Amazon's Kindle heads to the UK on 19 October

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Amazon has finally made its Kindle e-book reader available in the UK - but it's still the American edition of the gadget that'll be on offer from 19 October.

UK readers can now pre-order the US version of the Kindle with international wireless included for $279 - plus delivery and import duty.

Those not wanting to deal with North American chargers and other differences will have to wait for a UK-specific edition. Amazon didn't say when one would be made available, but did confirm one was in the works.

An Amazon spokesperson noted that the international wireless system will be delivered using AT&T's 'Whispernet', suggesting no UK operators will be involved.

In a note on the Amazon.co.uk site, founder Jeff Bezos claimed the Kindle Store already has 250,000 e-books available for UK users, as well as many newspapers.

"You can expect to see many more books from UK publishers available in the coming weeks and months," he wrote. "Our vision for Kindle is to have every book ever printed, in any language, all available in under 60 seconds."

American buyers also benefit today, as the price for them has dropped to $259.

Bezos said that the Kindle is now "available to customers around the world", with it headed to 100 countries, including much of Europe and India. Based on the Amazon.com Kindle page, it's not yet possible to get one sent north of the border to Canada or to major market China.

An Amazon spokesman told IT PRO the company is "working on making Kindle available in those countries."

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