said by en102:If we went to a standard in many other countries where the device isn't subsidized or locked, then they are quite pricey (a coworker had a HTC Touch - not pro for $500 USD in India).
I quite like the system I have in the UK. If I want to buy the phone sim-free and unlocked, I can (and take the immediate hit in the wallet). If I want service I can go to any one of several networks and get a month-to-month contract for a low price. I can switch when I feel like it. In practice I can just stay on pay-as-you-go because it is very good value.
