Amazon have rejigged their Kindle range, seemingly discontinuing the previous US-only Kindle 2 and reducing the price of the international version to $259. Presumably acting in response to the recently announced Barnes and Noble nook, which is also priced at $259, Amazon have been informing international Kindle buyers that they’ll get a $20 refund
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Having announced earlier this week that their Kindle ebook reader would be available in more than 100 countries worldwide, in the shape of a GSM version with international data roaming, Amazon have also confirmed that they plan an international Kindle DX, too. The DX - launched in the US back in June - has a larger, 8.9-inch display than the Kindle 2, and is better suited to textbooks, magazines and other periodicals.
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’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
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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."
The flip-side of having a well-publicised and successful ebook business is that you end up the prime target of criticism when anybody disagrees with how it’s being run, and Amazon has certainly been subject to some controversy recently. After the company’s CEO, Jeff Bezos, apologized for the 1984 ebook debacle, Amazon have now offered any affected customer either their original copy – complete with annotations – redelivered, or $30 in the form of an e-gift certificate or check. Meanwhile the Authors Guild has been redoubling its critique of the company, claiming “Amazon’s hypocrisy is breathtaking”.
After Amazon deleted ebook copies of George Orwell novels from users Kindle ebook readers last week, in a PR nightmare that seemed almost too good to be true for headline writers, CEO Jeff Bezos has posted an apology to customers. Describing the Amazon “solution” as “stupid, thoughtless, and painfully out of line with our principles”, Bezos promised that the company would use the ferocious customer feedback to make better decisions in future.
Full statement after the cut
As you’ve probably heard by now, Amazon has come under fire recently for the screens on the Kindle 2. Apparently, they’ve been cracking left and right and Amazon was requiring people to pay a $200 replacement fee to have them fixed.
But a $5 million class action lawsuit brought up yesterday against the company seems to have done the trick, as Amazon has just announced they’ll be repairing Kindle 2 models for free. Well, replacing is more the right word.
The Amazon Kindle 2 currently costs $299, so a $200 replacement fee was rather outlandish, especially for what seems to be a design flaw–not carelessness by Kindle owners. But it looks like everything is solved now.
Amazon is reportedly close to setting a release date for the Kindle in the UK, with “advanced negotiations” underway with a carrier for providing the wireless connection via which the device downloads ebooks. According to Mobile Today, Amazon have called upon Qualcomm to manage not only the manufacturing of the GSM Kindle, but to “securing connectivity” for the UK device.
You have to admire Peking University’s Founder Group: when asked about any connection between their ebook device, shown here, and Amazon’s Kindle 2, they bravely told those at the Digital Publishing Fair in Tokyo that “it has nothing to do with the Kindle.” Unfortunately they also seem a little confused about their own hardware specifications; asked about the E Ink panel size, and they said it was “unclear”. Happily Tech-On!’s Takuya Otani had brought a ruler, and found it to be a Kindle-like 6-inches.
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