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.

Electronista has reported that according to "French sources familiar with negotiations for multiple online music stores", Apple is preparing to launch EMI's DRM-free music library on iTunes this week. It could meet Apple's regular Tuesday update schedule, but nothing's sure yet.

According to Electronista, their contacts reportedly said that the companies' technicians are now "in the later stages of encoding and hosting the files before they go live".

The terms of the Apple-EMI deal require that whole albums are will be offered as "a second tier of 256Kbps AAC files without the iTunes-only FairPlay copy protection scheme."

The relatively late debut may be attributed primarily to the decision to release the whole catalog at once, as opposed to a gradual rollout. Another possible reason according to Electronista is legal issues. Apple and EMi reportedly signed a final deal just last week following negotiations of similar contracts with both the new Amazon Store and Europe's VirginMega service.

Drink up! Coca-Cola is going to give everyone in Europe the chance to go on a fizzy binge for the next couple of months as their latest partnership with Apple will reward consumers with free music. Right now, this is Europe's biggest music promotion in history. Maybe even the whole world's history. How big? We're talking TWO BILLION tracks to be given away!

The partnership is to last from May until August, with a launching event during the Cannes Film Festival. The brunt of those free iTunes downloads will be subsidized by Coke.

Alongside the free music, other freebies are to be given away: iPods and free tickets to future concerts to be hosted by Apple and Coke. These concerts are to be recorded and made available for download in iTunes in the future as well.

Looks like a major promotional campaign for both companies. Still no word if they're giving away iPhones though, but we're wishing all the same.

It has been suggested before by analysts that Vodafone would be the iPhone's official carrier in Europe, but AppleInsider reports that Vodafone may not be the only European wireless carrier under consideration.

According to AppleInsider, MarketWeek reported last week that Germany-based T-Mobile is being favored as the sole outlet for iPhone sales in the continent. Other European such as O2 and Orange were said to have been in the running but were unsuccessful in reaching the later stages of contract negotiations.

Some analysts suggest though that it might be in Apple's best interests to get more than one operator to distribute the iPhone in Europe because "the European market is more fragmented than the U.S."

  

The clock's ticking to the official release of Apple's iPhone. But who will be their carrier partner? Up to now, there's still no final word from the fruity giant, but Wall Street analysts are predicting that Vodafone just might be the chosen one for Europe.

Shaw Wu, American Technology Research analyst, reveals that their sources, so far, are indicating that Vodafone will most likely be Apple's top pick for its European distribution. "We believe Vodafone's 200 million subscriber base (compared to 61 million for AT&T, its USA partner), broad and country coverage, and investment in advanced technologies make it a strong fit for Apple."

Apple intends to launch its iPhone to Europe come the fourth quarter of this year.

Earlier in the week, we reported a deal between EMI and Apple regarding selling Digital Rights Management (DRM)-free content which has pleased digital music fans around the world. In a move to react with the status quo, Microsoft has followed by announcing that it, too, will do the same for the Zune community.

In a statement by Katy Asher, a spokeswoman for Microsoft, it was revealed that the company has also been holding talks with record outfits in an attempt to cut the consumers some slack.

It can be remembered that there has been an outcry both in the U.S. and in Europe against DRM because the policy essentially restricts compatibility and transferability of content in an attempt to curb piracy of copyrighted material. Apple and Microsoft has embedded DRM code in their media formats, making consumers clamor for a more flexible policy.

"We plan on offering it (DRM-free content) to them as soon as our label partners are comfortable with it," says Asher. She said that Microsoft has recognized what the people want and is working on giving them what they desire.

Analysts suggest that the move by Microsoft is based on Apple's policy because of the influence that the iPod line of players have over the community. We'll keep you posted as the situation brews in the ranks of the Zune team.

A bizarre thing happens to European patrons of iTunes online music stores. When a European consumer buys music from the iTunes Belgian store, for example, they may only use a credit card issued by the bank with an address in Belgium. Because of this territorial restrictions, consumers are then limited in their freedom to purchase the songs they want, and where they want it bought. As such, the European commission has opened an antitrust probe into Apple's iTunes and the way it sells music online in coordination with major music companies.

The EU Commission does this probe amidst complaints from consumer groups coming from Germany, France, the Netherlands and Nordic countries. Such groups have demanded Apple to change the rules it imposes on its online music stores.

Apple, meanwhile, responds that the company actually wants to operate a single store for all of Europe. But publishers and music labels alike won't have any of this, as they believe Apple's rights are not all-encompassing. Spokesman Steve Dowling says Apple does not believe it did anything to violate the EU law.

Apple has been given a "statement of objections" by the EU Commission. The electronics giant has two months to answer the questions issued in the letter. If found guilty, Apple may be forced to part with as much as 10 percent of its total world income to pay for the EU fines.

In case you're not aware, there's an iTunes rankings for game podcasts. Now, Europe-based FM-broadcast gaming radio show One Life Left has been reported to top the iTunes rankings, even besting established podcasts such as that of gaming site 1UP and Microsoft's Major Nelson.

One Life Left is broadcasted on Resonance FM which, by the way, is funded by London's Arts Council. The program is presented by "gaming miscreants" Ste Curran and Robert Howells with newsreader Ann Scantlebury. Over a dozen British industry veterans contribute to One Life Left regularly.

In its 33 weeks of existence, this is actually the first time that One Life Left has topped the iTunes charts. The latest issue will be titled "The Danger of Words" and will feature bits about the Kotaku-Sony hoopla over PlayStation Home (recently revealed at the Game Developers Conference 2007), GTA IV, Crackdown, GRAW 2, and even travel and telephones.

In the U.S.A., Cingular would be its exclusive distributor. In Canada, Rogers seems to have secured that exclusive contract which could equate to lotsa profits. Apparently, there has been no public statement made yet by either Rogers or Apple, but the communications giant has already been sending emails to customers. E-mails which contain the following:

• The iPhone will first be introduced in North America
• Cingular is the only wireless carrier to launch the iPhone in the United States
• Rogers is actively working with Apple to launch the iPhone in Canada as soon as possible and will be the exclusive provider of the iPhone in Canada
• Apple is planning to introduce the iPhone in Europe (Q4 2007) and Asia (2008)
• Please be advised that Rogers will be offering the iPhone exclusively in Canada
• Launch date and pricing for Canada are not yet available
• Other Canadian wireless carriers will not launch the iPhone, Rogers will be the only Canadian wireless carrier to offer the iPhone

Since Canada is part of North America, could it be that the iPhone will launch in Canada at the same time as in the U.S.A.? Well, we all know that Apple speculations are a dime a dozen. Anyway, there's no word yet on the iPhone's pricing in Canada or what kind of contract might Rogers have for the iPhone. Rest assured that we'll keep you posted about this matter.