Kindle now available in 170 countries

"Kindle Fire HD is the number one best-selling item in the world for Amazon since its launch, and we're thrilled to make it available to even more customers around the globe," said Dave Limp, vice president at Amazon Kindle.

"Not only does Kindle Fire feature advanced hardware, it's also a service," he said.

"When combined with the content system, great email and browsing features and our excellent customer service, we hope people around the world will agree that Kindle Fire HD is the best tablet available. I sells for just US$159," he added.

Amazon said Kindle Fire will start shipping to the additional countries by the middle of June. Until now it had been sold in the US, Britain, Germany, France, Spain and Japan.

The company said its Amazon Appstore "is now available to millions of customers in nearly 200 countries," offering games, books, and other content. Amazon sells apps for Kindle, but also for personal computers and Android phones and devices.

"We think our customers will love the app selection we have and also find features such as Free App of the Day and personalised recommendations very helpful as they discover and explore new apps and games," said Amazon's Mike George.

"By further expanding the distribution of apps to millions of customers around the world, we are continuing to make it easy for customers to enjoy their Amazon apps on Kindle Fire and any Android device," George said.

The Appstore had been available in Britain Germany, France, Italy, Spain, China and Japan, with a launch planned in Brazil.

Amazon is competing with the likes of Apple and Google in the market for tablets and online content and apps.

The Seattle-based firm has not released sales figures but research firm IDC said Amazon is the fourth leading seller of tablets despite limited distribution, with 1.8 million units sold in the first quarter.

Source: AFP via I-Net Bridge