October 7, 2009 kindle UK update: There’s a kindle international version for $279 available for pre-order now. It ships October 19 and after import duties etc. it costs $345 (217 pounds).
Do check the product page for details i.e. there is no free internet access and the cost for transferring files is very high. There are however 280K plus books available for Kindle UK.
July 15th update: Mobile Today are reporting that Amazon is close to a Kindle UK release date, and that there’ll be 3G and WiFi support -
Amazon is close to finalising a launch date for its ‘Kindle’ electronic book reader in the UK and is in advanced negotiations with a mobile operator for an MVNO, Mobile understands
Pocket Lint broke the news today that Amazon are buying Amazon Kindle ads on Google UK.
It’s likely that this might just be to prevent Sony from stealing potential Kindle customers -
Sony and Waterstones tend to buy ads on Google UK for kindle related searches (not cricket, is it).
Amazon might have decided to redirect these people to Amazon.co.uk and then to the US Kindle product page instead.
However, there’s a slight chance there’s more to it.
Amazon Kindle UK Signs
Take a look at the signs (I know its video overkill – however its the only alternative to putting in 10 pictures) –
So, we have -
- Daily Mail added to the Kindle Store where it joins 8 other European newspapers.
- Amazon buying google ads on google.co.uk that almost seem to be saying kindle uk is available already.
- iFixit’s tear-down revealing that there are markings for a SIM card slot.
- End of June news that Kindle Germany hit a snag.
- Early July articles heralding Borders and its 189 pound Elonix ereader.
- Amazon has been hiring globalization experts and CDMA/WiFi experts and people with titles that have variations of Global and International in them since middle of last year.
And 4 out of the 6 signs have come up in the last 2 weeks.
The motivation for a quick Amazon Kindle UK Release ?
At the moment in the UK you have -
- Early July entry of Borders with its eReader.
- Sony Reader.
- Smaller companies’ ereaders like Cool-er.
Soon to be joined by (at beginning of 2010) -
- Perhaps an Apple MediaPad. Latest news on that front is Apple has been patenting tech to simulate book page turns -
a recent patent application … includes a multitouch e-book technology … describes a method to “simulate a finger turning the page in an actual paper-bound book.” The invention also makes it possible to “whisk through” a large chunk of pages
- Definitely a Plastic Logic eReader that’ll benefit from the ‘made in Cambridge’ halo.
It’s almost imperative for Amazon to release Kindle in the UK soon.
Now we’re seeing a bunch of signs all clustered together. My guess is Amazon announces Kindle UK in the new month or two.
Filed under: kindle 2 | Tagged: kindle in uk
