Kindle: Product Design Decisions and Localisation
Amazon’s new Kindle ebook reader relies upon a mobile network standard (EVDO) that is used in only a few parts of the world (US and South Korea mainly). Amazon chose its (few) target markets for this initiative when they decided upon the Kindle device specification.
Ironically, Amazon-acquired Mobipocket which runs both an ebook store and creates cross-platform ebook reader software, was originally a French company.
Now, in the light of the US-specific Kindle hardware, Mobipocket seems semi-detached from Amazon’s ebook strategy: there’s no cross-promotion of Kindle on mobipocket.com, Mobipocket is international but Kindle is not, and there appears to be no compatibility between Mobipocket-bought ebooks and Kindle (*).
Weird.
* “Mobipocket non-DRM books are compatible with Kindle. However, books purchased from Mobipocket or retailers who use the Mobipocket format with DRM are not compatible with Kindle.”
