I bought a Sony Reader Touch a month or so ago and it's pretty much going to revolutionize how I decorate my apartment. So now my #1 concern isn't "where do I put another bookshelf?", it's more "why do I live in such a terrible apartment?" But that's a problem for another day.

Right now, I'm kind of baffled by something. One of the things I thought would be a perk of this device is that I could hop online and download books (depending on availability) right at moment's notice. And while this is true, it's not exactly a bargain. For example: I thought it would be fun to grab a copy of that Pride and Prejudice and Zombies book I've heard about. So I jumped into the Sony Book Store and discovered it was 10 bucks. This is not terribly expensive but it's more than I would have guessed for something that has no new production costs now that it's gone to print. Jumping over to Amazon.com to compare was illuminating:

Sony: $9.89
Amazon: $8.47

For less money I could get a real, physical copy of the book that won't ever get accidentally deleted. I could make some snide comment about how this is how copyright infringement thrives, but it would be beside the point. Are the people who run these stores 100 years old? It kinda makes you wonder if the person from Virtual Return works for Sony now if this is their attitude towards digital distribution.

I'm going to a real bookstore to buy this book tomorrow. Having a neat device isn't going to convince me to overpay for books, Sony.