ViewSonic Europe has announced a 'try for free' promotional offer that enables customers to return their ViewPad 7 tablet if they're not completely satisfied.

Dissatisfied customers are given 20 days to experience the 7-inch Android tablet; they then need to return the device within a 10-day window (i.e. within 30 days from the date on their invoice) for a full refund.

Five men from London, Berkshire and Gloucester have been jailed this week for a total of 37½ years after failing to pay £140 million tax in a 'missing trader' VAT fraud. The investigation began in October 2005 and resulted in a series of court cases that started last December.

Four of the men each set up their own limited company, most of which only traded for a few weeks, while the fifth dealt with administration.

RIM has announced a launch date and pricing for its BlackBerry PlayBook tablet. It'll be available in the USA and Canada on 19th April via Best Buy, with a range of other retailers also expected to sell the devices.

There'll be three WiFi-equipped models, from $499 (around £305) for the 16GB version to $699 for the 64GB version.

Amazon has launched its Android mobile application store today.

Known as the Amazon Appstore (although that's not prevented Apple from taking legal action to protect its own App Store), it's currently only available to consumers in the USA.

A majority share in Phones 4U has been sold to private equity firm BC Partners by owners Providence Equity Partners. Control of the UK retail chain had been bought by Providence from founder John Caudwell in 2006.

Although the deal needs regulatory approval, it’s expected to be finalised next month.