All those eligible should certainly apply for the service, as an unlocked iPhone is infinitely more useful when traveling abroad -- a reality that deployed military members know all too well.

ENGADGET: Confirmed: AT&T offers complimentary unlock of in-contract iPhones for deployed military personnel

After all, it can be enormously useful when it comes to financing homes and educations.

FORBES: Get Briefed: P. Brett Hammond

Alliances seem even more useful when companies are not potential rivals at all, but firms that are at different points on the same value chain.

ECONOMIST: Mergers and alliances