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Verizon announces iPhone


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QUOTE (Chisoxfn @ Jan 13, 2011 -> 11:15 AM)
I just got a new work phone and decided to go with the ATT Iphone versus the Verizon one for my work phone. Still keeping my blackberry for my personal phone.

 

Blackberry for personal phone by choice? I pity you! I can't wait to get rid of mine.

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QUOTE (bigruss22 @ Jan 12, 2011 -> 02:09 PM)
Each phone has pros and cons, you have to figure which one fits your needs the best. Do you use it primarily for email? Entertainment? Do you like to mess with your phone a lot or keep it simple? etc....

I have yet to find a con for my Evo 4G.

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QUOTE (Quinarvy @ Jan 13, 2011 -> 10:07 PM)
I don't think VZW speed will be hit THAT hard. It's already a huge network with tons of smartphones.

 

That being said, I love my DroidX.

What's really going to be interesting is what happens when presumably the iPhone 5 comes out. I think Verizon sales will get a decent number who have been waiting in Feb., but between the fact that it's not on their best network yet and the fact that AT&T locked all their iPhone4 users into 2 year deals, they're not going to sell all of the iphones in Feb. that they could have done without those circumstances.

 

Hit a new model out later this year though, and that's when 5 million new users will appear practically overnight. (Probably me included)

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I think the whole LTE thing gets blown way outta proportion honestly. Most areas around the country aren't going to see that much coverage for it in the next 1.5-2 years either way. With that being the case, might as well use the iPhone 4 via Verizon, like I am, and by the time you're ready to upgrade, I'm sure it will be more prevalent.

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correct me if im wrong but from my understanding of rumors heard 'round tech web sites, apple will be releasing a new, 4G-capable iphone this coming summer. So verizon is going to get a bunch of people to buy into their iphone 4 in february, only to have apple release a newer model only a couple months later? i know its only a rumor at this point but if it proves to be true i would be really upset with my 2 year obligation to this already outdated phone if i were switch to verizon right away.

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QUOTE (flippedoutpunk @ Jan 15, 2011 -> 04:15 PM)
correct me if im wrong but from my understanding of rumors heard 'round tech web sites, apple will be releasing a new, 4G-capable iphone this coming summer. So verizon is going to get a bunch of people to buy into their iphone 4 in february, only to have apple release a newer model only a couple months later? i know its only a rumor at this point but if it proves to be true i would be really upset with my 2 year obligation to this already outdated phone if i were switch to verizon right away.

That is currently the rumor. Apple certainly has been releasing updated iPhones every year, and there's no obvious reason now why the next version would be only available on AT&T, or why it would have a bunch of features that are incompatible with Verizon.

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  • 2 weeks later...
Take that, AT&T! Well, sort of.

 

Verizon (VZ, Fortune 500) poured some gas onto the iPhone fire Tuesday morning when it announced that it would offer the same $30 unlimited data plan for the iPhone as it offers for all of its other smartphones.

 

But by Tuesday afternoon, the company updated its announcement and backpedaled, saying it would only offer the unlimited iPhone data plan "for a limited time." Those who get in during the window will have unlimited data on their iPhones throughout the life of their Verizon contract.

 

The company declined to comment on how long the temporary unlimited offer would last. But it said that after the initial period, it will move to a metered system similar to the one used by AT&T (T, Fortune 500), which makes its smartphone customers pay for the amount of data they consume.

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  • 2 weeks later...

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It’s the same phone. The only difference is the network. And Verizon’s network is better.

 

That’s it in a nut.

 

Here’s the whole story. I’ve been using a Verizon iPhone 4 since Friday morning.1 I was in San Francisco through Sunday morning, and I’ve been home in Philadelphia ever since.

 

First, it’s not really the same phone. For one thing, the Verizon iPhone currently runs an ever-so-slightly newer version of iOS. (More on this below.) For another, the Verizon iPhone 4 is, technically, different hardware. The existing iPhone 4 only supports GSM networks. The new Verizon iPhone only supports CDMA. Thus, the two phones have entirely different 3G networking components. The external antenna is also different. I find the CDMA iPhone 4’s antenna to be more aesthetically pleasing, because it’s symmetrical, but it’s a very subtle change. In every other regard, the two phones are identical. They feel the same, they look the same. They perform the same. They have the same battery life.

 

In six days of use, I find call quality noticeably superior on the Verizon iPhone 4. This was more obvious in San Francisco than it was here in Philadelphia, but it’s noticeable here, too. For example, both of my parents — neither of whom are technically savvy or use cell phones regularly — agreed that I sounded much better while using the Verizon iPhone 4 than I did on my AT&T iPhone 4. There’s an audio mushiness on AT&T.

 

That said, AT&T’s network actually held up pretty well during Macworld Expo last week. I had data service even on the Expo show floor, and I didn’t miss or drop a single call. But calls on the Verizon phone consistently sounded better.

 

For data, AT&T’s network is faster, exactly as advertised. I used two apps to test data networking speeds over several days: Speedtest.net and FCC Mobile Broadband. These are the average results:

AT&T Verizon

Download 1.87 Mbps 1.28 Mbps

Upload 1.18 Mbps 0.48 Mbps

Ping Latency 284 ms 281 ms

 

These tests were conducted in my home office in Philadelphia. I lacked the foresight to conduct them before leaving San Francisco. For downloading, AT&T is a little faster. For uploading, it’s a bit more than twice as fast. And latency is about equal.

 

In practice, though, walking around San Francisco and Center City Philadelphia, I feel like I get better service on the Verizon iPhone. For example, my wife and I share a Ta-Da List account for grocery shopping. It’s entirely web-based, and there are certain sections of our grocery store where it doesn’t work with my AT&T iPhone. The Verizon iPhone got perfect service throughout the store. I noticed the same thing in several places in San Francisco. I found only one spot (it was in San Francisco) where my AT&T iPhone 4 had a strong connection but this Verizon iPhone did not.

 

The numbers don’t lie. AT&T’s data network is faster — when you have a strong connection on both phones. The catch is with that “when you have a strong connection” clause. Verizon’s network has wider, more consistent coverage, and noticeably superior voice quality.2

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