Its becoming more open, with T-mobile offering to support any phone you can stick your SIM card in, but you are right, you can not buy iphone from Apple. You can get it unlocked from Hong Kong or Australia and use it on T-mobile, etc.
They're maemo and MeeGo... "Meamo!" sounds like what Zorro would say to catherine zeta jones... after she slaps him for looking at her dirtily...