Kindle International

Until today, though Amazon Kindle has become the first major hit in e readers, it did have some drawbacks. One of the biggest is that its wireless connection to the Kindle store works only in the United States. That changes on 19th October 2009, when Amazon begins shipping a new version of the Kindle - Kindle International or Kindle World version. It can be used to purchase and download books in over 100 countries. The new version, with official Amazon name of "Kindle with US and International Wireless," will sell for $279. You can pre-order it now at Amazon. Current Kindle 2 version will still be for sale, and the price will change from $299 to $259.

The Kindle International is not just for Americans traveling overseas. Amazon sales figures show a sizable demand for English language books in countries that speak other languages. Until now, readers in those countries have found such books to be pricey and difficult to find, not to mention slow to arrive after being ordered. The Kindle world vesion will make the process easier, cheaper, and instantaneous. Amazon averted copyright problems by managing an arrangement with English language publishers that pays royalties depending on the district of purchase. Amazon is silent though on the Google Books settlement and on Google's comment that Amazon was being hypocritical in its objection. But they have a response to a recent strategy employed by publishers of books expected to be mega-sellers, like Teddy Kennedy's True Compass and Sarah Palin's upcoming memoir, Going Rogue. The respective publishers think that withholding lower-cost Kindle versions for a few months will boost hardcover sales. Amazon believes this is imprudent, and that offering a book on Kindle increases the total sales. When an author comes out with a new book, he or she will do publicity or get reviews. When you're on NPR and someone goes on their Kindle to look for the book, it is your chance to make that sale. They will not remember in a month or two.

As proof of the way that the Kindle has changed reader habits: earlier this year, Amazon startled people by revealing that of books available on both Kindle and paper versions, 35 percent of copies sold by Amazon were Kindle versions. Now the number is up to 48 percent. This means that a lot of people have purchased Kindles. Amazon will not reveal the figures, but Kindle owners buy a lot of books.
About talks on upcoming digital tablets, Amazon is hard at work making software apps, like the one already available for the iPhone, that will extend the Kindle system to other devices. Amazon is still open "in principle" to rival e-reader manufacturers who wish to use the Kindle store to provide content. Jeff of Amazon believes that while people may read on phones and web-surfing tablets, the dedicated e-reading device will keep improving.

This shows that Amazon wants the Kindle eReader to be the best way to read. And now, people can read books that they download outside the US. The two Kindles (current Kindle 2 and Kindle International) are identical, except for the radio. The new device does not sync with Sprint, which was previously the exclusive supplier for Amazon's Whispernet technology. Instead, Kindle International works with AT&T's wireless. network, which has the global reach that Amazon needs for its international plans. Will not everybody want to spend $20 more on the AT&T version that works all around the world, even if a cross-border trip is not on the immediate horizon? Well, many would! Indeed, having a Kindle that downloads from overseas means you can get your favorite newspapers and magazines delivered instantly, at the same cost you pay at home in the US. It makes the Kindle a travel guide, too! If you want the lowdown on a Kyoto temple, or are wondering where to get the best noodles in Kuala Lumpur, you can download a relevant guide on the spot. And for the first time, the Lonely Planet series will be sold on Kindle, along with the previously available travel books from Frommer, Rick Steves and Michelin.