the universal Amazon plug-in that is more stable and allows to search all these amazon sites at the same time.

Besides, we have added support for amazon.ca and amazon.co.jp. So users from Canada and Japan now can use these additional sources to update book data.

The new Amazon plug-in can be downloaded here.

Note, that the new Amazon plug-in file AmazonHelper.dll should be copied to the program root folder (not to Search_Dll folder like all other plug-ins). For new users - the Amazon plug-in is already included in the setup package.

Specially for the new school season we announce the new discount program for students. From now all students can save 50% of Alfa Ebooks Manager regular price.

If you are a student, just send request to support@alfaebooks.com from your school/university E-mail address or send us scan of your Student Identification Card (or another student document) and we'll provide your the coupon code for the 50% discount.