Difference between branded and unbranded ??????

hello

I want to buy the samsung i9000 galaxy s. At the moment, there are NO i9000 available here in my country. (just the very expensive )
but the t-mobile branded are available.

my question is: where is the difference between branded t-mobile and the normal phone. is it JUST the start and end screen? how about the updates? do I have to get the updates from t-mobile? or do I get the updates from samsung.
if it is just the startup and end screen I'll buy branded one!

some other question: does samsung produce a lot of updates??
HTC desire is great. they send a lot of updates.... but I still prefer the i9000

thx!

Branded phones comme with applications by default that might not be removable... for example SFR (French operator) come with SFR WiFi (which allows the phone to automatically sign on WiFi hotspots from SFR customers shared), SFR TV (lets you stream TV channels if you are an SFR user), and so on.

These apps are IN the firmware and can't be removed. Though I have managed to install updates to these apps from the Android Market... but the space in the firmware is taken by the apps... sometimes by compromising on other features (for example shipping older drivers that take less space to allow for adding specific apps).

But if your phone is subsidized by your operator, it will be SIGNIFICANTLY cheaper than an unbranded... With a new subscription, SFR users can get a Galaxy S (branded, network locked) for 1€... hard to beat that price...

Gilles.