Amazon Kindle Fire HD not cleared for sale in US

The new top of the range Kindle Fire device, introduced by CEO Jeff Bezos last week, has not been approved for sale by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), it has emerged.

FCC approval is required for wireless communications products, to assure that they operate safely and won't improperly interfere with other signals.

A pre-order confirmation email sent by Amazon for the $499 Kindle Fire HD 8.9-inch 4G tablet included the following note: "We will send you an email asking you to confirm your pre-order of Kindle Fire when it is approved for sale by the Federal Communications Commission."

I can't think of an instance where a device has been offered by a US carrier without FCC approval.

Amazon is accepting pre-orders now and plans to ship the 4G devices on 20 November. A company spokeswoman said Amazon expects to receive FCC approval before November 20.

Attorneys and analysts familiar with FCC compliance procedures agreed that the FCC is unlikely to reject the Amazon devices out of hand, or prolong the approval process past its ship date.

But they say it's very unusual for a company to announce major new products without first getting the sign-off from the agency.

"I can't think of an instance where a device has been offered by a US carrier or an independent retailer that has not had FCC approval yet," said John Jackson, a wireless analyst at CCS Insight.

An FCC spokesman declined to comment.

The 4G Kindle Fire tablets are a crucial part of Amazon's attempt to challenge Apple's iPad at the premium end of the booming tablet market.