credit guardian.co.uk

So everybody’s getting excited over the Kindle 2.0, and it hasn’t even been announced yet, let alone released. Even the Guardian is now reporting that Amazon will probably introduce a new Kindle during a special press conference a week from Monday.

A couple of things caught my eye about this article. One was:

Some observers say they expect a thinner and more robust body and more user-friendly approach – but it remains unclear whether the gadget will ever be available to buy in Europe.

What? Not available in Europe? Turns out that yes, Kindles are not available in Europe, and the whispernet doesn’t work there. Sony Reader is available in England (though just the old model), and is in the midst of rolling out Readers in France and Germany, according to reputable sources.

This sounds like yet another case of the two major ereader producers battling to see who can suck the least. Sony barely even seems to be trying, but Amazon continues to waste buzz best, just like they did when Oprah plugged the Kindle, and then they embarrassingly ran out of stock. For 3 months.

But wait! There’s more! …
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