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Matthew Miller & Joel Evans
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Verizon iPhone: the Fine Print

By | January 23, 2011, 2:41pm PST

Summary: No simultaneous data and voice and we still don’t have data and voice plan pricing

I previously wrote about why you shouldn’t get the iPhone on Verizon. This was before the official announcement, and now we have a lot more details about what Verizon’s iPhone will offer.

For starters, I had mentioned previously that the Verizon iPhone wouldn’t offer simultaneous voice and data. It turns out that in fact that’s the case. It runs on Verizon’s 3G, CDMA network, not Verizon’s new LTE network. While that might not be that big a deal to existing Verizon customers, if you’ve been enjoying the iPhone on AT&T, you are used to talking on the phone and looking up something in Safari, sending or receiving an e-mail, looking up directions, and more, all while continuing to have your conversation.

Now that the announcement has come and gone, Verizon has posted up a great FAQ about the pending Verizon iPhone. I’ve grabbed a few highlights below:

Availability

February 10th for $199.99 for the 16GB and $299.99 for the 32GB. This price is only if you sign a new two year agreement. On February 10th you can go to an Apple Retail store or Verizon to pick up a Verizon iPhone, if there are any available.

Pre-order

Existing Verizon Wireless customers can pre-order via VerizonWireless.com, on a “first come, first serve” basis on or around February 3, 2011.

Can I purchase the Verizon iPhone without a contract?

Yes, at full retail price–$649.99 for the 16GB model; $749.99 for the 32GB model.

Can I use my “New Every Two” credit?

Yes, though not all agent locations will honor it.

Voice and Data Plans

iPhone customers will have to choose one, but the pricing has not yet been announced.

Read the rest of the FAQ at Vzw.com.

I’ve been asked by a number of people recently if the iPhone is the best phone coming to Verizon. The answer is no, in my opinion, especially since Verizon is now adding phones that work on its new LTE, 4G, network. To that end, can you go wrong buying the iPhone? I think it’s too soon to tell. We don’t know what the data / voice pricing is yet. Hardware-wise, it’s just about the same as the iPhone 4, so if you like what you see there, you’re good.

I definitely recommend waiting to see what the data / voice package is all about first. My previous experience with the Samsung Tab on Verizon and its pricing has taught me to be a bit cautious when doing anything with Verizon.

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Topics

Verizon Communications Inc., Pricing, Smart Phones, Marketing Research, Telecommunications, Marketing, Consumer Electronics, Personal Technology, Joel Evans

With more than a decade of mobile, Internet and wireless experience, Joel specializes in taking existing brands and technologies into the mobile and wireless space.

Disclosure

Joel Evans

Joel is a serial entrepreneur with his most recent business, CronkSoftware (cronksoftware.com), focusing on consulting and building games and applications for mobile devices. Joel has consulted for Microsoft’s Windows Mobile division and advises other companies on how to incorporate mobile into their existing brands and products. Joel purchases many of his devices and others are sent for review on a 30-day loaner basis and then returned to the supplier. If any devices are provided as “keeper” Joel will clearly disclose this in his reviews.

Biography

Joel Evans

With more than a decade of mobile, Internet and wireless experience, Joel specializes in taking existing brands, technologies and services into the mobile and wireless space. Joel is currently serving as the Managing Director of Cronk Software, Inc., a company he founded to offer full-service, end-to-end mobile strategy, design and development services.

Joel is the former founder and "Chief Geek" of Geek.com, a website praised by The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Economist, and others as one of world's best sources of information for technology professionals and enthusiasts.

Joel also serves as a technology expert for a number of well-known publications and regularly advises corporations, analysts, journalists and bloggers on what the future of technology will bring. He brings decades of relationships with leading game publishers, online communities and publishers, along with both hardware and software product management and delivery expertise. Joel can be found online as "JoelGeek" and you can follow him on Twitter @JoelGeek.

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RE: Verizon iPhone: the Fine Print
psvita 6th Nov
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You Have It Backwards
Doctor Demento 23rd Jan 2011
It isn't about being able to surf the web on a call, it is about being able to receive a call when you are using data. If you are listening to Pandora or using an app when a call comes in, if you don't have LTE, or at least GSM, then the call is directed to voice mail. All these applications are not merely useless but a distraction if using them can prevent you from receiving a call.
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But if you cannot do that at the moment
Mister Spock 23rd Jan 2011
with Android, Windows, or feature phones on Verizon, then what is the difference?
Purchasing an iPhone, Samsung, HTC, ect will not make a difference in reference to simultaneous voice and data?

