Amazon Offers Kindle For Sale in Europe - Will They Succeed?

Amazon's Kindle eBook reader is now on sale in the UK and Europe, shipped with a US power adaptor supporting voltages of between 100V and 240V so that it can be used anywhere in Europe. Amazon began offering the Kindle to Europe in late October 2009, thus breaking down the one barrier to its potential domination of the e-reader market.

It is not, however, sold from local Amazon sites such as Amazon.co.uk, but only from the American main website Amazon.com. It is sold in American dollars, and shipped from the US, although it is ordered by Europeans using their regular accounts. So what benefits does the Kindle offer over the other e-readers that have been available in Europe for some time and that most people interested in eBook readers now own. Examples include the Sony PRS, Cool-er and iRex, though there are several others against which the Kindle now has to prove itself.

It is being offered globally on the 3G network with no charges for the wireless connectivity that is used to download eBooks directly to the Kindle. However, blogs and the web browser they are experimenting with will not be available.

Is it too late for Amazon to enter the European market? Initial signs are no. Sales have been strong, particularly in the UK and Western Europe, where it appears that intelligent consumers are going for the Kindle's range of features rather than looks. However, the strength of the iPhone in Europe could be serious competition once this has been modified to a fully featured e-reader. Apple is not known for being left behind in any technology. Furthermore, as it was noted in the article "Is the Future of Books in Mobile eBook Reading?", the future likely lies in a portable digital reader that downloads and plays music, offers internet access, incorporates a digital camera and can be used as a mobile phone.

The electronic libraries available to Kindle users are vast, with Amazon offering over 200,000 titles in the English language, and publishers such as Penguin, HarperCollins and Faber and Faber signing up to offer Kindle-compatible titles. To date only US newspapers and magazines are available, but it should not be long before the top UK and European newspapers are added to the list.

As stated, prices are in US dollars, and a Kindle currently sells to the UK from Amazon.com for $259 plus local customs, taxes and other charges, although accessories such as a charger, leather case cover and users guide are available from local Amazon sites in local currencies. In the UK that price equates to £157 UK - compared to the Sony PRS-505 at £225, the BeBook at £240 and the Cool-er at £190 (all to the nearest pound), then the Kindle appears to be the best deal.

You can get the Sony e-book Pocket for under £160 if you know where to look, and all of these products can be purchased at lower prices elsewhere using internet price comparison websites, but these are the basic prices on Amazon and a brief survey has indicated that they differentials are generally maintained elsewhere.

However, buying from the US site, it is not possible to find the actual price including duty and delivery until you actually provide your payment details. On doing that the price is £202.63: It still beats the Sony PRS and BeBook price, and given the limitations of the Cool-er and the size of the Sony Pocket that is cheaper still, there appears to be no reason why the Kindle should not be as successful in Europe as it is in the USA.

So what benefits does the Kindle offer over these competitors? Probably the backing of Amazon, the largest eBook distributor on the planet, is sufficient reason in itself. Add to that the amazingly clear screen with its e-ink technology, and everything that anybody could want in an e-reader, and then you have your answer. Add to that the 3G, that means you don't have to dock your reader to anything, and it doesn't even have to come within a 100 miles of a computer to work, then its competitors are dead in the water.

The battery has the longest life ever, and everything about it is about ease of use, ease and speed of download and storage capacity for 200 books, this has everything. Add to that the MP3 player that plays through built-in speakers or headphones that it shares with iRex (the Sony needs headphones), then you have a machine that is top of the class, and for which only the price was not right.

Now that the price is right in Europe compared to that of the competition then there should be no holding the Kindle back. At least not until Apple find a competitor to 3G to enable rapid downloading of eBooks, and then the world of e-readers will come alight again with a battle royal that Amazon might not relish - but knowing Apple, they will love!

Marco Gustafsson is author of articles on eBook Readers, e-inc technology and electronic books. Visit Digital Book Readers to find more information and discover new dimension of reading.

What Is the Kindle With Special Offers, and Is It Worth the Money?

