Amazon’s Kindle Goes International With 3G Service

October 7th, 2009 at 9:18 AM - News by Jeff Gamet

Amazon's Kindle ebook reader is finally moving beyond U.S. borders into more than 100 additional countries starting in October. Along with its international move, the U.S. Kindle is also getting a US$40 price cut to $259.

The international version of the Kindle will rely on 3G instead of the Whispersync wireless system used in the United States. For now, Kindle users will be limited to english-language books but the company plans to add content in other languages at some point, too.

At $259 for the U.S.-only model and $279 for the international model, the Kindle's price points fall between the 8GB iPod touch at $199 and the 32GB model at $299.

Amazon's announcement comes as rumors of an Apple tablet with ebook reader support have been gaining traction. If Apple is planning on releasing such a device in the near future, it would likely be available in several countries instead of just the U.S., potentially giving Apple an advantage over Amazon in other countries.

Apple's tablet, however, is still only rumor and speculation. For now it looks like Amazon will get the jump on Apple for international ebook sales.