Lady LUX

That’s right LUXies! Our favorite e-reader will soon be global thanks to the collaboration between Amazon and AT&T.

What was once something you could only enjoy via your travel in the U.S. will soon be something that can accompany you on globetrotting adventures beginning October 19.

This new version of Kindle will be able to download books in more than 100 countries and has the new name of ‘Kindle with US and International Wireless.’ These snazzy updated gadgets will retail for about $280 and can be pre-ordered now. Talk about the perfect early Christmas present for any avid-reader and international traveler! This best-selling piece of technology just might have to be on your Holiday gift list!

The current version of Kindle will see a price reduction form $300 to about $260 to make room for the updated and more versatile version. However, the larger version, the Kindle DX, is unaffected by this new upgrade.

As Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos explains it in a phone interview with Wired, “The two Kindles are identical, except for the radio.” The new device does not sync with Sprint, which was previously the exclusive supplier for Amazon’s Whispernet technology. Instead, it works with AT&T’s wireless network, which has the global reach that Amazon needs for its international plans.

This is bad news for Sprint, who was the previously download carrier for the Kindle, but great news for the competitor AT&T.

Amazon sees this new version as the ultimate ‘travel companion’ for anyone. It can act as a travel guide when you’re unsure of how to find your way in a new town, country or city! With this new version they’re also making an easy, user-friendly guide ‘Lonely Planet Series,’ that aims to do just that.

The greatest news is for those of you who recently bought old versions of the Kindle. If purchased within the last 30 days, you can exchange them for FREE for an updated version! For those of us who have some of the first Kindles made, it might just be time to upgrade.

So what do you think LUX Nation? Is this a feature that makes you want to have your own e-reader?

Tech.Life.LUX.

Tagged in: amazon, travel guide, october 19 release date, lonely planet series, kindle with us and international wireless, international coverage, kindle, at&t, e-reader,