Amazon has announced that a new version of the Kindle e-book reader will overcome the limitations of its predecessors with the ability to download books wirelessly both within and outside the United States.
Previous Kindle versions could download e-books only within the United States, as they were limited by the reach of the Sprint network, which is incompatible with most wireless networks outside of North America. The new Kindle will be supported by the wireless networks of AT&T and its global roaming partners, which means it will be able download e-books wirelessly in more than 100 countries.
The new Kindle model will launch on Oct. 19 for a suggested retail price of $279. Amazon has cut the price of the domestic-only Kindle, which sold for $299, to $259.
"These are smart moves for Amazon, as a good proportion of early Kindle adopters have been business travelers, who were frustrated by the inability to download new books outside the country," says Larry Fisher, research director of NextGen Research, ABI Research's emerging technologies arm. "It also opens up the rest of the world as potential markets for Amazon and the Kindle, at a time when competing e-book readers have been trying to make the transition from other countries to the US market."
ABI Research
