Amazon have finally announced an international launch for their Kindle ebook reader. The new version gains both US and international 3G capabilities – though still no WiFi – and will ship both domestically in the US and to 100 different countries worldwide. Priced at $279 and shipping October 19th, the International Wireless Kindle is now $20 more expensive than the original US-only Kindle, which has been discounted to $259; otherwise the two devices are identical.
Amazon wasn’t the first company to launch an eReader, but its Amazon kindle certainly helped to spur the growth of the category. Since the Kindle debuted interest in eReaders has been at an all time high and companies are rushing to get new readers to market. Retrevo reports that sales for eReaders for the holiday season are expected to be very robust.
It’s hard to believe it is October already and the leaves are already falling off the trees. Another week come and gone and today I am back with another week in review for your perusal. We found out early this week that the Palm Pre is still headed to Verizon according to an insider. The alleged insider didn’t give any word on when exactly this may happen.
Amazon’s attempt to placate the braying crowds with a $30 kiss-and-make-up check and a grovelling apology after the deleted 1984 ebook fiasco worked with most Kindle customers, but it wasn’t enough to dissuade suing student Justin Gawronski from his court case. Amazon have now settled with the Michigan teen, to the amount of $150,000 in fact, which he will share with his legal team and a co-plaintiff; meanwhile, the retailer has taken steps to make its deletion policy clearer.
Full policy after the cut
ASUS’ diminutive O!Play HDP-R1 HD Media Player has finally gone on sale, with the 1080p-capable box priced at $99.99. Announced back in June, the O!Play offers playback of local, network or internet content, via various USB 2.0, eSATA or wired ethernet ports.
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We wouldn't crack open our piggy-banks quite yet, but theBookseller are claiming that Amazon will launch their Kindle ebook reader in the UK next week, aiming for an October launch. According to their unnamed sources, Amazon have signed non-disclosure agreements with various publishers in advance of the announcement; "The key things they needed to tie up have been tied up," claimed the source, "the rumours I've heard are all saying next week."
It’s looking like the launch of the Nokia N900 has been delayed, with two online retailers pushing back their estimated release dates to the end of October. Amazon UK is now suggesting that the N900 will arrive come October 26th, rather than at the beginning of the month as was previously expected.
Start the day as you mean to go on: with a bargain. If you’ve been thinking of picking up a Palm Pre, but have shied away even from the recently reduced price of $149.99 on Sprint, then how does a sub-$100 Pre strike you?
Never let it be said we stand in the way of private enterprise – heaven only knows how many times I’ve had to sell handkerchiefs to sailors just to put bread on the table – but taking advantage of Zune HD 32GB shortages to double the price seems more than a little unfair. Amazon are currently listing the larger Zune HD – which we reviewed last week – as not shipping for 1-3 weeks; however, one Marketplace seller has used the opportunity to list the 32GB PMP for a whopping $599.99.
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Nikon's pico-projector packing Coolpix S1000pj digital camera has finally arrived for sale in the US, priced at $429.95. Expected to begin shipping later this week, the S1000pj manages to squeeze not only a 12.1-megapixel camera with 2.7-inch LCD and 5x optical zoom, but a 10 lumen pico-projector capable of creating up to 40-inch images into a compact chassis.
SlashGear Japan
