Amazon Kindle In Europe: Too Little Too Early

So is Amazon running scared by Barnes & Noble? I have to admit my expectations were set high last Monday when Amazon announced Kindle was available worldwide. The start was excellent. Ordered the same day on Monday, shipped from the USA on Tuesday, delivered by DHL just two days later passing a customs clearance. This is the current record time for any item ordered from the USA to Poland. In te meantime, on Wednesday, they kindly credited me back with $20, due to "Consolidation of family of 6" Kindles." (whatever this means besides aligning with the price of B&N's Nook).

Unpacking the device was reminding me unpacking the first iPod for the first time. The feeling of a device of a completely new class... It was turned off and there was an image on the screen. I thought it was a piece of paper to peel off... But actually this was a displayed image... WOW!

"It needs to be charged" - I thought and looked in the box for a power supply. First was the cable. Standard USB on one side and micro USB on the other. WOW again! It looks like even the American companies take the EU standardization directive seriously... Or maybe this is because of the recent UN approval? Anyway... it is great to see all the new devices become universally compliant with one universal charger... Second was the actual charger. Ultimately streamlined and small... beating the one that comes with an iPhone... WOW!

Sadly this was the last WOW...

The charger was an American standard... With a magnifying glass I was able to read it could accept input AC voltage of 100V-240V range, but the prongs obviously did not fit my socket. OK, I have some spare US-to-EU adapters at home, but doubt others do... Mr. Amazon - you knew you were shipping the Kindle outside the USA... So including a US power supply is an intentional act to piss your international early adopters?

Kindle does not have WiFi, the international version uses one of GSM standards to connect (the US version uses Sprint's CDMA). Unfortunately I have no GSM coverage at home (I do have one when I lean out of the window), so all the subsequent tests I conducted on my balcony. The lack of WiFi is a mistake. Not because there is no GSM coverage (most users will not have the particular problems I have living in a deep valley outside a city). But because the international Kindle service is severely crippled due to high cellular data roaming costs (Kindle comes with American SIM card). See the following:

• "Newspapers and magazines delivered outside the U.S. will not include photos and other images." I subscribed to Time and unsubscribed immediately. A magazine without illustrations is not worth time (pun intended...).
• "Blogs are not available in your country or region." Basically this means no dynamic content on my Kindle...
• Personal Documents Service: "Kindle (U.S. & International Wireless) user living outside the United States: We'll send personal files to your Kindle via Whispernet for a fee of $ .99 (USD) per megabyte anywhere in the world you access Whispernet service.". That is more than SIX times as expensive as in the US...
• The Basic Web service (Kindle's Web Browser): "Due to local restrictions, web browsing is not available for all countries.".

And this is not all - I soon learned the books cost $14, versus $10 in the US. Lest than 50% of functionality for significantly higher price. Plus a trip to the local equivalent of Radio Shack to get a power adapter... I know I know there is a competitive pressure from Barnes & Noble. I know there is a pressure for earnings from shareholders. But a company like Amazon should not approach international markets in such an amateurish fashion. The Amazon name obliges. And this name has a value, that should not be that easily depleted.

On a generally positive note: the Kindle form factor is perfect. If Apple is really readying a tablet with hard keyboard and a 7-inch display, running the iPhone OS, it will be a killer, sending Kindles and Nooks to the niches.