Without hefty carrier subsidies, will "unlocked" cell phones ever crack the U.S.? Up until recently, phones not tied to wireless carriers were only available overseas Now manufacturers are selling them on their Web sites and in retail stores Nokia and Sony Ericsson see opportunity in the U.S. market -- Nokia and Sony Ericsson are targeting the U.S. with a new set of unlocked phones. But without hefty carrier subsidies, will they ever be able to crack the U.S. market? Are American consumers ready for pricier cell phones that come without two-year wireless contracts? There's no question that when it comes to features, Nokia and Sony Ericsson's new U.S.-ready phones can easily compete against the hottest new phones on the market. Nokia's N97, a touch screen phone that supports both 3G and Wi-Fi, has a 5-megapixel camera and 32GB... [read full story]