What is this new Kindle with Special Offers that Amazon has offered since the beginning of May? What features does it have? Is it any better or worse than the previous models? You'll find all the answers right here.

How is the Kindle Special Offers device different from the other Kindles?

This new Kindle is identical to the WiFi-only Kindle that Amazon currently offers in addition to the WiFi and 3G enabled Kindle. It has the same features as the WiFi-enabled device, which allows you to freely connect to a wireless Internet network whenever you're within range of one at a café or your own house.

How is this Kindle different from the others?

The device itself is identical in features to the other models, but it comes with one big difference. Whenever the old Kindle device was idle, it would flip on a screensaver with a picture of a famous author. But with the new model, you'll see a full-page "special offer." This is essentially an ad that offers you a gift card or significant product discount for signing up with a new credit card or making a purchase.

These ads will also appear in the bottom row of the Kindle screen when you're reading your book. They're fairly small and discreet, so they aren't really in the way.

How much does this new Kindle cost?

There has to be a reason Amazon can get away with displaying ads on a device you paid over $100 for. It's the fact that they reduced the price from $139 (the price of the ad-free Wi-Fi only model) to $114.00. Basically, you're getting the same exact WiFi-enabled device, just for $25 less because you're willing to look at or consider taking advantage of the ads.

What ads will I see?

The Kindle with Special Offers device will display ads from car companies like Buick, hygiene companies like Olay and banking and credit card companies, like Chase and Visa. Amazon also gives away coupons from time to time.

Which Kindle is the best option for my needs?

If you want to save money, then you definitely need to get the Kindle with Special Offers, especially if you don't need 3G access wherever you go. If you planned on getting the WiFi-only version in the first place, then save yourself $25 and get the Special Offers Kindle.

Remember, there's nothing different about this Kindle than the previous WiFi-only one, so you're not sacrificing any quality or features. You're just leaving out the regular screensaver option in favor of seeing offers and ads instead.

There's just one thing about the Kindle with Special Offers that I didn't go over here, but that you need to know before you make a purchase. Head on over to http://www.squidoo.com/3g-kindle to find out it is!

The Amazon Kindle With Special Offers - More Than Just An Adver-Kindle

The latest version of Amazon's phenomenally successful Kindle reader - the "Kindle with Special Offers" - allows customers to get a $ 25 discount on the price of a standard Wi-Fi only Kindle. The latest Kindle will start shipping on May 3, and it does more than let you buy a Kindle for just $ 114 - it highlights a few of the reasons why the Kindle is such a great success for Amazon, prompts some questions about the method of pricing e-book readers whilst simultaneously hinting at other products which Amazon may see fit to develop and launch, possibly in the near future.

The latest entry level Kindle puts adverts and special offers on Kindle screen saver pages in place of the pictures of famous authors used in earlier, standard Kindles. There will also be ads featured near the bottom of the home page menu screen. The actual reading experience is, according to Amazon, not affected, Amazon will earn money thanks to ad revenue and extra sales, which means that consumers can get their hardware at a reduced price. There's something in it for everyone.

Of course, there will be those who are unhappy about the notion of adverts on their Kindle, but some people seem to dislike the entire concept of e-book readers pretty much on a point of principle. It's a matter of personal preference when all's said and done. In any event, anyone who is uncomfortable with adverts on the Kindle can pay a little extra and get the standard, ad-free, model.

There are a number of companies with Kindle ad campaigns prepared and ready to launch. Chase, Procter and Gamble, Visa and General Motors are a selection of the companies who want to see adverts for their products on the Kindle. However, it seems reasonable to suppose that a large percentage of the ads will be for special offers which will be available direct from the Amazon website.

In some respects you would have to ask why Amazon haven't done this before now. It's the ideal advertising platform for practically any product on sale on Amazon's website.

Apart from the obvious fact that anyone who has a Kindle is going to be in the target demographic for Kindle books and any personal electronic device, Amazon are adept at tailoring personalised offers to consumers based upon both their browsing and buying history. Targeted adverts, and the ability to make a purchase at the press of a button, make advertising on the Kindle a very lucrative proposition for Amazon.

