Has Amazon Rushed Kindle International To the Market?

It wouldn’t be a first time that a major company has dropped the ball during a major launch. Amazon did generate a whole lot of buzz by touting the new international plan that it has worked out with AT&T. Being able to download e-books all around the world is a big plus. But the early reports from those who have tried Kindle 2.0 internationally indicate that the device is anything but glitch-free. Kindle testers have been complaining about the whole process of downloading books in a foreign country. And you probably won’t be able to browse the web in your country either:

The newest Kindle won’t allow anyone outside the United States to surf the web or read blogs using the reader’s experimental web browser.

That doesn’t exactly sound like a glitch. It’s essentially AT&T telling Amazon that it is not going to handle the headache of dealing with Kindle owners who want to use their gadget to tweet or browse the web on the go. And a lot of Amazon customers were surprised that they were charged additional fees per book. Don’t forget about taxes in your country either. So when you add things up, there is a price to be paid for being able to use your e-book reader internationally.

To give Amazon credit, it has provided some useful information on its website that should answer some of the questions that many of Kindle owners may have. At the same time, it needs to do a better job being transparent about what Kindle International is all about and how much it could cost you. There are a few folks who already feel the buyer’s remorse. But you should never pick up a new gadget without reading its terms and conditions. Plus, when such a big feature is introduced, you may want to wait a while to let the early adopters test it for you. That would certainly save you a lot of headaches.

Watch this space for more information on Kindle International issues.