Galaxy Nexus back on sale from Google Play store

First it was banned in America, and then a court overruled the decision, granting it a temporary stay, but the Galaxy Nexus is now back on sale in the US via Google's Play store. How long it might remain there is anyone's guess.

CNET reports the Galaxy Nexus has hit the shelves again in Google Play. (It's not available from the UK version of the site, though the ban was only for the US, so you can still pick it up from any of the usual outlets in Blighty.) It's listed as shipping in two to three weeks, by which time it could well have made the jump to the latest version of Android, 4.1 Jelly Bean.

Yesterday we reported that the appeals court temporarily lifted the ban, though Apple has until Thursday to convince the court to reinstate it. So this could well be a fleeting reappearance of the handset.

Google is apparently readying a software workaround, so we could see the device back on sale permanently. Unless Apple finds something else to crow about, of course.

It's not been a good few weeks for Samsung and Google, with the Galaxy Tab 10.1 also being banned in the US. It's an older device, and considering the sequel is on sale, it shouldn't hurt Samsung or Google too much. But still, it doesn't help.

The Galaxy Nexus is one of the flagship Android devices, so having it yanked from the shelves is a considerable blow.

Judge Lucy Koh (the same judge who oversaw the Galaxy Tab 10.1) is the person ruling over the case. This is the latest twist in a very long tale, and we'll have to wait until Thursday to see if the ban is upheld, or the handset is cleared for sale.

I'm personally hoping for the latter. Having any company's products banned seems petty and a waste of everyone's time -- ultimately it just harms those of us buying the devices, as it narrows our field of choice.

What do you reckon? Let me know in the comments, or on our Facebook page.