Orange has launched a promotion in which it is offering a free 8GB iPod touch to UK customers who sign up for an 18-month business plan. Customers must visit a participating store and sign up for an Orange Solo, Orange Venture or Orange Momentum 18 month business plan at £35/month and above to be eligible for the promotion, which is available while supplies last. “The work/life blur often means doing work in your free time. We want to redress the balance and encourage our customers to take time out of their working day for themselves and the iPod touch is a great me-time device with which to do that,” said Martin Lyne, director of small business, Orange UK. While Orange is the official iPhone carrier in France, the device is offered by competing carrier O2 in the UK.

Sega of America boss Simon Jeffrey recently praised Apple for its iPod gaming efforts, as well as for its iTunes payment system. Speaking in an interview with MCV, Jeffrey said, “The iPod is arguably the most pervasive cross-demographic piece of consumer electronics today. There are no age or fashion barriers to iPod adoption, and making Sonic available to tens of millions of iPod owners really is a fantastic opportunity for us.” While keeping quiet on possible future releases, saying, “We don’t have anything to talk about at this time in terms of future projects, but naturally we are thrilled and honoured that Apple chose to partner with Sega,” Jeffrey went on to praise Apple for its iTunes billing and payment system. “iTunes and Apple’s whole banking/payment system is flawless,” he said. “They have to be one of the smartest companies in the world. Being able to buy a game and have it on your iPod with a couple of clicks is just brilliant.”

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An update posted to Tiny Code, a web site that has previously aided developers and users of unauthorized Jailbroken applications for the iPod touch and iPhone, suggests that Apple is reaching out to unofficial third-party developers in preparation for the upcoming official iPhone/iPod touch SDK. The posting reads: "We can't say much, but we are working with Apple and with their SDK for the next firmware release and SDK applications and we shouldn't be missed for long. We will no longer update our Installer.app repo for legality reasons and you should see us soon on iTunes." A separate update on the site's sidebar says that the group is "now targeting fw [firmware] 1.1.4 Alpha 2," implying that a firmware upgrade may accompany the SDK release. [via Mac Rumors]

For the third time since the introduction of the iPod touch in September, 2007, Apple has updated the device's packaging, this time in an especially noteworthy way. Following the release of early iPod touch boxes bearing the image of Corinne Bailey Rae, and subsequent models with Macy Gray, current iPod touch boxes feature the image of former Beatles member John Lennon as part of artwork from Lennon Legend, a collection of his past work. The song "Imagine" is playing on the iPod touch featured on the package.

GizMac Accessories has announced that it is now shipping its Aluminate case for the iPod nano (with video). Announced in January, the Aluminate is a hybrid case for iPod nano made from a combination of aluminum and polycarbonate. The front of the case is thin, colored aluminum, while the back is clear polycarbonate. Features include built-in screen and Click Wheel protection, and an included lanyard and carabiner clip. “The Aluminate is a good looking and protective iPod case to begin with,” explained Ken Vitto, Marketing Director for GizMac Accessories, “Then we added extra functionality and value as GizMac always does with products we sell.” The GizMac Aluminate case for iPod nano (with video) comes in a pack with two different colors of cases, and is available now for $30.

Agent 18 has announced the immediate availability of its FlowerVest silicone cases for iPod touch and iPod nano (with video). Both slip-on cases are made from soft silicone, feature floral designs across the back and front, and allow access to the iPod’s screen, headphone jack and Dock Connector; the iPod nano version also has built-in Click Wheel protection. The Agent 18 FlowerVest for iPod touch is available in Brown/Blue or Pink/Pink and sells for $25; the iPod nano version comes in pink, brown, green and gray, and sells for $20. For more information on the Agent 18 FlowerVest for iPod nano, read our review.

Tinbot has introduced its new line of cases for iPod classic and fifth-generation iPod. Tinbot cases are made from tin outer shells, with impact-resistant neoprene lining for added protection. The tin shells feature original designs from well-known contemporary artists; the case is also available in matte white for personal customization. Tinbot cases also feature a swing-open design for access to the iPod’s screen and controls, as well as openings in the case for access to the headphone jack and Dock Connector. Tinbot tin cases for iPod classic and fifth-generation iPod are available now and sell for $30; the matte white model sells for $20.

Apple recently released iPod classic Firmware 1.1.1, which appears to fix a problem where an audible hiss was apparent when the unit was turned off. Some users have speculated that the hiss was a byproduct of a feature that allowed the classic to wake from sleep upon insertion of headphones; that feature no longer works in 1.1.1. Other users have complained of audio still being audible even when the volume is set to zero (an issue that pre-dates this update); Apple has a support document on the issue, which says “If you want the iPod audio to be silent, press the Play/Pause button to pause playback.” iPod classic Firmware 1.1.1 is available now through the update feature in iTunes.

In addition to the re-release of Fresh Games' Cubis 2, a fifth-generation iPod Game originally sold in 2006, the iTunes Store today added Electronic Arts' Yahtzee to the roster of downloadable games available for the third-generation iPod nano, iPod classic, and fifth-generation iPod. Cubis 2 is a block-matching game with colorful backgrounds and user-selectable artwork, while Yahtzee is billed as "America's all-time number one dice game," where five dice are rolled at once to make matches. Both titles sell for $4.99.