Sarah Butler of the UK’s Bookseller.com reported today that Amazon won’t be launching the UK version of Kindle until sometime next year. The problem seems to be attempts to sign up Wi-Fi partners. If those of us in the US put two and two together, though, my guess is that the Kindle released in the UK will be the Kindle2.
The rumored modifications to the original Kindle include a more streamlined look with a larger screen and possibly a touchscreen keyboard. It has also been rumored that the new Kindle will be able to be used outside the US. In Butler’s article, she refers to an interview with Brian McBride, managing director of Amazon in the UK, wherein he said the complexity of signing up the partners needed for Europe-wide Wi-Fi access. In other words, it’s not as easy as simply going to Sprint and contraction for use of the US nationwide EVDO network. McBride talks of buying a Kindle in the UK and not being able to use it on the beach in Spain.
Obviously, if Amazon signs up enough Wi-Fi partners in Europe, it would stand to reason that someone who purchases a Kindle in the US who happens to be vacationing on the same Spanish beach, would also want to have use of the Kindle.
Butler concludes by mentioning a seminar held at the Frankfurt Bookfair yesterday where Amazon.com promoted the Kindle device to international publishers, saying they could use it to get their books to US users. When asked about a European version, the e-tailer declined to comment on the “speculation”.
Funny. Maybe Mr. McBride should be talking to Mr. Bezos, but it seems he’s let the cat out of the bag. Look for Kindle2 sometime in 2009, and rest assured that it will work in Europe!
