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Amazon is to launch the Kindle store in the UK this summer and has unveiled a third generation Kindle, with two new devices priced at £149 and £109. The move sees the giant retailer ratchet up the battle over digital reading in the UK following the launch of Apple's iBookstore in the UK at the end of May and the expected launch of Google Editions in the summer.
Amazon said the store would open on 27th August, the same day that it will begin shipping the two new devices. The Kindle was launched internationally last October, but up until now book buyers have had to buy books in US dollars from Amazon.com, severely limiting the impact of the device in the UK. Amazon is promising to have 400,000 Kindle editions in the store at the "lowest prices", but it has not divulged what the cost of bestsellers will be in the UK--something that will be a key concern to British publishers. The company said: "No other e-bookstore in the UK offers this many books or bestsellers."
The two new devices promise Amazon’s "all-new electronic ink display with 50 percent better contrast for the clearest text and sharpest images" and faster page turning. The £109 device comes only with Wi-Fi for those who don't want free 3G wireless. The new Kindle has a 21% smaller body while still keeping the same 6-inch-size reading area. At 8.7 ounces (247 grams), the new devices are 15% lighter and still 1/3 of an inch thin. Amazon also promises that a single battery charge will now last up to one month.
"Kindle is the bestselling product on Amazon for two years running. We lowered the price to $189 and sales growth tripled. Now, we are excited to introduce a new generation Kindle that is smaller, lighter, and faster, with 50% better contrast. Readers are going to do a double take when they see Kindle's bright new screen and feel how remarkably light the smaller 8.7 ounce design feels in one hand," said Jeff Bezos, Amazon.com founder & c.e.o.. "At this price point, many people are going to buy multiple units for the home and family."