Since launching the first Kindle back in 2007, Amazon.com has only sold the electronic readers through its website. But that may be changing, according to Engadget, which reports Kindles may be headed to a Target near you by April 25.

Perhaps Amazon sees a greater need for a brick-and-mortar sales channel for its e-readers as competition heats up. Apple is selling the iPad at its own retail stores and at Best Buy; Barnes & Noble sells its Nook reader at its own bookstores (and soon, it's rumored, at Best Buy as well).

Update: Amazon shares were up 4.52 percent to $140.96 Thursday in the wake of the Target report.

Target certainly has a broad reach, with stores all over the country. And Amazon has a history with Target, having run the department store chain's ecommerce website for the last decade. (Target, however, is ending that deal in 2011.)

Asked about the Kindle-Target report, Amazon spokesman Drew Herdener said "we don’t comment on rumors or speculation." Erin Madsen, a spokeswoman for Target, said the retailer "has no specific plans to share at this time."

Amazon has experimented with other ways to physically show off Kindles. The online retailer has a website called "See a Kindle in Your City" connecting enthusiastic Kindle owners with those who want to check out the device before deciding whether to buy.

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