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It's official -- unlocked iPhone 5 smartphones are now on sale in the U.S.

As of today, instead of choosing from carriers Sprint, AT&T, and Verizon when buying the device at the online Apple Store, the tech giant is also offering the option of an "unlocked and contract-free" iPhone 5.

By selling the smartphone unlocked, it means that users can insert nano-SIM cards from any supported carrier for use on the network, as opposed to the locked phones, which are tied to the carrier they purchased the phone from.

However, the feature comes at … Read more

"SimCity is a game about endless choices," says lead designer Stone Librande. "Ultimately, you can do whatever you want."

While that isn't entirely true -- you can't play offline -- at least we can get a sense of how the fifth iteration of the city management game works in a nine-minute clip released today by Maxis and EA.

The video shows how the game plays essentially from the beginning as Librande creates a casino-themed city from scratch. Seasoned SimCity 4 players may notice vast differences in the user interface, which seems easier to navigate while simultaneously adding a slew of new options. … Read more

The Verizon iPhone 5 comes unlocked out of the box, a Verizon representative confirmed with CNET today.

Reports have been trickling out over the last 24 hours or so saying that Verizon's iPhone 5 can used on AT&T's network.

A Verizon representative confirmed that it is "GSM unlocked" -- and that the iPhone is unlocked out of the box.

Of course, there are a bunch of caveats. This "feature" could be "fixed" via a future update. And AT&T's and Verizon's 3G/4G-class networks achieve different levels … Read more

Zynga is countering Electronic Arts' allegations of infringement with a compliant over what the social-gaming company characterizes as "anticompetitive and unlawful business practices," Zynga said in a statement today.

The company filed a three-part response today to EA's lawsuit, which accused Zynga of ripping off EA's Sims Social game.

"Today we responded to EA's claims which we believe have no merit," Zynga General Counsel Reggie Davis said in a statement today. "We also filed a counterclaim which addresses actions by EA we believe to be anticompetitive and unlawful business practices, including legal … Read more

A deluge of SimCity news came from EA and Maxis at the massive Gamescom gaming expo yesterday in Cologne, Germany.

Interested architects can check out the SimCity closed beta sign-up Web page that gives anyone with an Origin account the chance to get an early preview of the urban planner. The page does not, however, list when the beta occurs or how long it lasts.… Read more

Electronic Arts expects sales of digital games to surpass those of boxed games in the coming years.

"There will come a point, whether it is two or three years from now, when we say: 'We are doing more in digital media now than we are in physical media,'" EA Chief Operating Officer Peter Moore told Reuters.

As a result, the maker of "Battlefield", "The Sims 3," and "Crysis 3" is likely to increase its range of mobile and free-to-play games.

EA will serve up more than 40 social mobile and free-to-play games … Read more

As the leaves change from green to orange and brown, and children go back to school, it could only mean one thing: the iPhone 5 is a-coming. The rumor mill is swirling with speculations of a release date, what it'll look like, and whether it'll be joined by an iPad Mini. Oh yes, the zombie unicorn rumor that never dies.

Recent rumors suggest that an iPad Mini screen is already in production, leading some people to believe that this jibes with a fall release. Who knows! Apple always has tricks up its sleeves.

Also this week, sightings of … Read more

Translated by Google, tech lifestyle Web site nowhereelse.fr (via 9to5Mac) has posted photos of what appears to be the soon to be released iPhone's nano-SIM card tray. The photos come from China where many of the iPhone's parts are manufactured and assembled.

As you can see in the photos, the nano-SIM tray knocks a little off the micro SIM tray's width. In the world of mobile devices, especially ones that Apple produces, every bit of extra space counts.

Though Apple's design for the nano-SIM has been approved for use by ESTI, no official word has … Read more

You don't need any accessories to catch up on Friday's top tech stories:

A new service called Dyle picks up live, local TV signals to watch on your mobile device. The first with this service is the MetroPCS Samsung Galaxy S Lightray 4G. But if you rather not drop $460 right now for a phone, iOS users may have another option this fall when Dyle attachments are expected to go on sale.

No price has been set, but the attachments could cost, at most, $150. And the service from then on is free. Would you pay for an … Read more