Amazon selling over a million Kindles a week

Amazon has revealed that the Kindle family of devices are selling at over one million each week in the run up to Christmas.

The sales figures include the new Kindle Fire tablet which the company says has been the best-selling item across the entire site since it became available for pre-order 11 weeks ago.

"Kindle Fire is the most successful product we've ever launched," said Kindle VP Dave Limp.

"it's the bestselling product across all of Amazon for 11 straight weeks, we've already sold millions of units, and we're building millions more to meet the high demand."

The $199 tablet, only available in the US, may have been selling the lion's share, but the $79 Kindle reader, $99 Kindle Touch and $149 Kindle 3G have also been selling well ahead of Christmas.

Unusual move

The online retailer is usually coy about revealing sales figures, but it seems this was just too good of an opportunity to boast about its own-branded range of readers and tablets.

Despite the sales surge, the last couple of weeks haven't been too kind on the Kindle Fire, with a number of complaints about Wi-Fi reliability, sluggish navigation and the lack of privacy the device offers.

A software update to clear-up these perceived ills is set to launch within the next two weeks.

Nokia selling off Vertu luxury brand

Nokia is preparing to sell Vertu, a UK-based subsidiary that specialises in handmade luxury phones for the super rich.

The process is at an early stage, although there has been interest from private equity groups and it's likely to attract interest from luxury goods brands, according to sources of the Financial Times.

Yet to be officially valued, Vertu has an estimated annual revenue of up to €300 million (£255 million).

Vertu's luxury handsets are available in more than 60 countries, some with dedicated shops. Somewhat predictably, it has a strong following among those in Russia and the Middle East who wouldn't have their personal assistant seen dead in a branch of Phones4U.

Diamonds are until your next upgrade

Its latest phone and first touchscreen model is the Constellation, with a 3.5in AMOLED touchscreen and 8 megapixel camera with dual LED flash.

It's reasonably well specified compared to predecessors but runs Nokia's aging Symbian OS and, well, will cost up to £10,000 if you choose the version clad in alligator skin and encrusted with diamonds.

Though that's peanuts compared to the £200,000 some models have cost in the past.

While Vertu customers aren't renowned for taking their time with buying decisions, the phones' value is greater than the sum of its spec sheet.

Their real VIP value comes from a "concierge" service which has its own side button to speed dial a team of personal assistants who will arrange your life for you, make recommendations and get you access to exclusive members' clubs around the world.