After a long period of wondering when they'll get a taste of Apple's hottest pie, UK finally gets the iPhone through O2, and will be launched in the UK for a reasonable price of GBP 269 or US$ 537 (VAT-inclusive).

While UK will not be able to enjoy 3G service from O2 (as advertised in a rumored leaked ad from German T-Mobile), the UK telecom service will provide free WiFi usage for O2 iPhone customers through 7,500 hotspots in UK.

If you're living in the UK and interested in getting an iPhone, then this pricing information will come in handy: there will be three payment plans for the O2's iPhone service:

• GBP 35 (US$ 70) - 200 voice minutes, 200 SMS
• GBP 45 (US$ 90) - 600 voice minutes, 500 SMS
• GBP 55 (US$109) - 1,200 voice minutes, 500 SMS

You also need to know that the iPhone's EDGE service will cover only 30% of the UK upon launch.

Once you're decided on getting one, you can drop by any of 1,300 participating Carphone Warehouse outlets to talk with a resident iPhone "expert".

Apparently, the not-so-secret organization known as Apple is passing out private invites to various member of the UK press, asking them to join them on the 18th at the Apple Store at Regent Street in London. As you can see in the image (right), it details the directions on how to reach the appointed meeting place with the RSVP email address and phone number blanked out for privacy measures.

Many people are speculating what exactly this invite entails for the European community. The most common of these are the much awaited release of the UK/European release of the iPhone. This coincides with the fact that the Apple Store on Regent Street is, in fact, the biggest Apple Store in the world and would be the most appropriate place for such a grand unveiling. There was even word of some boxes being kept under lock and key at the store.

Other more unlikely theories include a possible deal with BBC regarding some of their shows being turned over to the iTunes store or even the much overdue arrival of the Beatles classics being made available on the iTunes store.

No one knows for sure exactly why "mum is no longer the word," but we'll have to wait until the aforementioned event comes to pass and see what Apple has in store for their European customers. Keep yourselves in touch as we'll deliver any more updates on the matter as soon as we get them.

The industry-focused leg of the Games Convention at GCDC 2007 will take place">Leipzig is expected to break its previous record of 650 attendees, after Leipziger Messe GmbH announced through press wire that the registered attendee tally for the 2007 event has hit 850 attendees. The Games Convention Developers Conference (GCDC) will take place on August 20-22, just before the consumer and retailer exhibition.

 

Hailing from 35 countries all over the globe - 60 percent from the North American and UK regions - participants have the opportunity to witness the delivery of more than 80 event keynotes from over 120 speakers. And representatives from their respective industry segments - namely handheld, mobile, console, PC, Mac, and online markets - will expound on visions, themes and issues relevant to the industry's times.

Although much of the planned discussions will be focused on the industry side, there will also be discussions on how society and political bodies can properly recognize the gaming industry, and the significance of associations representing the game industry to the outside world.

And in another note, Leipziger Messe has particularly named Tim Schafer of Double Fine Production (Grim Fandango, Psychonauts) to deliver his keynote speech entitled "Games and Creativity," adapted for the new age of game development. If memory serves us right, Schafer and his studio has been secretly at work on a game project under Vivendi's revived Sierra Entertainment label.

It was claimed to be titled "Brutal Legend", but that has been under question for some time since it was retracted. But if former Leipzig revelations are were groundbreaking, then you may count that fellow blogger Schafer will spill more details on his ambitious "labor of love."

The 2007 Games Convention Developers Conference opening remarks will be delivered by none other than the Chairman of the European Games Development Forum (EGDF), Fred Hasson. More GC and GCDC news coming your way, before the Leipzig-filled week begins next Monday.

There's a bit of controversy surrounding a TUAW report that a British iPhone user was able to get an AT&T SIM to adopt a local Vodafone number, enabling him to use the iPhone outside the US with an American SIM.

Apparently, the user was excited about the iPhone and got it even though he could only use it with AT&T activated by iASign. Realizing the futility of having his US number in the UK, he went to the Vodafone store and had the people there add the phone to his account. Amazingly, the Vodafone-enabled AT&T SIM worked great on the iPhone. The screen flashed AT&T but the number was localized and SMS was working well.

According to TUAW, users in IRC have been discussing how this could have happened and if there was any truth in it. Most chatters say that it shouldn't have worked because of regional and technical restrictions. Apple has not commented on the topic so far.

TUAW reports that they tried to have the same procedure done in Canada but the Rogers store there would not touch the SIM. We'll keep you posted for more on this issue and other exploits as they come.

We got word that telecommunications company O2, which is owned by Spain's Telefonica, has just secured the exclusive UK rights to offer the Apple iPhone. If you're wondering about the T-Mobile contract, it turns out that it's only good in its home country of Germany and not for the whole of Europe.

The terms of the agreement are still not clear but according to the Times Online, the two companies will have a continuing share of the revenues generated by each iPhone customer. Also, O2's own network will be modified to accommodate the iPhone. The UK has a mobile phone consumer base of 18 million.

Apple is also having on-going negotiations with different companies in other countries in the continent and that more contracts are likely to be signed soon. Those in the know are saying that for France, the iPhone is likely to be distributed by company Orange.

Lastly, it was reported as well that rival phone manufacturers are preparing new lines of mobile phones geared to kill the iPhone fever for Vodafone as well as other telecommunications firms. The Apple iPhone is expected to arrive in UK this December with a price tag of GBP 300 GBP or roughly US$ 604.

