Where Verizon's iPhone doesn't deliver

Since the Verizon iPhone hit general availability, I've been hearing from friends who were previous iPhone users about the Verizon iPhone experience. As expected, it seems that universally most of the feedback I've been receiving matches with my previous article on the subject: voice quality is great, whereas data is subpar.

To the point above, a recent article on Wired even highlighted results from the Speedtest.net app, where the AT&T iPhone's average download speed was 1,769 kbps, compared to Verizon's, which clocked in at 848 Kbps. The upload speeds were equally divided, with AT&T's iPhone coming in at 730 Kbps, and Verizon's delivering at 506 Kbps. Before you discount these results, keep in mind that the results came from 43,000 AT&T iPhone and 14,000 Verizon iPhones, throughout the United States.

If you were already a Verizon customer, and simply upgraded to the iPhone experience, chances are you're loving the new iPhone 4. However, if you were an AT&T user, the noticeable speed difference, coupled with the fact that you can't use data and talk at the same time, may be enough to send you back to the Verizon store in search of a refund.

On the subject of simultaneous data and voice, it seems that Apple has designed a tolerable experience for the hand-off between data and voice in that if your iPhone is in a 3G area, incoming calls will interrupt your data, and your phone will ring. Unfortunately, if you're on 2G (1xRTT), though, your call will go straight to voice mail.

So, how's the voice quality on Verizon's iPhone? One friend recently upgraded to Verizon from his iPhone after experiencing three dropped calls in a row. In his words, "it's great to be able to make a phone call!" He also placed an order for a signal booster for his home, so apparently he's now a Verizon convert.

Did you pick up a Verizon iPhone? Why or why not? Also, share if you switched from one on AT&T.