And is that a "make or break" option for many?
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You have a point
wackoae 23rd Jan 2011
@Mister Spock And that is what makes GSM (3G) a much better network.

On another subject, I suspect that the iPhone will bring down the Verizon network on the 1st day of a mayor conference. Then Verizon would not be able to use the "our network would never do that" or "our network is better than other" .... they just don't have volume users.
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RE: Verizon iPhone: the Fine Print
tkejlboom 24th Jan 2011
@Mister Spock

I'm confused. My cousin's Droid would take calls while surfing even before he rooted it. The iPhone can't do that? Droid OLD.
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wrong....
thetaylored 23rd Jan 2011
@Doctor Demento

You can receive calls on cdma while using data. The phone call bumps you off Pandora, etc. Cdma just cannot surf while in a phone call.
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RE: Verizon iPhone: the Fine Print
storm14k 23rd Jan 2011
@Doctor Demento Maybe that's how the iPhone works but my data is simply interrupted to allow the call on my Droid Incredible.
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RE: Verizon iPhone: the Fine Print
mrgrey211 23rd Jan 2011
@Doctor Demento You're totally wrong, dude.
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RE: Verizon iPhone: the Fine Print
Rama.NET 23rd Jan 2011
@Doctor Demento
I think it works the other way round, at least on my Sprint-HTC EVO 4G. Well when I am in 3G mode by turning of 4G, I receive call no matter of what app I run. The call simply gets Trap Priority over rest.
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RE: Verizon iPhone: the Fine Print
steveanderson1357@... Updated - 23rd Jan 2011
@Doctor Demento You don't say which carrier you are using. On Verizon, I have always had my calls come through with the option to answer, just like any other call. Which lala land are you coming from?
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RE: Verizon iPhone: the Fine Print
lfmorrison 24th Jan 2011
@steveanderson1357@...
I suspect Doctor Demento is used to the way things are in GSM land while on a 2G (EDGE or GPRS) service.

There, typically, whichever type of connection you're currently in (be it voice or data) gets priority, and the other type of connection gets bumped off. So if you're already in a call, you stop receiving data, and if you're already in a data session, you typically stop receiving phone calls.

As you've correctly pointed out, this is not the case with most CDMA services, where voice calls will always get priority.

@athynz:
It makes a difference, because in one direction (the EDGE/GPRS way of doing things) potentially urgent phone calls can be redirected to voicemail without you ever knowing that a call was coming in at all.

In the other direction (the CDMA way of doing things), you always the option of being notified of incoming calls, allowing you an opportunity to decide whether or not it is urgent enough to justify disconnecting the data session.

Of course, the 3GSM way of doing it is better than either of the other two options.
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RE: Verizon iPhone: the Fine Print
kitty13131 23rd Jan 2011
@Doctor Demento
thats not true. this is how all verizon phones currently work, i have a blackberry storm and if im on the internet and i get a call it still comes through, and just pauses data. i dont loose calls just because i want to listen to pandora, if that was the case verizon would have been having problems for years.
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RE: Verizon iPhone: the Fine Print
Pete "athynz" Athens 24th Jan 2011
@Doctor Demento Isn't that the flip side of the coin? Either way with my AT&T iPhone I can surf the web on a call or call while I'm surfing the web - and VZW's iPhone (or any of their smartphones) are unable to do so.
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RE: Verizon iPhone: the Fine Print
itguy08 24th Jan 2011
@Doctor Demento

That is not true at all. I stream Pandora, Slacker and a few others on my Droid X without WiFi. When a call comes in the music stops and the phone rings. When I'm done the music starts again.

The only thing I can't do is be on the net and get a call at the same time. It is somewhat limiting though.
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Not Exaactly True
DT2 24th Jan 2011
@Doctor Demento
Phone calls have priority. I listen to Pandora all the time on my Droid-X, especially in my car. When a call comes in Pandora automatically pauses. When the call is over it also starts back up automatically. When plugged into the aux port in my car it turns my radio into a hands-free device without needing bluetooth.
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RE: Verizon iPhone: the Fine Print
surge3@... 24th Jan 2011
@Doctor Demento
That is NOT true. I have a windows mobile phone on verizon (omnia 2), and when I get a call it disconnects my data connection.
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<Edited>
evilkillerwhale@... Updated - 24th Jan 2011
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RE: Verizon iPhone: the Fine Print
trainer_1@... 4th Feb 2011
@Doctor Demento Actually my Droid X will let me choose to answer the call and if I do, the data session is cut. If I go to voicemail, the data session is left open.
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RE: Verizon iPhone: the Fine Print
giacomoAl 22nd Sep
A very good and informative article indeed . It helps me a lot to enhance my knowledge, I really like the way the writer presented his views.
sito agenzia immobiliare. bye
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Edited out.
DeRSSS Updated - 23rd Jan 2011
Edited out.
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"Now adding phones for 4G"? It is half year away, and iPhone 4 *is* better
DeRSSS Updated - 23rd Jan 2011
... in everything except for having (for now) useless double-core CPU and LTE support -- which will work only by summer and still would run only in 38 cities and no step further than cities' inner road loop. (And faster and free of charge Wi-Fi hotspots are within the cities anyway, so LTE will be useful not that much before it will be unfolded in three years.)

