Rumor: Amazon Kindle to go worldwide with Vodafone?

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by CommanderROR

Other things will come up, I guess pricing issues ($=€) with device and books (a 9.99$ ebook should cost something like 7€ at a €$ rate of 1.4 but will most likely cost 9.99€, just like in iTunes)

We in the UK have it even worse, when they make $9.99 = £9.99 .

[Charbax]

Make it HSDPA, add WiFi, add a WACOM digital pen touchscreen (The same as iRex Iliad) and make it available subsidized for 1€ with a 6 month, 1 year or 2 year subscription contract. A 15€ per month subscription to be used on anything in the Kindle Store. The 15€ monthly plan should include up to 1.5GB monthly bandwidth to be used on free downloads from Gutenberg, an open RSS aggregator, Google Books, Google News, third party Audiobooks and ebooks providers and normal HSDPA website browsing.

[Alisa]

That would be lovely. Can I have a free pony, too? I'm sure someday when the screens are cheaper, we'll see deals closer to that. I don't think that's going to happen for awhile.

[Charbax]

Alisa, I think probably after Christmas, as long as Amazon can produce enough screens to satisfy a very large international demand, I am sure the Kindle will be available at $1 with a 24-month $19 subscription to the Kindle Store. Where those $19 have to be spent during the month and cannot be transferable to the next month. It's just like the way telecoms subsidize the mobile phones exactly in the same way.

If it's not going to be $1 Kindle from day one, then probably something like $99 upfront payment + 24-month $20 content subscription, or something like that.

[Alisa]

Charbax,
The screens currently run over $150 a piece. LCD screens are WAY cheaper. It's not about supply. It's about component cost.

[Nate the great]

Originally Posted by Charbax

Alisa, I think probably after Christmas, as long as Amazon can produce enough screens to satisfy a very large international demand, I am sure the Kindle will be available at $1 with a 24-month $19 subscription to the Kindle Store. Where those $19 have to be spent during the month and cannot be transferable to the next month. It's just like the way telecoms subsidize the mobile phones exactly in the same way.

For once, I will use this to be deliberately rude:

Amazon is currently selling all they can at $399. They will very likely not be able to meet the international demand. Why would they cost themselves money by offering to subsidize it?

[Alisa]

Does this mean I'm not getting my pony?

[Nate the great]

Originally Posted by Alisa

Does this mean I'm not getting my pony?

I got you one, but he won't wake up:

[Alisa]

BWAH!

[noface]

As Vodafone's network runs on GPRS and requires a SIM card this would mean a total redesign of the Kindle for the non-EV-DO network.
As there is a large American market currently available to Amazon (plus some smaller networks that run EVDO around the world) I would think they will concentrate on those markets in the short to mid term.
Plus it is unlikely that GSM networks would allow a SIM card that works only for the Kindle device as they could make more by charging only for the data and allowing any data connection through the SIM.

[Alisa]

Changing out the wireless hardware doesn't require a total redesign. It's actually a pretty simple change.

[noface]

For one there is the cost of GSM certification and network validity tests...
And, if you look at the EV-DO networks out there you will see that GSM converted handsets are few and far between, despite the user bases on EV-DO networks.
Yes - It is possible. I however, doubt that a DRM crippled device has the reach needed to make it worth Amazons while.
Therefore.... This rumour is but a rumour.
(opinion)
I would love to be proved wrong but this smells like the Vodafone/iPhone rumours that continue to circle.

[Ervserver]

could be as simple as something plugging into the USB port

Originally Posted by noface

As Vodafone's network runs on GPRS and requires a SIM card this would mean a total redesign of the Kindle for the non-EV-DO network.
As there is a large American market currently available to Amazon (plus some smaller networks that run EVDO around the world) I would think they will concentrate on those markets in the short to mid term.
Plus it is unlikely that GSM networks would allow a SIM card that works only for the Kindle device as they could make more by charging only for the data and allowing any data connection through the SIM.

[noface]

Sure that is possible... however all the USB modems available currently from Vodafone cost around half as much as the Kindle itself. You would then pay data on top.
Plus you would lose the form factor of the device with a big USB dongle hangingfrom the side...

[TadW]

I found this reference on German ZDNet that indeed suggests that Amazon is in talks with Vodafone:

Amazon will Kindle über Vodafone anbieten

Mobilfunkunternehmen soll im Fall einer Kooperation am Umsatz beteiligt werden

Um sein E-Book-Lesegerät Kindle weltweit anbieten zu können, verhandelt Amazon derzeit mit Vodafone. Wie die Wirtschaftswoche berichtet, befänden sich die Gespräche jedoch in einem frühen Stadium.

Kindle kann rund 200 Bücher speichern, die über den Mobilfunk-Netzbetreiber Sprint aus einem kostenpflichtigen Sortiment von rund 90.000 Stück drahtlos auf das Gerät heruntergeladen werden. Der Download erfolgt über den Mobilfunkstandard EDVO.

Derzeit beschränkt sich der Dienst auf die USA. Vodafone, das weltweit in rund 60 Staaten aktiv ist, könnte nun außerhalb der USA für die Online-Verbindung des Lesegerätes mit dem Amazon-E-Book-Store sorgen. Sollte es zu einer Kooperation kommen, will Amazon Vodafone am Umsatz mit E-Books beteiligen.

Link: http://www.zdnet.de/news/hardware/0,...9159590,00.htm