RUMOR: Kindle coming to the UK next week

[daffy4u]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

I would think if Amazon was to launch the Kindle in the UK, they'd have had a press release by now. So we can take this rumor as untrue.

Did Sony issue a press release before their press official conference? I think it was leaked by folks like igorsk who found the Users Manual online but I don't recall a press release.

Also, with Kindle 2, Amazon would not respond on it's existence until their official press conference (though pictures were of it were leaked), so your comment doesn't really mean anything.

[Mike L]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

I would think if Amazon was to launch the Kindle in the UK, they'd have had a press release by now. So we can take this rumor as untrue.

I'm giving it another three days. If we've heard nothing by then, I think we can assume it's a non-starter.

[Sweetpea]

http://www.amazon.co.uk/

UK Customers can order the Kindle now on Amazon.com

On Amazon.com:

Kindle Wireless Reading Device (6" Display, U.S. & International Wireless, Latest Generation)

This item will be released on October 19, 2009.

We are excited to now ship Kindle to Netherlands. Customers in Netherlands will enjoy:
Books in Under 60 Seconds: Think of a book and you could be reading it in under a minute

Free Wireless: Free 3G wireless lets you download books right from your Kindle. No monthly fees, service plans, or hunting for Wi-Fi hotspots. See Coverage Map. See Wireless Terms and Conditions

Large Selection: Over 290,000 English-language books to choose from; plus U.S. and international newspapers and magazines

Low Book Prices: New York Times® Best Sellers and New Releases are $11.99 to $13.99 (prices include VAT), unless marked otherwise. You'll also find many books for less - over 70,000 titles are priced under $5.99

Learn more about Kindle features on the Kindle product page


Important Product Information for Your Country

* Your international shipment is subject to customs duties, import taxes and other fees levied by the destination country. We will show you these fees upon checkout. Learn more
* Kindle ships with a U.S. power adapter and a micro-USB cable for charging your Kindle via a computer USB port. The U.S. power adapter supports voltages between 100V - 240V.
* You can transfer personal documents to your Kindle via USB for free at anytime. Service fees for transferring personal documents via Whispernet are currently $.99 per megabyte. Learn more
* Wireless download times can vary based on 3G or EDGE/GPRS coverage, signal strength and file size.
* Kindle books, newspapers, and magazine are currently priced and sold in United States dollars
* Blogs and the experimental web browser are currently not available for your country
* Kindle includes a 1-year limited warranty. See details
* Use of the Kindle is subject to the Kindle License Agreement and Terms of Use

[Stormchild]

Interestingly low key launch. I checked the availability of some of the free titles that have been listed here and none of them were free to the UK and many were geographically restricted. Poor show Amazon.

[astra]

Originally Posted by Stormchild

Interestingly low key launch. I checked the availability of some of the free titles that have been listed here and none of them were free to the UK and many were geographically restricted. Poor show Amazon.

They are desperate to start selling the gadget before people bought another make.

[Sweetpea]

Originally Posted by astra

They are desperate to start selling the gadget before people bought another make.

I'd say they are too late for non-English speaking countries. As European publishers mostly have epub right now.

[Crowl]

Originally Posted by Sweetpea

I'd say they are too late for non-English speaking countries. As European publishers mostly have epub right now.

The same is true in the uk, but at this point the market is still small enough that they could overcome the current lead with a sufficiently solid product launch, the obvious issue will be how much geographical restrictions will reduce the total library.

[astra]

Originally Posted by Sweetpea

I'd say they are too late for non-English speaking countries. As European publishers mostly have epub right now.

The easy way to get ebooks on the kindle (wirelessly-free-3G) will override any epub benefits.

[Sweetpea]

Originally Posted by astra

The easy way to get ebooks on the kindle (wirelessly-free-3G) will override any epub benefits.

If it's a choice between books in your own language (in epub) or the fact that you can download a book without a pc, I think a majority will go for the epub.

[Gaurnim]

Did you see this interesting line :

When traveling abroad, you can download books wirelessly from the Kindle Store or your Archived Items for a fee of $1.99

After reading this line, I just love this other one :

3G Wireless: 3G wireless lets you download books right from your Kindle; no annual contracts, no monthly fees, and no hunting for Wi-Fi hotspots

It's 100% true, you don't pay monthly fees ... you pay a fee per book !

So this is how they solved the problem they had in negociating with national operators :
they use the roaming agreements from AT&T and the customer pays the bill.

[K-Thom]

It's 100% true, you don't pay monthly fees ... you pay a fee per book !

Keep an eye on the "When traveling abroad". This is simply the same sort of roaming costs you'd have to pay when using your mobile phone internationally.

In Germany they'll charge 99 Cent per MB for any eBook not bought on Amazon I transfer via Whispernet. Why should anyone use THAT when you can simply transfer them via USB?

[ShortNCuddlyAm]

The Reg has an article on it today, too: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/10/07/kindle_uk/

[Sweetpea]

Originally Posted by K-Thom

Keep an eye on the "When traveling abroad". This is simply the same sort of roaming costs you'd have to pay when using your mobile phone internationally.

In Germany they'll charge 99 Cent per MB for any eBook not bought on Amazon I transfer via Whispernet. Why should anyone use THAT when you can simply transfer them via USB?

Read this post for more info on that part...

https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sho...2&postcount=75

The fee only goes for US customers.

[Sweetpea]

Sony, which has stuck with GSM only and damn the rural Americans

Made me laugh!

So Amazon can probably separate itself from the Sony and iRex devices by having the cheapest connected reader.

But Amazon can only do that thanks to its ability to make up for lost profits through exclusive access to the sales channel.

This made me think... Right now, the only real reason to buy a kindle over any of the already available readers in Europe (beside the wireless connection) is the content Amazon is offering in Kindle books. But that is only an advantage for English reading people. But...

What if Amazon would put out a firmware which would allow you to read DRM epub too?

[bbusybookworm]

Originally Posted by Sweetpea

Read this post for more info on that part...

https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sho...2&postcount=75

The fee only goes for US customers.

Actually, its there for International users, but only when going outside their 'Home" countries, which kind of does make more sense.

The prices for books in are already increased by $2-$4 to include the cost of VAT and transmission I believe with Bestseller Going for $12-$14 insted of the $10 in the US.

Its when you leave you registered country that you get a big hit, as you pay an additional $2, which means that you are probably paying it twice over as it is already part of the price when you purchase it from a non US account.