It's an advantage which Amazon enjoys in the e-book reader market - and one which is out of the reach of many of their competitors. However, it's debatable as to whether or not a discount of just $ 25 is an accurate reflection of the true worth of Kindle advertising to Amazon. Some industry watchers are already speculating that we could very well see a free Kindle reader in the near future. If the "Kindle with Special Offers" proves to be a success, then a free Kindle, possibly with some strings attached - such as a minimum number of Kindle book purchases per annum - may not only be a possibility, but might be here faster than you think.

And, as exciting as the opportunity to get a free Kindle reader may be, the success of Amazon's sponsorship efforts has even more wide reaching implications. The prospect that Amazon will release their own tablet computer has moved beyond the realms of speculation and rumor to an event that seems to carry an air of inevitability about it. ZDNet's James Kendrick is on record as saying that "Amazon would be remiss in not producing its own tablet."

By closely coupling a new tablet computer with the Amazon web-store, Amazon would be able to set the selling price at a considerably lower level than their competition. It could be another big winner for Amazon.

About this Author

With or without ads, the Amazon Kindle 3 is the number one ebook reader available on the market with good reason. Find out why.

Free Kindle Offers - 10 Things Free With Amazon Kindle Reader and Downloads

Free Kindle offers? Sounds a little impossible to come by with a gadget that costs $359. But Amazon Kindle Reader does indeed offer 10 things for free. The investment may sound a little too steep for the first time but come to think of it, the mammoth amount of information and books (including best sellers) that we can avail for prices, that are getting cheaper by the day, the kindle offerings can be ironically called almost "free" in the long run. The value for money is definitely better than many useless freebies we often pay for. But I just realized we still get 10 things for free from a Kindle and it's downloads that we almost take for granted.

Free space : Yes! plenty more of free space around the house with every readable thing going completely digital. Hence no more stacking up of newspapers, paperbacks or print publications. Book shelves of course are an integral part of our living space, but Kindle is changing it all, by packing library full of books within a palm. Only exception could be books becoming collectible items in future.

Free Access to Whispernet : Kindle Store, the hub of all great reads in the world, can be accessed free of charge through Whispernet over Sprint's EVDO network (A service provided by Amazon). Thus, completely negating the need to access a computer.

Free Document Conversion : Amazon also does offer an email-based service that converts HTML, DOC (Microsoft Word), JPEG, GIF, PNG, and BMP documents to AZW for free. It supports audio in the form of MP3s and Audible 2, 3, and 4 audiobooks, which must be transferred to the Kindle over USB or on an SD card.

Wikipedia Access : Wikipedia (Owned by Amazon) is also offered at no additional charge.

Free Browsing: Basic web browsing is available for free.

Free kindle eBooks : Free Kindle formatted books are not impossible to get either. Occasionally, Amazon does offer ebooks as free downloads for limited periods. For example, on Earth Day, Amazon made Go Green, Live Rich available for free. A considerable number of books have been made available for free to Kindle users in anticipation of new releases from the authors. Private, by Kate Brian, was issued for free in December, 2008, in order to help generate interest in Brian's new series, Privilege.

Free Text to Speech Option : With the latest release Amazon kindle 2 reader, a pre-installed text to speech software is for free.

Freedom of Mobility : Above everything else, the most important factor that what comes free with it is our "mobility". For the first time in history we can freely roam about anywhere, while accessing a world full of information on the go.

Time : Time is money and Kindle literally saves us a great deal of it. No more of wasting time on traveling, accessing and searching for information from multiple sources.

Hi-tech Add-Ons : Free Oprah-Kindle Coupon dispenser. Artificial intelligence interactivity. Digital display turning into a writing pad at the press of a button and phone access for free. Free Voice recognition and Mobile Banking. Oops, I guess I foretold the future of Kindle to come as well. No Kidding! the pace at which technology is evolving, we can surely hope to see Kindle 3 or Kindle 4 with all these features. I just mentioned them a little ahead of time.

Old flings die hard. Romance with the new Kindle 2 like never before and rekindle your love interest for kindle technology.

Visit Etflux.com to access useful resources, latest information, news and find all popular electronic gadgets for sale.

