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Apple to sell unlocked iPhone 4 in Canada

Canadian iPhone users will be able to buy the iPhone 4 and iPhone 3GS unlocked and contract-free.

Kent German Former senior managing editor / features
Kent was a senior managing editor at CNET News. A veteran of CNET since 2003, he reviewed the first iPhone and worked in both the London and San Francisco offices. When not working, he's planning his next vacation, walking his dog or watching planes land at the airport (yes, really).
Kent German
Unlocked? We want one too! James Martin/CNET

All right, this really isn't fair. Though you've never liked it, iPhone users in the United States have accepted that your counterparts in other countries can use Apple's handset on multiple carriers and (better yet) get an unlocked device. When those countries are far away--say across an ocean--it's not so bad, but when you have to see it right next door then it's really tough to watch.

I speak, of course, of our Canadian friends who will join customers in the United Kingdom in having the opportunity to buy the iPhone 4 completely unlocked and contract-free. That's right, they'll be able to use it with any GSM carrier, whether they're north of the border or traveling abroad. Sure, there's the matter of using a micro-SIM card, but you can get creative with scissors and use a normal SIM.

Pricing for an unlocked iPhone 4 isn't avaialble just yet, but you can get an unlocked 8GB iPhone 3GS for $549 Canadian dollars (around $534). True, you can buy an iPhone without a contract in the United States, but that handset will come securely locked to AT&T.