Apple Computer's iPhone has done it all over again...

After national frenzy seized the US way before it saw the 'phone cum Web browser cum media player' (read: iPhone) launch on June 29th, it was Europe's turn yesterday to witness a fair share of 'iPhone mania'.

Outside of the T-Mobile store in Cologne in Germany, hundreds of fans queued-up, even as they braved the rains during the wee hours of Friday, Nov 9, to be the first to get their hands on the gizmo.

And the store staff applauded the first couple of customers who entered the store, while representatives handed out blankets, umbrellas, tea, coffee, and even pretzels to those waiting their turn outside.

According to a T-Mobile spokeswoman, till the afternoon saw over 10,000 iPhones sold by the store.

Meanwhile, in Britain, fans had to wait a tad longer as the iPhone started selling at 1800 GMT (Greenwich Mean Time) through Apple-, Carphone Warehouse-, and O2- stores.

In London, the main Apple store had a snaking queue outside, while the city's financial hub saw long lines in several places.

The one thing common to Germany and Britain was -- it was young men who constituted a majority of the queues in both places.

In Germany, the iPhone is priced at 399 euros ($585), and customers have to sign a two-year contract with T-Mobile for a monthly fee between 49- and 89- euros.

In Britain, the phone costs 269 GBP ($568), over and above a one-and-a-half year contract for a minimum of 35 GBP per month.

In France, the iPhone is slated to go on sale at the end of this month.

The US, meanwhile, has seen the Apple iPhone go from being called a 'Jesus Phone' around the time of it's launch, to a mere 'Chump Phone' about the time CEO, Steve Jobs, announced a price cut. Yet, Apple has sold over a million iPhones in that country.