In the name of market economy, wireless users in the U.S. have fallen behind in comparison to their European and Asian peers. This is especially true when it comes to unlocked handsets, where users can switch from one service provider to another with ease, sometime as simple as swapping out their SIM card. But because of duality of systems at work here in the U.S., a SIM card enabled GSM network and a non-SIM card enabled CDMA network, along with an obscene amount of political lobbying to have the laws stay, U.S. consumers must oblige to their service provider contacts till expiration or else risk penalty fee. This may change soon. Similar to how it propagated the usage of smartphone, Apple made available the unlocked version of its iPhone 4 today. In either black or white, priced at $649 for the 16GB model and $749 for the 32GB model, the phone does not come with any cellphone service provider or those pesky contracts. Thus, it frees user on selecting the best provider in his/her region or when they travel outside of the country. One note of caution however, while AT&T's GSM fully supports the unlocked iPhone 4, T-Mobile's network supports voice call only at this time. As for Verizon Wireless and Sprint, their CDMA-base networks mean a "no" to unlocked phones. The unlocked version of Apple iPhone 4 is now available on Apple's online store.

Cellular + Wireless

• UMTS/HSDPA/HSUPA (850, 900, 1900, 2100 MHz)

• GSM/EDGE (850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz)

• 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi (802.11n 2.4GHz only)

• Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR wireless technology

Power + Battery

• Talk Time: Up to 7 hours on 3G | Up to 14 hours on 2G

• Standby Time: Up to 300 hours

• Internet Use: Up to 6 hours on 3G | Up to 10 hours on Wi-Fi

Capacity

• 16GB or 32GB flash drive

Display

• Retina display

• 3.5-inch (diagonal) widescreen Multi-Touch display

• 960-by-640-pixel resolution at 326 ppi

• 800:1 contrast ratio (typical)

• Fingerprint-resistant oleophobic coating on front and back

• Support for display of multiple languages and characters simultaneously

Audio Playback

• Frequency response: 20Hz to 20,000Hz

• Audio formats supported: AAC (8 to 320 Kbps), Protected AAC (from iTunes Store), HE-AAC, MP3 (8 to 320 Kbps), MP3 VBR, Audible (formats 2, 3, 4, Audible Enhanced Audio, AAX, and AAX+), Apple Lossless, AIFF, and WAV

TV + Video

• Video formats supported: H.264 video up to 720p, 30 frames per second, Main Profile level 3.1 with AAC-LC audio up to 160 Kbps, 48kHz, stereo audio in .m4v, .mp4, and .mov file formats; MPEG-4 video, up to 2.5 Mbps, 640 by 480 pixels, 30 frames per second, Simple Profile with AAC-LC audio up to 160 Kbps per channel, 48kHz, stereo audio in .m4v, .mp4, and .mov file formats; Motion JPEG (M-JPEG) up to 35 Mbps, 1280 by 720 pixels, 30 frames per second, audio in ulaw, PCM stereo audio in .avi file format

• Support for 1024 by 768 pixels with Dock Connector to VGA Adapter; 576p and 480p with Apple Component AV Cable; 576i and 480i with Apple Composite AV Cable (cables sold separately)

Camera + Photos + Video

• Video recording, HD (720p) up to 30 frames per second with audio

• 5-megapixel still camera

• VGA-quality photos and video at up to 30 frames per second with the front camera

• Tap to focus video or still images

• LED flash

• Photo and video geotagging

Sensors

• Three-axis gyro

• Accelerometer

• Proximity sensor

• Ambient light sensor

In The Box

• iPhone 4

• Apple Earphones with Remote and Mic

• Dock Connector to USB Cable

• USB Power Adapter

• Documentation