Amazon stops selling Sprint-powered Kindle
(Credit:
Amazon)
Just weeks after announcing a new $279 international version of its Kindle e-book reader, Amazon has chopped $20 off its price and made that model its only Kindle offering for both the domestic U.S. and international markets. In the process, the company has eliminated the U.S. version of the device, which used Sprint as the carrier for the Kindle's built-in wireless capabilities. Now, for better or worse, new Kindles will tap into AT&T's data network, which will also be the wireless provider behind Barnes & Noble's upcoming Nook e-book reader.
For those who bought the international version in recent weeks, Amazon is crediting buyers with a $20 refund. Here's the note it sent out to customers:
Good news! Due to strong customer demand for our newest Kindle with U.S. and international wireless, we are consolidating our family of 6-inch Kindles. As part of this consolidation, we are lowering the price of the Kindle you just purchased from $279 down to $259. You don't need to do anything to get the lower price--we are automatically issuing you a $20 refund. This refund should be processed in the next few days and will appear as a credit on your next billing statement.
If you bought U.S domestic version in recent days, you should get the AT&T-powered version. (We're looking into whether you can return an earlier U.S. Kindle for the newer model if you bought the U.S. one in the last 30 days).
For now anyway Amazon is not totally ditching Sprint. Drew Herdener, Amazon.com's director of communications, confirmed that the Kindle DX will continue to use Sprint's data network (no international version of the DX has been announced) and no Sprint-powered Kindle devices will have their wireless cut off.
As for reports that the Web browser is not available in the international Kindle, they may not be completely accurate. According to Engadget, Gadget Lab is reporting that you can get to the English version of Wikipedia, which leaves some hope that Amazon may open the browser to other sites. When we get the official word on what the new Kindle's browsing capabilities will be, we'll update this post.
Comments?
Hunkered down in New York City, Executive Editor David Carnoy covers the gamut of gadgets and writes his Fully Equipped column, which carries the tag line "The electronics you lust for." He's also the author of "Knife Music," a novel. E-mail David. Follow David on Twitter. 
As long as they don't remove the remote kill switch, I won't buy a Kindle.
In fact, I just pre-ordered a Nook.
@ JoeF2 - If you are hoping for a wireless media device without remote control over remotely obtained content, don't hold your breath... And why would you even imagine the Nook would not have the same - or worse - control features? LOL, naive.
The Nook is based on an Open Source system, Android. That pretty much guarantees that there is no hidden stuff there, and a remote killswitch, if it existed, could be disabled fairly easily.
It is obviously YOU who is the naive person.
By JoeF2's logic, it's okay to enter your credit card info on any web site that runs on Linux, since it's open source and therefore trustworthy.
Ouch...
Second. Just because it is partially Open Source, doesn't mean you can't have "hidden stuff". They can compile their own code in there that you'll NEVER see, and it could do _anything_.
Third, Nook is gonna have a kill switch too, I'm willing to put good money on it. Who doesn't have a kill switch in their devices these days? I can't think of anything. Hell, Firefox has a killswitch in it.
That's really low on the troll scale.
If you give me access to the computer that stores your credit card, I can of course get the number, Open Source or not.
Every heard of "jailbreaking"? If it can be done on a proprietary system like the iPhone, it can be done much easier on a system that uses an Open Source OS. Get an education about these things.
It is pointless to have a remote kill switch in something that's based on Open Source.
Have fun with Big Brother in the Kindle...
First off, if they indeed use Linux, they would be violating the GPL, because their license agreement at http://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html?ie=UTF8&nodeId=200399690 prohibits things that the GPL allows, e.g., modifying, creating derivative works, etc. They can only prohibit that for their own proprietary software, not for GPL software.
Second, they can only have things hidden that are not derived from the Linux kernel. Anything that requires the kernel to run, including dynamically loaded kernel modules, are derived works and need to be public.
Third, care to explain what the "Firefox kill switch" is? Firefox calls home, but it doesn't have a kill switch.
