The PEG-UX50 Starts Shipping

According to PalmInfoCenter, the PEG-UX50 started shipping in limited quantities. A quick trip to SonyStyle Europe shows that it costs 1.005,91 EUR (incl. VAT, of course, but VAT doesn't quite cover the difference from US$699...) plus shipping charges.

The shop is rather badly designed in that it won't show shipping charges unless you actually buy something, so I have no idea what those would be. Furthermore, the PEG-UX50 is listed as being "on order" (i.e., not in stock).

The Amazing Variety of PEG-UX50 Pricing

A friend of mine (hi pmos!) took the time to compare PEG-UX50 and PEG-NZ90 prices, and came up with the following table:

Country           UX50        NZ90
USA            699.99 USD  799.99 USD
Portugal      1005.91 EUR  965.22 EUR
Spain          989.00 EUR  949.00 EUR
Ireland        899.01 EUR  905.00 EUR
Deutschland    749.00 EUR  849.00 EUR
France         849.00 EUR  949.00 EUR
UK             599.00 UKP  599.00 UKP

Like... You gotta be kidding, right, Sony? Why should I pay a premium for being Portuguese?