by Ann E. Smith

Created on: February 05, 2011

For millions of Verizon users, February 2011 is finally here: the month the Verizon iPhone becomes available to subscribers of this mobile phone provider. Pre-orders, taken on February 2, were quickly sold out, and the phone’s official launch day is February 9. For those considering purchasing this hugely popular phone, based on AT&T’s experience with the iPhone, this article will provide a first look at the Verizon iPhone. In addition, do some further online research to see if this phone is the right fit for you.

First, officially the phone is named the Verizon iPhone 4, and according to CNET, “the Verizon iPhone 4 is nearly identical to its AT&T counterpart.” So if you’ve heard some of the pros and cons from friend’s with the AT&T iPhone, you will likely have a similar experience. For example, one consideration is whether you’re willing to use the touchscreen keyboard for typing emails. Whether you’re using the AT&T or Verizon phone, the touchscreen keyboard can be a challenge for many.

On a positive note, CNet did a good bit of testing on the Verizon iPhone and reports that the Verizon network "offers discernable improvements over AT&T's.” This factor could be big for consumers who desire faster data speeds, the ability with placing calls in more areas – and not having them dropped – and quicker connection times. However, as CNet was quick to note, there was not complete consistency with these improved efficiencies, meaning that the Verizon iPhone consumer still may run into issues on occasion. That seems to be part of the iPhone experience overall.

The design of the Verizon iPhone is very close to that of the AT&T version, with the nice Retina display in place. The Verizon iPhone does run on CDMA, and does not have a slot for a SIM card. A new feature offered by Verizon is that the phone has a personal hot-spot feature. As TechCrunch reports, “this killer feature that will allow it to become an internet hub for up to 5 WiFi devices to connect to.” While there will be a charge to enable this feature, it is a great differentiator between the two phones. Imagine having your own personal WiFi device, in various locations.

For more information on charges for the Verizon iPhone and its various service plans, visit the Verizon website or a local Verizon or Apple store. And as people start getting their hands on the Verizon iPhone, there is surely to be a steady flow of information about their experiences.

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