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Wednesday February 11, 2009
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 When Amazon's Kindle 2 was announced earlier this week, plenty of folks in the tech community were excited: The new version of the e-book reader is thinner, features a sharper display, and offers more storage. There is, however, at least one glaring omission with the Kindle 2--international availability.
Since the announcement, we've been hearing of concerns from international readers wondering when the Kindle will hit their neck of the woods. The issue is that the Kindle 2 uses a Sprint manufactured modem, which is only compatible with the U.S. network. Delivering the device overseas would mean replacing this fundamental piece of hardware.
More important, it would also mean striking all manner of new deals with the publishers who provide content for the device. As anyone who has ever worked in licensing can tell you, the process can be a nightmare. Surely it's not something that Amazon wants to deal with at the moment, especially as the company is continuing to sell the Kindle at a brisk pace in the U.S. market.
We put the question of international availability to Amazon. The company responded simply, "We do not comment on future releases." If you aren't in the U.S., it looks like you're going to have to wait before picking one up--or take a good, long look at the Kindle's competition.
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February 11, 2009 1:53 PM
For International would be nice if Amazon just did a WiFi module... The Sprint trickle mode is *OK* , but sucks for those of us who do travel.
It's a fricking e-book that cannot really leave the US, not very useful for travelers.. (BTW: WOn't even work in Canada)
February 11, 2009 3:11 PM
What difference does it make?? I travel a bunch, including China, and I use the Kindle all the time. Even for the daily New York Times and Wall Street Journal. Just do what they tell you, download them to your laptop, use the USB cord and transfer them to the Kindle. works for books and mags as well. How tough is that??
February 12, 2009 1:34 PM
I agree with Mike. stop whining with the drive-by media brainless parrots. Buy the books onine and download through your computer to your kindle. this is not such a big issue! It's a better reader than the others WHO DON'T HAVE WIRELESS..
February 13, 2009 7:37 AM
That's a fantastic comment Mike. Once you can register the Kindle using a USB cable and a computer to Amazon's network, allowing you to download your ebooks then the problem is solved for international users. That is to the point of being able to read your books anywhere. For those who want to use it to surf the net and access emails well I guess you'll have to wait for the future international release if any.