Orders can be placed online with Amazon but shipping will not start until October 19.

The international Kindle will allow readers in Hong Kong to download books wirelessly without monthly fees, service plans or need to use a Wi-fi hotspot. The only extra cost is the price of books purchased, which varies.

People in Hong Kong who currently own a 'US only' version of Kindle have to pay an additional US$1.99 fee when downloading a book wirelessly.

To avoid any fees, they can download via a computer and transfer to Kindle using a USB connection.

Cultural critic and TV host Leung Man-to was thrilled by the news.

He said he had thought of buying one in the US but abandoned the idea after learning that the free wireless connectivity for access to books, magazines and blogs was not available in the city.

Leung, who owns more than 10,000 books, said the days of paper books were numbered.

'E-books are cheaper, environmentally friendly and more convenient. Like vinyl records, paper books will vanish from the earth or become collectable items, and only real book lovers will buy them - and just some nicely designed or precious ones.'

But fellow book lover, Ivan Choy Chi-keung, a political scientist at Chinese University, said he would not buy a Kindle. 'Reading is an enjoyment to me and I can only have it by flicking the papers,' said Choy, who buys 20 books a month. He said he loved the feeling of being 'embraced by piles of books', although he was forced to dump many on the floor, as the shelves were full.

Currently, Amazon offers more than 350,000 e-books, newspapers, magazines and blogs for downloading. Downloads for Kindles are available only in English but Amazon says it has started working on digitising books in other languages.

The mainland is still not included in the Kindle expansion but Leung believes people there will embrace e-books.

'They are used to getting cultural content, music, movies and books online, since many of these things are suppressed.

'It is not a problem for them to read from a digital device. All they are waiting for is one that suits their needs,' he said.

Charles Mok, chairman of the Internet Society, said the biggest appeal of Kindle, like the iPod, was not the hardware but the way the content was delivered.

'There are other e-book devices but Kindle stands head-and-shoulders above them, since it has a strong content base and it can allow users to download content wirelessly.'

While iTunes, a platform that Apple offers to allow iPod users to buy music online, is not fully available in Hong Kong and the mainland, Mok said the market for books was different.

'The blackout was not Apple but the music industry's idea. The sale of music is different to books,' he said, adding that prices of albums varied hugely in different places but books were priced within a narrow margin.

Alan Jone, manager of gadget store JC Shop, said Kindle was a product with a niche market. It was more of a practical device than a trendy toy, Jone said, so people would not flock to get one or bid high prices for the device.

'I think the product will be well received in Hong Kong especially among the richer people,' he said. 'It has its gimmick because people are more aware of environmental protection.'

Bookstore chains Page One and Dymocks as well as publisher Sino United Publishing were not able to comment yesterday.