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The Mythical Verizon iPhone: Good and Bad

 With today's announcement that the iPhone 4 will be coming to Verizon in February, Apple has finally broken the chains of exclusivity with AT&T. As an iPhone user (and by default, an AT&T customer) since day 1 in 2007, I am extremely happy to see some competition for us iPhone customers' business. And hopefully some lower monthly bills as well!

But should you scrap that AT&T iPhone and move over to Verizon? That really depends on how you use your phone. Initial reports show that plan pricing between VZ and AT&T will not be all that different. But there are some distinct differences between the ways each company presents the iPhone. I've listed a four key differentiators below:

1. Verizon's CDMA vs. AT&T's GSM - If you own an AT&T iPhone and want to move to Verizon, be prepared to buy ANOTHER iPhone 4. You cannot simply "transfer" the device over to Verizon's network. The technology and antennas are completely different. If you're an international traveler, the Verizon iPhone will not be compatible with most networks outside of the USA, unlike most GSM or dual-mode phones. So, an ETF (Early Termination Fee) on your AT&T contract and a new Verizon iPhone will set you back $400-$600.

2. Surf and Talk - With AT&T and GSM you can talk on your phone while you surf the web, but with Verizon and CDMA you cannot due to a limitation in the way CDMA merges the voice/data spectrum. Personally, this is an extremely important feature for me that I can't live without. When Verizon finishes deploying their LTE network this issue should be moot. (Probably around iPhone 5 next year)

3. It's the network stupid! - These are phones after all, and the quality of the network is critical. According to the majority of surveys and tests, Verizon's network quality is superior to AT&T's, both in coverage and stability. Where I live I have zero problems with AT&T's service, but in other areas I have been told it's horrendous.

4. Wi-Fi Hotspot - One of the surprise features Verizon announced today is the iPhone Hotspot. The Verizon iPhone will allow you to use your phone as a mobile hotspot, allowing you to connect up to 5 Wi-Fi enabled devices and share the iPhone's 3G connection. Why hasn't AT&T enabled this? See #3...
The Verizon iPhone is a slightly different physical design. The antenna locations have been changed which resulted in different placement of the volume and mute buttons. This means that cases and bumpers for the AT&T iPhone will not fit correctly on the Verizon iPhone. The Verizon iPhone also lacks a SIM card slot for obvious reasons.

MacWorld has compiled a nice comparison of AT&T and Verizon rate plans. There will probably be changes in each company's pricing strategy now that there is competition, but here they are as of 1.11.11. http://www.macworld.com/article/157071/2011/01/compare_verizon_att_plans.html
If you're considering a new iPhone or switching to Verizon and have any questions, feel free to leave a question.

By Casey Kerrick

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