".....spring........."    (2012)

But you can still purchase/obtain books from all the usual suspect stores, get free books from Gutenberg, MobileRead etc... and borrow from your local library if you're lucky, and it has a digital collection.

There are some libraries outside UK you can borrow from, Singapore and Pensylvania for example - MobileRead has a full listing, plus all UK  ones - some you don't have to live in the area to use.

Don't forget, the Sony Store will be - as far as we know - just another source, although it may be easier to wifi, and they may have good offers - but we don't really know, do we ........

Oh, and Pottermore is (allegedly) coming on line April, but that is - as far as books go - a bit restricted - allegedly - bnut sounds like fun if you're inton that kind of interactive world thing .............

'Prob'ly a combination of tech problems ,- yes, I know, you would think they would have a moderately firm grasp of that sort of thing, wouldn't you   but this side seems to be a weak spot for some reason - and various geographical ,and author's  / publisher's, agreements, copyright etc...

You would think it would be relatively simple to start another online bookshop, especially with all the examples there are out there, and having one already running elsewhere.

I don't remember any huge publicity about Sony suffering any more than any other firm over the tsunami, either.

Perhaps it might simply be a result of trying to cope with launching a completely new device, then the Pottermore quagmire, on top of simple things like opening a store !

Too many chickens in the kitchen causing the soup to overflow onto the cook/s........ ?