Buy your own electronic book reader from 1000s of Amazon Kindles for Sale, Accessories available here.

Kindle With Offers: Why the Kindle Special Offers Device Is the Number 1 Best E-Reader for the Price

Kindle with Offers is a bestselling Amazon.com ebook reader that is almost identical to the Amazon Kindle Wifi only version. But there's one big difference between the Kindle with Offers and the Kindle Wifi only: the price.

The Kindle Wifi only device is priced at $139. It comes equipped with Wifi access that you can employ to log into your Wifi network at home or at an internet café. Any place that has free Wifi or a Wifi network to which you have the password should be compatible with your Kindle 3G and Kindle with Offers.

The Kindle with Offers, on the other hand, is priced at $114. The funny thing is, there's absolutely no difference between this device and the 3G model. Why is that?

It has to do with one thing: the "offers" part of the model's title. How does this part work? That's a good question.

When you turn a regular Kindle device off, whether it be the 3G or Wifi only version, the screen goes black, and it looks as though it is actually in the sleep/off position. But in the case of the Kindle with Offers device, the screen never actually turns off. Its sleep mode consists of full-page advertisements in the form of beautiful graphics and crisp descriptions.

These wallpapers might feature famous authors, like Charles Dickens or Mark Twain, and will feature a company's special offer beneath the photograph. The display looks like paper (which is why the Kindle has what is called an "e-paper" display), so the advertisements look like they were just taken from a newspaper clipping.

The special offers are specific to Kindle users only. That's one of the perks of getting this particular Kindle device. It's not as if you're just getting random ads that you could take advantage of through the internet or mailings. You're getting Kindle user-specific ads that are exclusive.

The nice thing about the Kindle with Offers ads is that they are actually worth something. My Kindle often displays ads offering me to purchase a $25 Amazon gift card for only $15. Or, I might get a Best Buy ad offering 30% off products. These are pretty good deals, quite honestly, so it's definitely worth it to see them running across the screen.

At first, when I started using my Kindle, I thought I would get sick of seeing the ads on the screen. Since it looked like it was never going to fall asleep, I was worried that I might get pretty annoyed. But I don't get annoyed. It kind of becomes part of the wallpaper, which is pretty neat.

Now, you're probably wondering, doesn't the Kindle's screen glow at night if ads are running on it whenever it's not in use? Well thankfully, no. Its no-glare screen and e-paper display make it not glow under any circumstance - it's just as if you had a piece of paper lying on your nightstand.

However, there is one thing about the Kindle with Offers that you should know before you buy any ebook reader at all. If you want to find out what it is, visit http://www.squidoo.com/3g-kindle/. You might be making a big purchasing mistake if you don't!

Kindle Fire Now Offers Parental Content Controls

Mobicip, an app company that focus on helping parents control what their kids see on the web, has now released an app for the Kindle Fire to help parents control what they see on the Fire. This is a great idea, and could be a great comfort to those of you out there who have small children. I can see the value of this, as just the other day a friend of mine was talking about their child grabbing a device of theirs (I think it was a smartphone), and ended up on a site watching a video they should not have been watching within a few minutes!

The way it works is the app is actually its own browser, and this is the browser that you would allow your kids to use. You can set the content settings to several different levels based on their age. Right now you can set it to elementary, middle school, high school. You can try it for free for now, as it is still in beta. On other devices it costs $4.99 for the app, so I would guess this would be how much it will cost when it comes out of beta.

There is the obvious workaround for your kids – they could just use another browser! However, Mobicip has that covered, too, as you can actually use the app to block other apps, such as browsers, video apps, etc.

Overall, I think this is a great product, and I am glad it is coming to the Kindle Fire.

View the original article here

Kindle Keyboard, Wi-Fi, 6" E Ink Display - includes Special Offers & Sponsored Screensavers

Only owned this Kindle for 8 months- simply trading in for the Kindle Fire- nothing wrong with it. I have absolutely loved this Kindle- super fast and easy to use. Charger is included!

