It seems AT&T is going to sell their unlocked non-plan iphone 3g for the bargain price of $599 (8gb) / $699 (16gb). Getting a 'merican iphone 3G for 380 euros is still cheaper than getting one for 525 euros.
Some sites mention that only the AT&T store will force you to activate the phone in-store (while the Apple store might not).. Can someone say "Loophole"?? French unlocked iphones are rumoured to go for 509 euros.
In the mean time, belgian politicians are talking about scratching the law that forbids bundled sale (which apparently is also why the price is so high). Purely accidentally, the secretary that started this discussion, got a first gen iphone.