It’s been an exciting month for those interested in wireless reading devices, and especially Kindles. Three announcements have readers all over the world talking about and reading on these remarkable wireless reader machines.
First, an International version of Kindle became available earlier this month. This is basically the same Kindle as the Kindle 2, except it’s designed for use in multiple countries. Books will be available for download in over a hundred countries and territories world-wide. However, since the International Kindle relies on AT&T SIM for download service, International downloads will carry a $1.99 fee. This is in contrast to the free downloads available to U.S. Kindle users.
The release of the International Kindle is exciting news, regardless of book download fees. Originally, the Internationally Kindle was set at a retail price of 9. Now it has been dropped to $259 – the same price as the U.S. Kindle 2. In effect, the U.S. only Kindle is being dropped and the U.S and International version is now retailing at the price the U.S. only Kindle 2 retailed for.
Credits for are being issued by Amazon who recently purchased the International Kindle at the higher 9 price. Credits are being issued automatically, so you don’t need to do anything to receive the refund except wait a bit.
Another exciting Kindle announcement relates to new software that will soon allow you to read Kindle books on your laptop or PC. The software hasn’t been released yet, but it will come out soon. The application will work with the new Windows 7 as well as XP and Vista, and it will be free to download. The software is slated to be released in November of 2009.
Reading books on a laptop or PC may not be very convenient, but the option may appeal to some wireless reader users. It also allows Amazon to promote how convenient it is to have books available anytime at your fingertips.
With so much happening in the world of Kindle, it’s a great time to think about adding a wireless reading device to your holiday shopping list. Kindle is sure to be a hit this season whether it’s given as a gift to someone special or yourself.