Amazon.com on Wednesday ramped up its challenge to Apple's iPads by trimming the price of its large-screen Kindle Fire and making the tablets available in Japan and Europe.

The online retailer cut $100 from the price of the Kindle Fire HD with 8.9-inch screens and connectivity to the latest-generation wireless telecom networks, giving the tablets a starting price of $399.

A version of the Kindle Fire HD that connects to the Internet using Wi-Fi hotspots was given a starting price of $269.

Full-sized iPads start at $499 while Apple's iPad mini has a starting price of $329.

"We're thrilled with customer reaction to Kindle Fire HD 8.9-inch," said Amazon Kindle vice president Dave Limp.

"As we expand Kindle Fire HD 8.9-inch to Europe and Japan, we've been able to increase our production volumes and decrease our costs."

The tablet became available in Britain, Germany, France, Spain and Japan.