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Kindle Keyboard 3G, Free 3G + Wi-Fi, 6" E Ink Display - includes Special Offers & Sponsored Screensavers

Simple-to-use touchscreen, with audio and built-in Wi-Fi - Most-advanced E Ink display, now with multi-touch - New sleek design - 8% lighter, 11% smaller, holds 3,000 books - Text-to-speech, plus audio books and mp3s - Built in Wi-Fi - Get books in 60 seconds - Massive t book selection, over 800,000 titles are $9.99 or less - New - Borrow Kindle books from your public library

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The all-new Kindle - Lighter, smaller, faster - 30% lighter, less than 6 ounces - 18% smaller body, same 6" screen size - Fits in your pocket - Most advanced E Ink display, reads like paper - Built in Wi-Fi - Get books in 60 seconds - Massive book selection, over 800,000 titles are $9.99 or less - New - Borrow Kindle books from your public library

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Simple-to-use touchscreen, with audio and built-in Wi-Fi - Most-advanced E Ink display, now with multi-touch - New sleek design - 8% lighter, 11% smaller, holds 3,000 books - Text-to-speech, plus audio books and mp3s - Built in Wi-Fi - Get books in 60 seconds - Massive t book selection, over 800,000 titles are $9.99 or less - New - Borrow Kindle books from your public library

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Top-of-the-line e-reader, with touch and free 3G wireless - Free 3G wireless, no annual contracts or monthly fees - Download books anywhere, no hunting for Wi-Fi hotspots - 3G wireless works globally - Most-advanced E Ink display, now with multi-touch - New sleek design - 8% lighter, 11% smaller, holds 3,000 books - Text-to-speech, plus audio books and mp3s - Massive book selection, over 800,000 titles are $9.99 or less - New - Borrow Kindle books from your public library

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Kindle Keyboard 3G, Free 3G + Wi-Fi, 6" E Ink Display - includes Special Offers & Sponsored Screensavers

The all-new Kindle has a new electronic-ink screen with 50 percent better contrast than any other e-reader, a new sleek design with a 21 percent smaller body while still keeping the same 6-inch-size reading area, and a 17 percent lighter weight at just 8.5 ounces. The new Kindle also offers 20 percent faster page turns, up to one month of battery life, double the storage to 3,500 books, built-in Wi-Fi, a graphite color option and more—all for only $139.

Price: $139.00

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Kindle, Wi-Fi, 6" E Ink Display - includes Special Offers & Sponsored Screensavers

The all-new Kindle - Lighter, smaller, faster - 30% lighter, less than 6 ounces - 18% smaller body, same 6" screen size - Fits in your pocket - Most advanced E Ink display, reads like paper - Built in Wi-Fi - Get books in 60 seconds - Massive book selection, over 800,000 titles are $9.99 or less - New - Borrow Kindle books from your public library

Price:

Click here to buy from Amazon

This post was made using the Auto Blogging Software from WebMagnates.org This line will not appear when posts are made after activating the software to full version.

Kindle Touch, Wi-Fi, 6" E Ink Display - includes Special Offers & Sponsored Screensavers

Simple-to-use touchscreen, with audio and built-in Wi-Fi - Most-advanced E Ink display, now with multi-touch - New sleek design - 8% lighter, 11% smaller, holds 3,000 books - Text-to-speech, plus audio books and mp3s - Built in Wi-Fi - Get books in 60 seconds - Massive t book selection, over 800,000 titles are $9.99 or less - New - Borrow Kindle books from your public library

Price:

Click here to buy from Amazon

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Kindle Touch 3G, Free 3G + Wi-Fi, 6" E Ink Display - includes Special Offers & Sponsored Screensavers

Top-of-the-line e-reader, with touch and free 3G wireless - Free 3G wireless, no annual contracts or monthly fees - Download books anywhere, no hunting for Wi-Fi hotspots - 3G wireless works globally - Most-advanced E Ink display, now with multi-touch - New sleek design - 8% lighter, 11% smaller, holds 3,000 books - Text-to-speech, plus audio books and mp3s - Massive book selection, over 800,000 titles are $9.99 or less - New - Borrow Kindle books from your public library

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