FAQ

General Symtio Questions
Why Symtio?
How does Symtio work?
Why am I required to create an account at symtio.com?
Symtio product cards make a great gift.
Do Symtio titles have Digital Rights Management (DRM)?
Can I buy a Symtio audiobook or eBook for someone else?
How long will it take for my audiobook or eBook to download?
What are the minimum system requirements?
What is the difference between audiobooks and eBooks?
Will my Symtio card ever expire?

Audiobooks
How to make a purchase.
How to download.
What devices can be used to listen to audiobooks?
In what format are audiobooks available?
What is the audio quality of the downloaded audiobooks?
How is this different from buying a CD?
Can I burn copies of my audiobook onto CD?
Can I transfer my audiobook to any device and any computer?

eBooks
How to make a purchase.
How to download.
How do you read eBooks?
How do I know what file to choose?
In what format are eBooks available?
How is this different from buying a physical book?
Can I use the Amazon Kindle to read Symtio eBooks?

Why Symtio?
Symtio is the easiest way to buy digital media in a retail store. Digital books, both eBook and audiobook, are released the same day as print books and available for immediate download. That means you’ll always be able to get the latest releases no matter how you choose to read them. Plus, we keep track of your purchases in a media footlocker. If your computer crashes or you accidentally delete your downloads, we’ve got backups that you can re-download at no extra cost.

How does Symtio work?
Symtio product downloads are simple:

1. Purchase. Choose the digital product you want and purchase just like you would any other product. The card is activated at checkout and your product is immediately ready for download.
2. Download. Go to www.symtio.com, click download, then enter the unique 16-digit PIN under the scratch-off portion on the back of the Symtio product card. Follow the on-screen instructions and your download will start in no time.
3. Enjoy. Once the digital file has been downloaded you can enjoy your new digital media on devices such as an iPod, Zune, Sony Personal Reader, PDA or personal computer (either Windows or Macintosh) depending on the type of file you choose to download.

Why am I required to create an account at symtio.com?
Symtio is different than most digital download stores, and we offer several benefits that can only be accessed when you create an account. Some of the benefits are:

• Media footlocker—When you create an account, you’ll automatically receive a media footlocker. Your media footlocker is a place to store all your Symtio purchases. Think of it as backup protection—your purchases are safe if your computer crashes or your hard drive fails.
• Re-download—When you create an account you can come back to symtio.com at any time and re-download your digital purchases.
• Order history—By creating an account we can keep track of your purchases and provide you with historical data such as date, time, cost and number of times you’ve downloaded your purchases.

Symtio takes gift cards to a more personal level. Giving a Symtio digital product card says you’ve thought about your gift, much as when you used to give bound books or music. While Symtio products have the feel and convenience of a gift card, the difference is that you’ve hand picked and purchased a specific product with the recipient in mind.

Do Symtio titles have Digital Rights Management (DRM)?
Symtio digital products are DRM-free, which means you can use any MP3 player or supported media program to enjoy your Symtio digital products.

Can I buy a Symtio audiobook or eBook for someone else?
Sure, the attractive Symtio product cards make great gifts for any occasion.

How long will it take for my audiobook or eBook to download?
Download speed will vary depending on your internet connection, time of day, number of users on your network, your PC capabilities and several other variables. On our end, we’re doing everything we can to ensure your downloads are as fast as possible. If you experience excessive download times (in excess of 20 minutes or more), please contact Symtio customer service.

Windows PC running XP or higher, or Macintosh running OS X 4.8.

What is the difference between audiobooks and eBooks?
An audiobook is the audio reading of a book to be listened to. An eBook is the electronic print version of a book to be read on an electronic book reading device or computer.

Will my Symtio card ever expire?
No.

How to make a purchase.
Purchase a Symtio audiobook by selecting the Symtio product card with the title you want. Take it to the checkout register and pay for it just as you would any other product. Your card and unique download code are activated at checkout and your digital product is immediately ready for download at symtio.com.

How to download.

1. To download Symtio digital media files you must create a Symtio account or be logged in at symtio.com.
2. Using any web browser, go to symtio.com and click the "Download" link. When prompted, enter the unique 16-digit PIN found under the scratch-off portion on your Symtio product card and click Next.
3. Your audiobook will show up in your Media Footlocker as New Media Ready for Download. Select your device from the drop-down menu (either Mac or Windows computer), then choose zip as your file format, and click download. If you are prompted with a pop-up window asking where to save your file, choose your destination and click OK. If downloading begins right away, your file will appear in the location determined in your system preferences (usually your desktop or a downloads folder).
4. Your audiobook file will be download as a compressed .zip file.
5. Once downloading is complete, the compressed folder will either automatically expand or will require you to manually expand it (to do this: double-click the folder on Mac; right-click and select "Extract All..." on Windows. Files must be extracted/expanded in order to import into a music library). The resulting folder will be named with the author's/artist's name. Inside that folder will be another folder named with the title of the book you purchased. In the titled folder you will find several files, one of which is named with the title of the book alone (the file extension is .M3U—do not delete this file), the rest will be named with the title and chapter or part number.

