Begun the eBook wars have
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.