john-23things

Nearly the end. I wanted this to be fun times, but Thing #22 was work, I tell ya! I was disappointed with the complexity of this process, enough that I didn't embrace digital audiobooks with as much excitement as I thought I would. Why?, I hear you cry. Well, let's review the 10 steps to migraine-hood that made my afternoon so fun.

1. Browse the collection & bookbag / check out a couple of titles.
2. Attempt to download
3. Error Message. The Overdrive Console is not installed
   
4. Download a "bootstrap file" for the Overdrive media console
5. Download the console itself
6. Install the console
7. Attempt to download the books from your bookbag
8. Receive error message. Windows Media Player Security Update Required
9. Head Explodes. Then update Windows Media Player (Why? I won't be using it....)
10. Finally download to the console
11. (OK, there's 11 steps, but this one is OK...) Export books to player.
12. The files are on the player, but they don't play. Yippee!
    

OK. Multiple frustrations with this process. It was not simple. It requires a special piece of software to work properly. It piggy-backs on Windows Media Player (so will it work on Linux?). The files don't play when they get onto the player. Too many steps and too many problems!

Portable players are already able to play audio files, & pull files down from the web, so why can't this be a simple "download to player at CKO" process? One click? Drag n' Drop? Something! I realise that it will be more straightforward once I can figure out how to get the files to play, since the console is installed at this point, but I'm booking a vacation on the strength of my rough experience here....