Staples to sell Amazon's Kindle

The Kindle has been sold through Amazon's website since it made its debut in 2007 and has been available at US retail giant Target's stores since April.

Staples said it would offer the e-reader in all of its more than 1,550 stores around the United States "beginning this fall."

"As part of our efforts to offer customers a wide range of top technology products and services at amazing values, the new Kindle is a natural fit," said Staples executive vice president of merchandising and marketing Jevin Eagle.

While it declined to release sales figures, Amazon said last week that the latest models of the Kindle were its "fastest-selling ever."

Amazon unveiled two new versions of the Kindle in late July, including one that sells for 139 dollars, its lowest price yet.

Amazon cut the price of the Kindle and revamped the line in the face of a threat in the e-reader market from Apple's iPad and companies like Sony and bookstore Barnes & Noble, which also offer e-readers.

Apple's cheapest iPad costs 499 dollars and features a color e-reader, compared with the black-and-white Kindle, which is devoted exclusively to digital books.

Barnes & Noble sells a version of its e-reader, the Nook, for 149 dollars while Sony's cheapest e-reader is 150 dollars.

(c) 2010 AFP