One superstore step forward for Android in Australia, but another step back for Android-maker Samsung. Today saw what could be Google’s answer to the Apple (NSDQ: AAPL) Store retail phenomenon, the unveiling of an Android retail operation, in Melbourne. Meanwhile, Samsung got dealt one more blow in Sydney’s courtrooms, as…

Could there be a little glimmer of light at the end of the tablet injunction tunnel for Samsung in Australia? With Christmas now exactly one month away, a panel of appeals judges in Sydney is considering overturning the order that has prohibited Samsung from launching its 10.1-inch tablet in the…

One more development in the legal fight between Samsung and Apple: a court in Australia has granted a March date for a case being brought by Samsung against Apple (NSDQ: AAPL) for patent infringement, with Samsung’s aim being to get the iPhone 4S banned from sale, unless the two sides…

On the heels of opening its doors in the UK and Canada, the Google (NSDQ: GOOG) eBookstore launched today in Australia. Google is also launching its affiliate program today in all three countries.

The Australian, which is owned by News Limited and is part of Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp. (NSDQ: NWS), is adding a paywall to its website, mobile site and apps starting on Monday. It will also relaunch redesigned versions of the website and mobile site that day.

If it sounded like Apple (NSDQ: AAPL) might just agree to some kind of deal with Samsung in Australia—which would have let Samsung launch its legally-disputed 10.1-inch Galaxy Tab tablet in the country—you might need your hearing checked. Today, Apple formally rejected Samsung’s compromise offer, presented in court last week,…

A mixed bag of news for Samsung today that underscores the ups and downs it has faced in its bid to overtake Apple (NSDQ: AAPL) and the iPad in the tablet market. On the same day that the Korea-based mobile device maker announced a new LTE-powered tablet, it found out…

Update: Samsung has now met with Apple (NSDQ: AAPL) in court, and has agreed to delay the sale of its 10.1-inch Tab by another month. New story here. Original post below. Samsung has so far managed to dampen any damaging rulings or injunctions from Apple’s legal actions in Europe against…

A small but significant acquisition for Disney-owned sports network ESPN: it is buying Australian company ExtraCorp Pty. Ltd, owners of the fantasy league and sports tipping site footytips. The deal gives ESPN (NYSE: DIS) a leg up in the world of sporting social media, specifically helping it grow in sports-mad…

Pearson (NYSE: PSO) Australia’s acquisition of REDGroup’s online business, including the Borders Australia website and the website of bookstore chain Angus & Robertson, won’t give Pearson-owned publisher Penguin a monopoly over Australia’s e-book supply chain, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission has decided.

A little more consolidation in the mobile games space: Melbourne, Australia-based games developer Firemint, maker of the popular iPhone games Flight Control and Real Racing, has bought another Aussie outfit, Infinite Interactive, for an undisclosed sum.

Update: Here’s the pre-order link. The lack of iPads in the UK kept would-be owners there from being as frustrated as I was trying to follow live election coverage on a non-Flash tablet but they’ll be able to experience the wonders and the drawbacks for themselves by the end of…

Lines started forming in at least Japan and Australia as Apple (NSDQ: AAPL) kicked off its second worldwide release of the iPhone 3G S today, Bloomberg reports. The phone also went on sale in Austria, Belgium, Ireland and the Netherlands, and is now on sale in 14 countries—eight others debuted…

France Telecom reportedly is in talks to buy into Indian mobile operator Aircel, currently majority owned by Malaysian operator Maxis. France Telecom (NYSE: FTE) is seeking to buy a 20-25 percent stake in Aircel, which has about 19.6 million subscribers and is valued at between $7 billion and $8 billion,…

—China Mobile Cloud Computing: China Mobile is developing a cloud computing platform—BigCloud—to beef up its mobile internet services. The goal is to provied “featured mobile Internet information service for individual users and corporate users”, and services will include “instant information, content storage, information search, integrated communication, music downloading, mobile map,…

Nokia started the rollout of its Ovi Store this weekend, first launching in Singapore, and then slowly adding additional countries, such as Australia, Ireland and Spain. By early morning, it was live around the world. Back at Nokia’s offices, George Linardos (pictured, right), one of the central figures behind the…

—3D IPhone: Spatial View has launched its Wazabee 3DeeShell, which enables people to view content in 3D on the iPhone 3G. It’s also launched a game to go with it—Hunter3Dee, a space shooter game—and a free Facebook application that lets people create and share 3D photos. (release) —Vufone: A new…

Australia’s largest carrier Telstra is thinking of making more investments in telecoms and internet companies in China and other parts of Asia to expand its services, its CEO Sol Trujillo told Bloomberg in an interview. He added that the impending launch of 3G networks in China would help drive demand…

Conveneer, the two year-old Palo Alto, California-based company technology provider that lets content on mobile phone be accessed like a web site, has raised $4.5 million in its latest round of funding. The round was led by Industrifonden, a Swedish Foundation that invests primarily in growth companies, and included Broken…