Amazon first unveiled the Kindle 2 back in February and had it priced well over the $300 price point, since then we had seen a price drop in July that took it down to $299 — now once again the price has been lowered. Of course, that is not all, Amazon has also announced a second US and International edition.
First things first, effective immediately the Kindle 2 is now selling for $259.
Now that price drop is certainly exciting, but perhaps a little more exciting for our overseas readers is that the Kindle 2 has gone international. Of course, this does come with a little catch, but more on that in a second.
In terms of pricing and availability, the international version will retail for $279 and go on sale October 19. In terms of features, the international version will sport the same features as the regular Kindle 2 except for the ability to purchase in “more than 100 countries and territories around the world.” Sounds good, but that catch comes in due to the fact that you are still using an AT&T SIM for service — that means unlike the ability to download books for free you will have to pay for your download.
“When traveling abroad, you can download books wirelessly from the Kindle Store or your Archived Items for a fee of $1.99″
All things considered, I guess a buck 99 is not all that bad, especially considering that many titles are available for $9.99. I guess that will come down to whether or not you are willing to pay for the convenience. Either way, the Kindle going international certainly sounds like good news.
Product [Amazon] Read [Business Wire]
I've put together a table that lists every country in which Kindle is available along with number of books, their pricing, wireless availability etc at http://blogkindle.com/2009/10/international-release-of-kindle-2/