Tech Crawl: Samsung's big move with unlocked phones, and some Olympic-sized VR

Tech giant Samsung says it will sell unlocked versions of its flagship Galaxy S7 phones in the U.S. so consumers can switch carriers more easily.

Although two-year service contracts are now rare, consumers are instead stuck with two-year installment plans and cannot take a phone to a rival until it's paid off.   Unlocked phones have no such restrictions.

Samsung's Galaxy S7 will sell for $670, and a model with a curved side screen called Edge will go for $770. The prices are cheaper than Verizon, AT&T and T-Mobile, though more expensive than Sprint. You pay the phone's full price rather than monthly installments.

Samsung has a huge presence in Austin, operating a major chip-manufacturing complex and employing about 2,600 people here.

You can find out more details on Samsung's move at Mashable and Tech Crunch.

In another potentially beneficial move for Samsung, NBC says it will provide 85 hours of virtual reality programming during the Rio Olympics in August — but it will only be available to users of Samsung Galaxy smartphones and the Samsung Gear VR headset.

The VR content will be presented on delay during the games running Aug. 6 to Aug. 22, and will include opening and closing ceremonies, men's basketball, gymnastics, track and field, and other sports.

The folks at CNet have more on the Olympics' big VR moment.