Amazon to launch Kindle in Canada

TORONTO (Reuters) - U.S. Internet retailer Amazon.com Inc said on Tuesday that it was introducing Kindle, its wireless electronic reader, in Canada.

Last month, the world's largest online retailer rolled out the Kindle internationally, but at the time Canada was excluded from its global launch.

Amazon -- which regards the Kindle as a pivotal growth driver -- said more than 300,000 books from a host of publishers as well as more than 90 periodicals, including Canadian newspapers the Globe & Mail and the National Post, would be available on the device.

The e-reader, which can store up to 1,500 books, uses the same 3G wireless technology as advanced cellphones to download content. The $259 device is available online and is ready to ship immediately, Amazon said.

The delay in the launch of the device in Canada had given rise to speculation that Amazon was, at the time, still working on finalizing an agreement with a wireless carrier in the country.

Seattle-based Amazon, which did not announce the name of the wireless carrier it will use in Canada, was not immediately available for comment.