That's the word I was looking for ! :-) At the same time, it's true that the law requires as well that Orange unlock the phone for free after six month of use. But, the difference is that nobody is going to leave France with a truck load of unlocked iPhones.
I think you got it all backward. The French law requires the phone to be available without subscription (the 50€ a month part), the phone will still be locked with Orange. You can buy talk time and a number of SMS for various prices (for 35€ you get 2h talking time or 450 SMS or a mix of both) from Orange and not pay a subscription. The phone can receive calls even if you used all your credit. So, the law requires the phone to be available without subscription so you can use it with these cards, but it doesn't require the unlocking of the phone.
-- Gizmo from France
Let the hive mind of Engadget get that for you.
"I'm in the market for a new phone and money isn't a limitation. I'm also not partial to any particular US carrier, but here are some of the features I'd like to have: WiFi, GPS, good coverage in lots of places, push Gmail (a must!), physical keyboard (a must!), a touchscreen, decent battery life and a relatively slim body. And please, nothing that has a fruit logo on it. No offense to the fruit fans, though. Thanks!"
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At the same time, it's true that the law requires as well that Orange unlock the phone for free after six month of use. But, the difference is that nobody is going to leave France with a truck load of unlocked iPhones.