Amazon is finally rolling out Kindle, its wireless electronic reader, for over 100 countries, including China and most of Europe.

The move is being seen as intensifying a battle for the burgeoning digital book market. The Kindle will sell for $279 in other countries but will be cheaper in the US where it will be $259. Amazon is promising more than 200,000 English-language books from a host of publishers as well as more than 85 international and US newspapers and magazines would be available on the international device, which begins shipping October 19.

E-readers are expected by some to be the hottest gadget this holiday season. What has slowed the Kindle from getting out of the US is its fear of dealing with European telcos. As yet none have said that they are carrying a Kindle service. Forrester Research estimated 3 million e-reader devices would be sold in the United States in 2009, up from an earlier estimate of 2 million.

That could double in 2010, bringing cumulative sales to 10 million by end-2010. The research group predicts that Amazon will take 60 percent market share in 2009, followed by Sony at 35 percent.