New Kindle Finds Hole in 'Great Firewall of China'

Amazon’s Kindle 3G has become the hottest item on China’s gray market, and not just for its e-book features. Chinese bloggers have been gleefully recommending the device because it can circumvent the government’s censorship measures—or as one put it, “scale the wall automatically.” Its secret? The 3G Kindle uses a global system mobile (GSM) connection that covers more than 100 countries, instead of a censored local WiFi connection, the AFP reports.

“I still can’t believe it,” wrote one blogger. “I casually tried getting to Twitter, and what a surprise, I got there. And then I quickly tried Facebook, and it perfectly presented itself. Am I dreaming? No, I pinched myself and it hurt.” Officially, Amazon doesn’t sell the Kindle in China, but it is readily available; the AFP found dozens on a Chinese auction site, and one seller in Beijing told a Chinese newspaper he’d sold 300 in the past month. (More China stories.)