Samsung may be dropping Kobo as its European eBook supplier

The Digital Reader reports that some users of Samsung Android devices in Europe are getting a warning message when they open Samsung's own eReader app. The warning informs users that they need to download Kobo's app from the Google Play store if they want to continue reading the eBooks that they purchased for use in Samsung's eReader app, and that Samsung plans to release its own "new and improved" eReader service soon.

Kobo has provided the eBooks and back-end transaction services for Samsung in Europe, but it looks like that deal is coming to an end. When Kobo and Samsung originally struck their deal, Kobo only had black & white hardware eReaders, but it's now competing with Samsung via its Vox Android tablet. Samsung may have decided that it doesn't want to funnel revenue to a competitor. There are many alternative vendors that Samsung could work with (txtr and Blio are two possibilities.)

Is Best Buy becoming the place to get mobile phones?

In mid-August, Best Buy and Apple announced that Best Buy would sell the 3G iPhone, starting September 7th. Now, The Boy Genius Report says that Best Buy will also get the Palm Treo Pro, RIM BlackBerry Pearl Flip 8220 and T-Mobile G1. Last May, Best Buy invested more than $2 billion to buy 50% of the Carphone Warehouse, the biggest seller of mobile phones in Europe. Go to any High Street (shopping area) in the UK, and you'll see one or more Carphone Warehouse stores there. They compete successfully with mobile operator-owned stores across Europe. Best Buy is tapping into the merchandising knowledge of Carphone Warehouse (with which it has had a joint marketing venture since 2006) to expand its mobile presence in the U.S., and it seems to be succeeding in its goal to become the place to go for hot new phones.