Orange France did a lot of advertizing for the iPhone 3G but got out of stock right on the D-day. An unsatisfied customer decided to press charges against the compagny and that's the reason why people should now see in each shop a notice mentionning the shortage.
Apple sure has some backgrounds regarding the availability of new products but it's probably the first time events are turning in such a dramatic way: highest demand ever for the 3G iPhone but short supply.
Still every morning, people keep on taking a chance at shops but go home empty-handed most of the time.
Region X just got a 1.5 update. This software helps you managing the region-free DVD players and is now front row compatible.
More information here (French site):
http://www.macbook-fr.com
Thanks to Aaron, for the link to the english resource:
http://www.macbook-fr.com/IMG/zip/RegionX_1.5.zip