The Amazon Kindle DX will cost US$489 and ships direct to you.

Here's a screenshot summarizing what overseas purchasers must know prior to pre-ordering their Kindle DX devices.

CORP TALK: Once limited only to the US market, the Amazon Kindle DX e-book reader is now available online and can be shipped to more than 100 countries, including HWM countries Philippines and Thailand (strangely enough, Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia have been left out, but not Hong Kong and Vietnam).

Similarly, the original 6″ display Kindle is also available for shipping to these countries (at US$259).

The Kindle DX wireless reading device costs US$489 and has a 9.7″ display screen (2.5 times larger than the original Kindle).

Amazon.com will take pre-orders from Wednesday (6 January 2010) and shipping to the 100+ countries starts January 19. There are currently 300,000 electronic books available for the Kindle device.

T&A: Research firm GfK has released a report comparing first quarter of 2009 results for the consumer electronics and home appliance sectors in the Philippines versus previous quarters.

In general, consumer electronics (CE) dropped by 8% in terms of value and 4% in terms of units compared to the same period last year. Only LCD TVs and Portable Media Player (MP3/MP4) posted positive growths of 4.5% and 2.6% in units respectively when comparing month-to-month from May to June 2009.

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This is in conjunction with the launch of LG’s LH50, LH70 and LH35 Full HD TVs. Viewers only need log in here to watch the documentaries and cast their vote by 9 August 2009.

South-east Asian viewers can now vote for their fave HD documentaries from National Geographic Channel in a collaboration with LG Electronics.

The BRAVIA ZX1 is a 40" Full HD LCD TV that fits in any existing decor.

SHOWCASE: Sony launched a bunch of LCD TVs in Singapore and Philippines recently, with the Philippines launch held on 27 May 2009 at the EDSA Shangri-La Hotel, Manila and the Singapore launch held on 9 June at the Red Dot Museum, Singapore.

The star of the launch in both countries is of course, the BRAVIA ZX1, a 40-inch Full-HD panel with a significant lean depth of 9.9mm. Powered with Sony’s Edge LEDs, the ZX1 uses side-LEDs incorporating a “Light Guide Plate” to ensure the same luminance as the CCFL breeds, so that center areas of the screen are evenly lit. Expect the BRAVIA ZX1 to be available in June 2009.

Besides the ZX1, Sony also unveiled the WE5 Series in both countries. The WE5 aims to conserve energy with the use of a Hot Cathode Fluorescent Lamp (HCFL) for its backlights, and an Intelligent Presence Sensor that senses if a viewer is present in the room. If the viewer is absent, the sensor will automatically turn the TV off to reduce power consumption by over 40%.

More pictures after the jump. (more…)

Among SingTel’s eight markets, its Indian associate, Bharti, of which SingTel owns a 30.4% stake, posted the biggest customer jump at 52% year-on-year.

CORP TALK: Singapore Telecommunications Limited (SingTel) has released a report announcing the company’s increased and combined regional mobile customer base, which has totalled 249 million as of 31 March 2009.

From a base covering eight countries – Australia (Optus), Bangladesh (PBTL), India (Bharti), Indonesia (Telkomsel), Pakistan (Warid), the Philippines (Globe), Singapore (SingTel) and Thailand (AIS), the company’s regional customer base has grown 7.3%, or 17 million on a sequential quarterly basis. Click here to see a breakdown of the stakes SingTel currently has in the various companies across the six other markets besides Singapore and Australia.

Besides India, SingTel also reported that Telkomsel grew its mobile customer base by 41% or 20.8 million year-on-year. The past quarter alone, ending 31 March 2009, saw the Indonesian operator adding 6.8 million customers to its base, with a market share increase of 3% to 49%. (more…)