Forth, I take your bet... Your post shows that you don't have all that much clue about Open Source stuff...
Is that an upgrade or a downgrade?
I think they both are the same
====================================
Compare their coverage maps and you might come to a different conclusion.
http://coverage.sprint.com/IMPACT.jsp
http://www.wireless.att.com/coverageviewer/#?type=data
Well, unless you live in an area well-covered by both and never intend to travel with your eReader. THEN I think ATT currently has an advantage since the HSDPA branch of GSM is faster than the EV-DO revA evolution of CDMA (Sprint and Verizon are both upgrading their EV-DO networks to LTE, though, which will be faster than HSDPA). But if you travel a lot (say, reading while carpooling, et cetera) and want new content while on the go (has the NYT and WSJ got onboard to sell subscription content via eBook?), Sprint has better coverage; GSM (HSDPA/HSPA) *is* currently the dominant standard in Europe, though.
(On Sprint's map you have to manually select Data from the horizontal picklists on the right side, by the way...otherwise you're comparing pomes and citrus.)
I am pretty sure Sprint will be using Clearwire/WiMax for their G4 and GSM companies will use LTE.
Long-Term Evolution
An effort to develop advanced wireless mobile radio technology that will succeed current 3G WCDMA/HSDPA/HSUPA technology.
Although "LTE" is not the name of the standard itself, it is often used that way. The actual standard is called 3GPP Release 8.
LTE is considered by many to be a "4G" technology, both because it is faster than 3G, and because it uses an "all-IP" architecture where everything (including voice) is handled as data, similar to the Internet.
the reason why i was implying that both AT&T's network (Now) and Sprint's network suck is because I have tried both of them. AT&T in my area, has the signal bars going up and down like an equilizer on a music system. on the other hand Sprint's network is non-existant. LOL...only T-mobile has decent coverage but I chose to go with Verizon after paying a hefty cancellation fee to AT&T and now I barely go below 4 bars. The most I saw was a dip to the 3rd bar and no dropped calls. Once a friend of mine sent me a SMS and I got it the next day on AT&T's network..He was asking for help, so much for help after 24 hours...
Why not just come out and call it the Vajainer E-Book reader, LOL
B&N needs to hire a new marketing department!
I will guess most of the people claiming they aren't going to buy a Kindle because of this weren't going to buy a Kindle anyways. These people simply need a sense of empowerment.
Where I live, Sprints 3g coverage is much better. When I buy a ebook reader, I will probably go for the nook, just cus it also has wifi built in.
The tech specs ( http://www.barnesandnoble.com/nook/features/techspecs/ ) and product comparison pages ( http://www.barnesandnoble.com/nook/compare/ ) offered by B&N say nothing of the nook being only able to access a B&N wireless network and not a home network.
Source as to where you heard this information from?
http://blogs.zdnet.com/Ratcliffe/?p=434&tag=rbxccnbzd1
and here:
http://blogs.zdnet.com/Ratcliffe/?p=446&tag=col1;post-434
It seems you can use the wifi anywhere.
The price Amazon cut was the price of the international version. So the only Nook aspect is that if and when B&N goes International, they'll be facing a $259 (or lower Kindle).
Anybody looking a for a Nook-ish reaction from Amazon should focus instead on their announcement of Kindle Reader for Windows, which checks-off one of Nook's speaking points; the availability of their DRM'ed ebooks on PC.
Competition is good; let'em smack each other around a bit...
Yes, I would never buy a Kindle,Nook or Sony anyway as they all have the "kill switch" or capability in one way or another...Netbooks at Wal-Mart are about $265.00 this week.
If you're in an area with 3G, you won't hear the GSM chirping anymore, because it doesn't use TDMA.
Son of a b**ch!
I'll be glad when GSM is finally replace by 3G, too bad it will be 2025 before that happens.
By then, I'll be looking at the B&N reader.
Seriously how much money does Barnes & Nobles have and all they can come up with is Nook??? Good grief is creativity really dead in the USA????
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