It has been reported that the iPhone will launch in the UK this Monday, July 2, with Vodafone being named as the official carrier. There have been no confirmations, however, new reports have pointed out that Vodafone may be one of three of carriers, with support from T-Mobile of Germany and Carphone Warehouse, after a joint agreement was reportedly signed to carry the new phone in Europe... with 3G support!

It is believed that the new developments could save iPhone from the recent criticism that it doesn't actually do well as a phone at all and carry well on its other features because of a 2G service limitation in the US. This also carries the recent disappointment revolving around American iPhones being tied to a single carrier: AT&T.

And while shipment dates for the phone are as yet unspecified, it was reported to be "on course" for Jobs' year-end date announced last year. Rene Oberman, CEO of T-Mobile, was reported to have been "ecstatic" over the joint contract by inside sources and is anticipated to make a showing at the launch on Monday.

However, until the more formal announcements have been made or until developments at the launch party confirm these reports, we will leave the insider tips neatly wrapped under rumors.

 

An official announcement made available recently called out news that the game adaptation of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix has shipped across North America and should also be available in Europe by June 28. The game developed under the watchful eyes of Electronic Arts is now available on almost every current platform imaginable.

Boasting a non-linear gameplay feature, the title will allow players to explore the innards of Hogwarts Academy and uses an intuitive spell-casting gesture system that should please gamers on the Nintendo Wii. The game will boast the authenticity of the movie, from locales to characters, so we won't spill the story details until everyone's comfortable with the motion picture release.

Otherwise, the EA UK-developed game is rated E 10+ for Everyone (10+) and should be available for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 for a suggested retail price of US$ 59.99, the Nintendo Wii for US$ 49.99, the PlayStation 2 and PSP for US$ 39.99, and the Nintendo DS, GBA, PC and Mac for US$ 29.99. Another ported version for your game-capable mobile phone is also slated for release, although no price has been named as of press time.

 

Ah, the Disney Channel, a place saturated with enough drama for the prepubescent - a wonderful place filled with lip-syncing 14 year olds and high school musicals. If you hate/love the channel here's news for you. Macworld UK reports that Walt Disney's CEO Bob Iger has confirmed that the company has sold 23.7 million episodes of its television shows and an additional two million films through Apple's media service. Top selling titles include "Cars" and "Pirates of the Carribean".

What's interesting about this bit of news is that this could serve as a nice example that the digital distribution model (something some companies seem to be allergic of), can not only work, but help you be dominant. Bob Igor notes that they make as much online as they do from physical sales. He expounds:

There are cost of goods that are factored out of the iTunes sale, which allows them to sell at a lower price. ThatÂ?s their decision and it allows us to take revenue out that is equal to, in terms of a per-click sale, store sales. So, yes, weÂ?re quite comfortable with iTunes...

This is, hands down, an amazing testament to the buying power of drama starved pre-teens.

Now if only Apple can hurry up with all that "no more DRM" stuff they're mulling around with at the moment.

  

Freshome decided to survey one of the more interesting lines of iPod/MP3 player accessories out there: pillows. Seems like everyone's embedding speakers into the favored nighty-night companion. We've covered one of the seven devices they've surveyed, the Pillow Pod, but the other six turn out to be interesting in their own right.

There's the iPod Speaker Pillow set that comes in Rectangle and Neck - the Neck's gonna be useful for those long, long, long car trips. Options like the sports-themed iPod speaker pillows or the Cozy Tunes Speaker Pillow carry only the basic function of serving as a soft speaker. The Sound Pillow doubles as an MP3 player speaker and a tinnitus relaxer, actually designed by the UK Royal National Institute for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing.

   

Most interesting perhaps are the iPod Pillow and the Music Cure Pillow (the two serve as this article's top images). The iPod pillow isn't just a speaker: it also has a built-in FM tuner and the buttons on the darn thing work! (For volume, switch-to-radio, scan for station, and power-off).

The Music Cure Pillow may be the priciest of the bunch, but it also ensures the best night's sleep. For it integrates speakers with ergonomic posture tech: "the pillow is made of viscoelastic foam... supports and relieves pressure on the heads and shoulders, thereby minimizing the risk of bedsores." That certainly sounds like a lullaby. Now, to find the bed that goes with this...

In the UK, the prices for Apple's fifth-generation (5G) iPods have been lowered. This is good news for people who want to pick up an iPod, but aren't happy with its price tag. Unfortunately, the price drop does not include the iPod Nano and the iPod Shuffle, so if you were planning on picking up either of those two models, you may have to wait a bit longer.

Anyway, the 30GB iPod's price has been lowered to £179 (about US$ 352) from its original £189 (around US$ 372), while the 80GB iPod dropped to £239 (US$ 470) from £259 (US$ 510). It was mentioned that there has been a price drop in Spain as well, with the 30 GB iPod dropping from �279 (US$ 373) to �259 (US $ 346). Some bad news for US consumers though, as the US iPod store has not followed suit, and the 30 GB model is still being sold for US$ 249, while the 80 GB version is still going for US$ 349.

Some have been saying that the price cuts are being done because a new iPod is coming out, while others believe that this decision may have been influenced by the fact that the iPhone (which can also be used to store and play back music) is set to be released soon. In any case, we'll have to wait and see since Apple has not given any official word regarding this recent move of theirs.