Just yesterday, Google announced Google Play, a one-stop portal consolidating the Android application store, Google e-book service, Google movies store and Google music store in one place.

Some pundits may have panned it as just a marketing name change, but I think it definitely signals Google’s ambition. They have ratcheted up their rhetoric vs. Apple.

For Singapore, only the paid Android app market is available under Google Play for now. The rest of the services are available mainly only in the US, UK and Canada, and will be rolled out worldwide in the coming months.

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Lovers of e-books in Singapore are getting their own local e-book fix, after SingTel said on Tuesday that it was offering Singapore’s first e-book service. This service, named skoob, will allow Singaporeans to peruse and purchase e-books for their smartphones, tablets, and PCs.

Offering more than 39,000 local and international bestsellers at launch, it is the first e-book service to accept payment in Singapore dollars. E-books also tend to be cheaper than hard copy of books – SingTel highlights how a hard copy of John Grisham’s The Confession costs S$9 for an e-book rather than the S$17 offered at bookstores. …

It looks like the androids are having a merry dance today.

Amazon today finally opened their Android app store, providing users with yet another avenue to shop for Android apps. But what’s different this time round is Amazon’s business prowess, which can already be seen working its magic: Angry Birds Rio, the next iteration of the wildly successful game, will be exclusive to Amazon. …