Verizon finally gets the iphone officially

and liked it, but switched to Verizon a few months ago and bought a DroidX (android OS) and dont think I would switch back now. Android isnt as polished as iOS4 but at least you can change it to suit your every whim (good for some, bad for others i guess)

Now that Verizon will have the iphone along with the driod in its phone lineup, Verizon will most likely dominate AT&T and Sprint. It's a win-win situation for Verizon, even if people choose to stick with their droids. The only potential problem is that Verizon's network will become overloaded, which probably won't happen. I'm sure Verizon has prepped their network so that it can handle all exiting customers and anticipated new customers, which is probably the reason why it took so long for them to officially get the iphone.

I have had iPhone and iPod Touches, and after going Android I can never go back to iPhone.

If you're an AT&T customer thinking of making the jump, and using data at the same time as talking on the phone would mean the end of your world - know that Verizon's CDMA technology can't do that - unless you are also connected with the phone via wifi to an internet data connection.

http://support.vzw.com/faqs/iphone/iphone_faq.html

Thanks but even with my 20% monthly discount I decline to get a data plan, a regular Verizon cell phone and my iTouch will do for me, don't need to be that connected.

Just something to note.
They are offering CDMA phones. (the att phone is gsm)

AT&T had their system overloaded with the original iPhone. Verizon has had about three years of getting their system ready for the bandwidth needs of devices like the iPhone. The iPhone showed that people want to get data and in large amounts on handheld devices. I doubt one system can service all potential smartphones. If people flee AT&T, that will be good for those that remain since that will be less load on the system.

If Verizon was in the same place AT&T was in three or so years ago, they probably would have had the same capacity problems AT&T had. The load on the system was not expected at all, the iPhone was extremely successful.

Now that the iPhone will be available on other cell systems, it will grow even faster.

I love my droid x. I would never think of change into an iphone. Personally I think the android system is as good and maybe better than the iphone. Not sure but I think I can do anything iphone does but with a bigger screen.

In this cnet article below, it claims that verizon is working on the problem where you cannot talk on the phone and use the internet at the same time. It says that "The CDMA Development Group has announced that simultaneous voice and data on CDMA will become commercially available in the first half of this year."

Read more: http://reviews.cnet.com/verizon-iphone-first-take#ixzz1AqpH2...

Why would someone want to talk on the phone and download data at the same time? Maybe very occasionally, someone might want to check the weather while talking on the phone, or maybe check a flight. Somehow it seems a lot of dollars to pay just for a very occasional convenience. Me, I've got a simple cell phone and look up at the sky for weather or flight arrivals. But I'm an old man…

It's the way it's designed to work.

And yes, they are working on an upgrade to allow simultaneous voice and data... "commercially available"?? Who knows when or if Verizon will deploy it - they're busy with 4G/LTE deployment, and I'm guessing that is a priority.

It is my understanding that the existing iPhones (AT&T) are GSM only. That would mean you won't likely be able to dust off your old iPhone and take it to Verizon.

Has anyone heard if the Verizon model is GSM capable so that if desired, you could take it abroad and buy a local chip to use it while in Europe?

No, the Verizon iPhone is not a "world phone" - and will only work internationally in places where there is CDMA service and Verizon has roaming agreements and you have an international plan. verizon.com or customer service can give you details on that.

I have several friends who swear by iPhones and others who swear by Droids. But when I talk about what I look for, most of them tell me to stick with a BlackBerry, because it serves my particular needs the best.

The best thing about this is that we have more choices to fit each of our particular needs.

So I say, "YAY!"

I find being able to talk while using my iPhone for data purposes is great. It's like when DSL came out and I no longer had to hang up my dial-up internet connection to make a phone call, or have two phone lines. With DSL I can surf while on the phone, on the same line. Can't see it being any other way.

The Verizon iPhone will be 3G, not 4G LTE. Other than more network to share the load, what's the big deal?

I used Verizon for many years before going to AT&T to use the iPhone. I can not say one network is better than the other. Neither is perfect. I don't recall having major issues with either.

I also understand that it is not possible to have 100% perfect coverage everywhere. We are using short range radios and radios are subject to many terrestrial, environmental and atmospheric issues.

The other thing to realize is that poor coverage (service) is not necessarily or completely the fault of the network provider. In order to have coverage, cells (antennas) are needed, and nobody likes to see the antennas. If you have poor service, call the town or municipality and tell them to allow the installation of a tower to establish a cell. Everybody wants the service, but without the antennas/towers. That's not the way it works. The installation of a cell tower requires all sorts of permits, approvals, etc. It takes years and years to go through this process. It took almost 10 years to finally get a tower in my town. What was really funny about my town was that before we had a cell in town, the town had issued cell phones to all key town employees, but the cell phones didn't work because of little to no service in the town. And then we had a program to donate old cell phones to be reprogrammed for emergency use only and given out to our senior citizens for free. Not a great idea when there was little to no service in the town.

In some areas it is just not worth it to build a cell site for the lack of traffic. Completely reasonable. I was out in the boondocks of Maine this summer... was I supposed to expect cell service? I went without cell service for several hours a day when up there. There wasn't even electricity or land-line phones out there.

