Amazon has confirmed that the Kindle eBook reader will be available to buy for international customers via the US Amazon.com website.
The 6″ reader will begin shipping on October 19th at a cost of $279 plus import taxes as appropriate.
The online retailer has opted not to negotiate separate deals with local mobile firms for wireless connectivity, instead relying on US partner AT&T’s roaming partnership.
“We have millions of customers in countries all over the world who read English-language books,” said Jeff Bezos, Amazon.com Founder and CEO. “Kindle enables these customers to think of a book and download it wirelessly in less than 60 seconds.”
As well as eBooks the Kindle can access U.S. and international newspapers and magazines on a subscription basis.
In the US Amazon recently come under fire for removing copies of George Orwell books Nineteen Eighty-Four and Animal Farm after it became aware the publisher in question did not have the rights to sell the book.
Unlike the readers already available in the UK, Kindle customers cannot purchase books from companies such as Waterstones and Borders owing to Amazon’s use of a proprietary format. In other restrictions, a note on the Amazon.com website warns UK buyers that “”blogs and the experimental web browser are currently not available for your country”.
Customers outside the US will have to pay an additional $1.99 to download content.