What devices can be used to listen to audiobooks?
All Symtio audiobooks are MP3 files so you can use any digital media player that plays MP3s. Some common digital media players are the Apple iPod and Microsoft Zune. You can also listen to the audiobook directly on your computer through a digital media program such as iTunes or Windows Media Player.

Using iTunes (Macintosh and Windows)
If you're using iTunes, simply drag the file named with the title only into the open iTunes window. All the corresponding and necessary files will automatically be imported and copied to your iTunes library. (All files must be extracted/expanded before dragging the title file into iTunes.)

We recommend using the latest version of iTunes.
Free download »

Using Windows Media Player (Windows only)
For Windows Media Player, move the expanded folder to your My Music folder (inside My Documents). By default your Windows Media Player 11 monitors that folder and automatically updates the WMP library when new files are added.

We recommend using the latest version of Windows Media Player.
Free download »

In what format are audiobooks available?
All Symtio audiobooks are MP3 files.

64-Kpbs MP3 files.

How is this different from buying a CD?
Buying a Symtio digital product is very similar to buying a CD, only instead of purchasing a physical disc you’re purchasing a downloadable file from symtio.com for use on digital media players. Once the file is downloaded onto your computer you can burn it to CD or put it on an MP3 player.

Can I burn copies of my audiobook onto CD?
Yes, as long as you have blank writable CDs and a writable drive.

Can I transfer my audiobook to any device and any computer?
Yes. After you download the audiobook, you may transfer it to any audio device that plays MP3s. There is no DRM preventing you from using your purchase where you want to use it.

How to download.

1. To download Symtio digital media files you must create a Symtio account or be logged in at symtio.com.
2. Using any web browser, go to symtio.com and click the "Download" link. When prompted, enter the unique 16-digit PIN found under the scratch-off portion on your Symtio product card, then click Next.
3. Your eBook will show up in your Media Footlocker as as New Media Ready for Download. Select your device from the Device drop-down menu, then choose the appropriate file format from the Format drop-down menu. When you have made your selections, click download. If you are prompted with a pop-up window asking where to save your file, choose your destination and click OK. If downloading begins right away, your file will appear in the location determined in your system preferences (usually your desktop or a downloads folder).
4. Once the file has finished downloading, follow the manufacturer's instructions for importing the new media files to your chosen eBook reader.

How do you read eBooks?
Once a Symtio eBook is downloaded to your computer, transfer it to your digital media reader such as a Sony Personal Reader, PDA or personal computer as you would any other file. Or, if you prefer, you can read Symtio eBooks right on your Windows or Macintosh computer as long as you have a program that reads the format you purchased.

Supported hardware includes:

• Windows computer
• Macintosh computer
• Sony Reader Digital Book (PRS-505 and PRS-700)
• Amazon Kindle
• Palm based PDA or Smart Phone
• Windows Mobile based PDA or Smart Phone
• Symbian Smart Phone (Nokia and others)

Supported software includes:

• Adobe Digital Editions (.epub)
• Adobe Reader (.pdf)
• Mobipocket (.prc)
• Microsoft Reader (.lit)

One of the first steps during the download process of a Symtio product is choosing the type of eBook reader you own. Whether it’s a handheld reader such as the Sony Reader, a mobile phone or your home computer, when you choose your device we will show you a list of file formats that will work with your hardware. Some devices are capable of reading multiple formats; in those cases we will list multiple formats for that device.

In what format are eBooks available?
You can choose to download your Symtio eBook in any of the following file formats: .epub, .pdf, .prc, .lit. You may download additional formats of your purchase from your media footlocker at symtio.com (at no extra cost).

How is this different from buying a physical book?
Buying a Symtio eBook is very similar to buying a regular book. The main difference is that instead of purchasing a physical bound book, you’re purchasing a file that you download from symtio.com for use on digital media readers or computers.

Can I use the Amazon Kindle to read Symtio eBooks?
Yes, Kindle will recognize the eBook type Mobi (.prc) as long as it is DRM-free*. You can transfer your DRM-free Symtio files to Kindle by connecting Kindle to your computer via USB cable. When Kindle is connected via USB it will show up as an external drive (on both Mac and Windows). To add new DRM-free* files to Kindle, drag them to the Kindle's Documents folder.

Choosing your file format for Kindle
In your Media Footlocker, find the title you want to download, select Kindle as your device and then choose PRC as your file format.

The following is an excerpt from Amazon's website in regards to using Kindle:
Handling Files Through USB
You can use the "drag and drop" functions of your operating system or your computer's file management commands to move or copy files from your computer to your Kindle and vice versa. You can also delete unwanted files from your Kindle memory or create backup copies on your computer.

If you are using a PC: Kindle appears as a removable storage disk in Windows Explorer. The optional SD memory card also appears as a removable storage disk independent of Kindle. Default drive assignments for network drives or other devices on your computer could cause a conflict with how Kindle and your SD memory card appear in Windows Explorer. You may have to disconnect network drives or give them new drive letter assignments to ensure that Kindle and your SD memory card appear properly on your PC.

If you are using a Mac: Kindle will appear as a drive in the Mac OS Finder. If you have installed an optional SD memory card, this device will appear as a drive in the Mac OS Finder independent of Kindle.

*Files must be DRM-free (digital rights management free) in order to work with Kindle.