After four years of speculation and rumors, a Verizon iPhone 4 was finally announced at a press event in New York City on Tuesday. Existing customers will be able to preorder the device beginning February 3, with sales expanding to new customers a week later, on February 10.
On Tuesday morning, Verizon Wireless announced that the iPhone 4 will be available on their network, breaking a four-year exclusive with rival AT&T. Pricing for the iPhone 4 matches what is already available -- $199 for the 16GB model or $299 for the 32GB model. Of course, what’s different is the radio inside, which uses CDMA instead of AT&T’s more common GSM (at least internationally).
“On February 3, our existing customers will have an opportunity to preorder,” announced Verizon’s Dan Dee. “On February 10, everyone will be able to order online, in stores or in Apple Stores.”
Included in the package is Verizon’s popular Mobile Hotspot, which lets the iPhone 4 share its 3G connection with up to five devices -- a feature that competitor AT&T has been loathe to give users, instead offering a limited tethering option which only works with the carrier’s capped data packages. It appears that Verizon won’t have additional apps on the device, at least not at launch.
While most of the news out of Verizon’s media event is good, two things might give pause for AT&T users considering a carrier move.
First, due to limitations with the CDMA network that Verizon uses, voice and data cannot be used at the same time -- that means no browsing for nearby stores while you’re chatting with your friends or family, unless you have a Wi-Fi network nearby.
Second, there is no word on calling or data plans (including the Mobile Hotspot feature), which could signal that Verizon plans to match (or, God forbid, exceed) what’s already being offered by AT&T.
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(Image courtesy of Engadget)