Whether Verizon has the best network it is open to debate and personal experience, that it has the most extensive coverage is beyond question and here is a little history on this network.

Back in the late 90s GTE had GTE Mobilnet one of the biggest cell networks in the country at that time with coverage in all the major markets in the US including Alaska and Hawaii, it also had service in Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic and Venezuela, when they decided to merge GTE with Bell Atlantic based in the Northeast (NY, MA, NJ etc.) the Federal government made GTE divest from Mobilnet prior to the merger’s approval.

To be able to merge and form Verizon GTE Mobilnet was sold to Alltel and after the merger the Verizon Network was created from scratch, the new network grew to be once again the largest with the most coverage in continental US (despite what AT&T claims), then to top the whole thing up in 2008 Alltel went up for sale and guess who bought it back, so now adding to the newly created Verizon network you have the old Mobilnet acquired in 2008

Left unsaid though is what the data plans for these new devices will look like. Verizon, in particular, was non-committal about its LTE data plans for smartphones. Verizon Wireless CEO Daniel Mead declined to give specific pricing--but hinted that, at least to start, LTE smartphone plans will be unlimited, similar to how Verizon's 3G smartphone plans work now. He did indicate that data caps for LTE smartphones might be implemented at some point in the future.

Data pricing will be a major factor in how consumers respond to new networks and devices. If the plans are structured in a way that does not penalize users for actually making the most of their devices' capabilities, then all parties will benefit. If the plans are strictly usage-based for all devices, then I think adoption will suffer.

Read more: What was left unsaid at CES speaks volumes - FierceWireless http://www.fiercewireless.com/ceslive/story/what-was-left-un...
Subscribe: http://www.fiercewireless.com/signup?sourceform=Viral-Tynt-F...

I wish Verizon would have just left the iphone alone. Also I really hope this does not effect the Android progress.

http://money.cnn.com/2011/01/13/technology/verizon_new_every...

You have to love corporate greed!

I recently got the Droid X, and I am overall satisfied with it. I have a few small issues with the 3G connection sometimes hanging, and the Swype text input seems to do the same. I have only had it for 2 weeks and I wonder if i jumped in too late, or I should have waited for a VZ 4G phone.

My guess is the greed in Socialist Canada = profits in the Capitalist USA

Nothing wrong with profit as long as my pension and medical benefits keeps coming

I'm not sure how this got delineated into countries, when I was merely pointing out a 2 year term will now be 3 year term for hardware upgrades.

And btw, if corporations had it their way, your medical and pension wouldn't exist on their dime. That my friend, is a lot more profit for them.

Tell you how, you are Canadian and called it greed, I’m American and call it profit, as Verizon stockholder I see nothing wrong with profit.

So far the pension and medical keeps coming despite Obama care.

Don’t take my comments so personal, I though Canadians have a good sense of humor.

if the contract time frame doesn't change Verizon could loose a lot of customers when the 2 year contract is up. I originally had an ATT contract and got extra minutes when I signed, the extra minutes expired when the contact did, so to keep the minutes I had to sign another contract, I did with Sprint.

I haven't had a contract with AT&T for about 6 years now and my "roll-over" minutes keeps showing up on my bill each month. Salesman sold you a bill of goods on that one when you believed it required a new contract. The main reason for pushing a new contract is to get you to agree with their new terms and conditions. The old contract terms remain in place if you don't replace it with a new one. I've got a friend that has a 300 minute $14.95/mo plan going on 8 years now. I would have kept mine except I didn't make the change from TDMA to GSM while the rate was still offered.

the plan I had was with AT&T, the old AT&T wireless a long time ago, and the extra minutes did expire with the end of the contact, I used it as an example. Does your friend still have the same phone they started with, usually if you change equipment at the discounted rate it requires a new contract.

lost me when they killed the fixed monthly rate for data.

Been doing upgrades to the phones by buying their Go Phones. They're not the latest and greatest, but as long as you use them within the plan - voice only, they work extremely well. That's another thing the salesman won't tell you. You can also get older model phones from friends and co-workers that "just have to have the latest and greatest." Usually they're real happy to get $20 or $30 for their old phone.

Just maybe it could be a contract breaker, however with the legalese within it, I doubt it.

Verizon is probably the worst of the corporate greed companies! I'm suprised they don't charge you to turn on your phone or to plug it in to charge it!

WRONG. Verizon's upgrade policy afforded qualified people on a two year contract to upgrade to a new device after 12 months had elapsed by paying an early upgrade fee. They are doing away with that. Contracts are still 1 year, or two - depending on what you sign up for... and on a two year contract, you will be able to upgrade after 20 months. Which is just the same as it has been.

A business is formed to create profit for the owner/owners

The employees and the unions want as much pay as they can squeeze from the company.

The stock holders want as much dividend and stock value as the company can generate.

The government wants as much money as the can milk with taxes and regulations.

The ex-employees like me want the company to stay in business and profitable so the promised retirement benefits keep rolling in.

The customers want the product or service as cheap as possible otherwise the company is greedy.

In spite of knowing Verizon would get the iPhone, my brother finally decided to step into the 21st century and get an Android. Don't know what persuaded him to skip the iPhone, although as an N1 owner I applaud his decision.