iPhone 4's screen resolution is twice better than that of Samsung Galaxy S (in linear presentation it is 326 dpi against 233 dpi), for example, and will still be 30% better than the best of announced and yet not shipping Android phones.

The battery life of the promised phones is going to be no better or even worse than that of current models, which *all* cede to iPhone 4 in *active* use battery lifetime.

Other phones also way lack in the diversity and scale of media library, range of applications (and no applications for Android are actually as UI/graphics-refined as iPhone 4 ones, which support Retina resolution) and have no AirPlay technology.

None of these other phone have backslide camera censor either, so having more pixels is a mere cheap marketing stunt.

Also, all of them are 25-70% bigger than iPhone 4, so these are not really convenient as phones (compare typical cell phone width of 1.8 inches to the width of even iPhone 4 and you will understand that it's size is already maximal for practical use), and not every pocket can handle such near to VHS cassette sizes.

Also, iPhone 4 is capable of immediate OS updates (not waiting for like 6-12 months or forever), it is free of junkware, and its UI is not crooked by whatever "skins" by vendors and/or carriers.
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What a funny comparison you've just made!!!
NonZealot 23rd Jan 2011
@denisrs
Go back a couple years and compare the iPhone of the time to the HTC Touch Diamond. Except for battery life, every single thing you wrote as an advantage of the iPhone today was an advantage of the HTC Touch Diamond over the iPhone then!!!

The HTC Touch Diamond's resolution was twice that of the iPhone. The iPhone had a fraction of the apps available to it when compared to the Diamond. The camera was better in the Diamond. The iPhone was HUGE compared to the Diamond. HUGE.

Yet when I brought this up, I was told by raving Apple lunatics like you that none of these things mattered.

Cue the double standards...
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You and I have had the
Pete "athynz" Athens 24th Jan 2011
@NonZealot iPhone vs Diamond size discussion before... and 1/4" difference is not huge...
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RE: Verizon iPhone: the Fine Print
RealNonZealot 24th Jan 2011
@NonZealot

I think the *entire world* made the decison the the iPhone was superior to anything else on the market at the time.

Specs don't make a product, something is wholly lost on those that don't 'get' product and UI design.

Reexamine your double standards.... happy
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RE: Verizon iPhone: the Fine Print
surge3@... Updated - 24th Jan 2011
@denisrs
Let's not forget the countless bugs on the Samsung Galaxy S series devices (GPS, SMS, etc.) and the slow updates and crappy support provided by Samsung. I'm never buying another samsung product again -- not until I see evidence that they actually start TESTING their products BEFORE they release them, and when there are problems, they get aknowledged and fixed within a reasonable time period.

The GPS bug was reported last summer; not only on forums but big tech news sites like engadget and gizmodo, and to my knowledge, is STILL not 100% fixed. I talked to a couple of Galaxy S owning friends and they say that the GPS lock takes forever, and it's probably not using the assisted GPS at all...disgusting -- a 9 month old bug still not resolved, and probably will never be resolved due to sheer incompitence and laziness on Samsung's part.

And then you have Motorola -- who purposely lock their bootloaders -- which makes custom roms impossible...which to me is the whole point of getting an Android device. And verizon's HTC offerings are a bit old...so what else is there? LG? No thanks. IMHO the iPhone is the best phone on Verizon at the moment. And since it's an A4 -- it can be jailbroken thanks to Geohot and the Dev Team...so there's assurances we can sideload homebrew'd apps from cydia.
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RE: Verizon iPhone: the Fine Print
non-biased 27th Jan 2011
@surge3@... Not that I am inserting any opinion on which is better but just realized I haven't been see some familiar posts the past month or so. Can recall the posters name but every single post he made bashing the iPhone then went on to praise/advertise the Galaxy phones and the next best thing since sliced bread. Guess it didn't pan out so well and he had to stop posting wink
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RE: Verizon iPhone: the Fine Print
BDA123 Updated - 24th Jan 2011
@denisrs

