iPhone 4: Coming to Verizon on February 10

After years of wanting and months of speculations, the iPhone is finally coming to the Verizon network. I honestly never thought this would happen!

Announcement

A press conference was held this morning in New York City. At the press conference, Verizon CEO Lowell McAdam and Apple COO Tim Cook, along with Verizon Wireless CEO Dan Mead made the big announcement. Apple CEO Steve Jobs was not in attendance, or at least not on stage.

Via press conference this morning, Verizon officially announced that the iPhone 4 will be available from Verizon on February 10 – less than a month away – with pre-sale starting for current Verizon customers on February 3. Those not currently on the Verizon network must unfortunately wait until the 10^th to get the phone, with no pre-sale.

Pricing

The Verizon iPhone 4 will be available in two sizes: 16GB and 32GB. With a new two-year contract, the 16GB iPhone 4 will be $199, and the 32GB iPhone 4 will come in just a hundred dollars more at $299.

Network

Unfortunately, the iPhone 4 on the Verizon network seems to lack some of the features that are currently on the AT&T network. Since the phone is a Verizon 3G phone (EV-DO), the phone won’t support 4G data nor will it support GSM roaming. In order to support the 4G network, the phone would have had to have a new design. With the phone having been in testing for over a year, Verizon didn’t want to make their customers wait even longer because of redesign. So, basically, the phone won’t work globally.

Another feature that the Verizon network doesn’t support, which could be a deal breaker, is that you can’t surf the web and talk on the phone at the same time. Besides the difference among the networks, it seems from the press conference that the Verizon’s iPhone 4 will be unchanged from the iPhone 4 on the AT&T network.

Software

One of the biggest software changes is the addition of a 5 user Wi-Fi hotspot – something that is found on the Android phones.  For those who aren’t familiar with the technology, it allows your phone to tether to more than one computer. The phone on the AT&T network still is only able to tether to one computer. In essence, the Verizon phone will be able to share its 3G connection with up to five other Wi-Fi devices. That feature, however, will most likely have an additional monthly cost.

Physical Device

The Verizon iPhone 4 looks very similar to its AT&T counterpart. One of the most surprising things to me is that Verizon’s branding is nowhere to be found on the phone. Another slight change, which really isn’t all that noticeable, is a small bump near the volume buttons.  This is due to the extra antenna that was added to the phone for Verizon’s network. The Verizon phone has four antennas, while the AT&T phone has three.

Conclusion

Will you be jumping on the Verizon bandwagon to get the iPhone 4, or switching from your current device if you’re already on the Verizon network? I’m thinking about it, but with so many great Android phones on the market now (and the promise of greater ones) – I don’t really see the point. I think the iPhone craze is starting to fade.

I will be interested to see just how many people leave AT&T for Verizon. My bet: a lot of people!

Leave me a comment below, telling me what you think about Verizon finally getting the iPhone and if you’re going to be one of those people in line on Feb 10.