Amazon is to make Kindle available in Australia following a US-only availability for the e-book reader since its launch.
The device, which enables users to wirelessly download via 3G, books, magazines, newspapers and personal documents and view them on a 6-inch electronic ink display, will be available from 19 October for US$279.
Amazon’s Kindle Store will offers international customers over 200,000 English-language books from publishers such as Bloomsbury, Faber and Faber, HarperCollins, Lonely Planet, Penguin, and Simon & Schuster.
More than 85 US and international newspapers and magazines will also be available in the Kindle Store for single purchase or subscription.
Key features include: 3G wireless connectivity, USB connectivity, 2GB of memory for storage for up to 1,500 Books, automatic backed up of books to Amazon, battery life of two weeks with wireless turned off and up to four days on a single charge with wireless on.
Kindles’ “Read-To-Me” feature allows text-to-speech allowing the device to read most newspapers, magazines and books out loud. Adjustable text size, instant dictionary lookup and the ability to add annotations to text, highlight and clip key passages and bookmark pages for future use.