The Amazon Kindle is set to hit Philippine shores on October 19  at $279 (approx. Php13,000 not including customs and other taxes).  This 6″ international GSM version will be available to over 100 countries (obviously including us :D) with international shipping.

The Kindle’s international version will give you access to buy and download over 290,000 ebooks as well as a multitude of US magazines and international newspapers even without a US-based credit card.  Wondering about connectivity?  Check out the map below: 3G is shown in dark purple and while EDGE/GPRS is light purple.

Access to the kindle network is free (so you can download free ebooks :D) but the built-in web browser is disabled taking away one of the device’s major selling points — always-on, free and ubiquitous internet access.  No official reason was stated but you can easily put the blame on the Kindle’s network provider, AT&T, for the decision to cripple the Kindle.  Though there’s no monthly charges for connectivity since it’s is handled by Amazon, I’m sure everyone interested would welcome the ability to surf the web.