Hasbro's own online store in America is releasing the first wave of Animated toys for sale next week (25th March), three months before their retail release. Unfortunately it means us outside of America can't get them directly, and would need to organise through an American to get them (if desperately wanting them).
http://www.tfw2005.com/transformers-...t-week-164453/

Deluxes Cybertron Mode Optimus Prime, Bumblebee, Lockdown and Prowl will be $9.99 and Voyagers Starscream and Cybertron Mode Megatron will be $19.99. http://www.hasbrotoyshop.com/

It's looking more likely that the Animated toys were indeed originally planned to be released early 2008, but unforseen circumstances must have forced Hasbro to push back their release until June, despite producing the toys in time for the earlier release date.
Seeing packaged Transformers on ebay usually means that their retail release is only around the corner, so having heaps of Animated toys appear on ebay in the last month or so made it more puzzling that they were still three months away from official retail release.