All great points except the dual core one. Dual core processors in phones open up a new world of capabilities. It will be a few months before they are really beneficial, but most people keep their phones for well over a year so I think they would rather plan ahead. This being said, it is an excellent phone.
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RE: Verizon iPhone: the Fine Print
snoop0x7b 24th Jan 2011
Any android phone is capable of being updated at any point. It's up to the carrier to authorize the update.
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The interesting point here is
Pete "athynz" Athens 24th Jan 2011
@snoop0x7b It's up to the carrier to authorize the update.... and yet Apple is free to update the iPhone OS and make it available to AT&T iPhone users at any time. The only limitations are the hardware (i.e. iPhone 2G is not capable of running iOS4). I'm curious to see if VZW or Apple controls the iOS updates.
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RE: Verizon iPhone: the Fine Print
Rick_K 24th Jan 2011
@athynz
If I am not mistaken (And I could be), Apple will control the iOS updates, just as they do now. I also don?t see a lot of the junkware being preloaded by Verizon, as you will be able to buy the iPhone at Apple stores.
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RE: Verizon iPhone: the Fine Print
non-biased 27th Jan 2011
@athynz With all the bad press the Android upgrade issues get I would be shocked if Apple would release control to Verizon.
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The iPhone 4 is the best device on the market.
CarlosViscarra 23rd Jan 2011
I am disgusted by this author hyping up Droid crapices that fall far behind the IP4.

Then this author bashes the IP4 for the same fails as ALL android phones also fail on Verizon.

Then he writes to not buy the iPhone 4 because droid crap ware is coming out "soon" with 4G and because iPhone 5 is coming out in summer.

Well these droid bricks are not and won't be out for months. When they are out you can only use them in 19 cities in the US when the US has over 19,000 cities!!!

This author is a biased geek established iHater.
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RE: Verizon iPhone: the Fine Print
surge3@... Updated - 24th Jan 2011
@CarlosViscarra
It's not the the droid phones are "crapices" -- they're good phones, it's just that the iPhone 4 is better, heh! And yeah, any time you are talking about which phone to get and someone tells you to "wait" and "xyz will be coming out soon " you have my permission to punch said person in the face. Of course there's probably going to be something better coming out 1-3 months from your purchase date -- that is true no matter WHAT phone you buy or WHEN you buy it! This is the nature of the industry. Live with it or use a landline
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RE: Verizon iPhone: the Fine Print
kitty13131 23rd Jan 2011
unless you live in one of 38 cities that currently have 4G, who cares?! once 4G is widespread, the iphone will have 4G.
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RE: Verizon iPhone: the Fine Print
surge3@... 24th Jan 2011
@kitty13131
4g is not that big of a deal to me. maybe if it was ACTUAL 4g (ITU standard) and not 3.5g being marketed as 4g, then I would care. I have a feeling that the iphone5 will get 4g first and be released on at&t only originally. I'm sure verizon will get an LTE version a few months later, but I could be wrong -- just my instints teling me this...but it's certainly no reason to wait.
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Verizon
xiaoa 23rd Jan 2011
Though the Verizon iPhone 4 has nothing diffirent but the radio. It is made to work with Verizon?s CDMA network otherwise it just the same device. Though it is a code division multiple access(CDMA) Phone and not a Long-Term Evolution(LTE)phong, I will still buy one and an Aneesoft Video converter, as I am extremely impatient!
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RE: Verizon iPhone: the Fine Print
Loverock Davidson 24th Jan 2011
Right now the pricing is $30/mo for unlimited or $15 for 150mb. Are they really planning to change that for the iPhone? If so, it would be a bone headed move unless they are making the plans cheaper. I can't see them going more expensive for a 3G connection.
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RE: Verizon iPhone: the Fine Print
snoop0x7b 24th Jan 2011
@Loverock Davidson Exactly. This unfounded speculation is stupid.
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RE: Verizon iPhone: the Fine Print
Pete "athynz" Athens 24th Jan 2011
@Loverock Davidson One would think that the pricing for the iPhone plans would be around the same as for any other smartphone... so the $30/m unlimited would be right in line with other VZW smartphone plans and with the unlimited plan AT&T used to offer.
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Where are you getting your numbers from?
Rick_K Updated - 24th Jan 2011
From what I am seeing I can get the 16 GB iPhone 4 for $599, and the 32 GB iPhone 4 for $699. While I do not plan on buying one at the moment, I do believe the numbers you are throwing out are not accurate.

iPhone 4 : 16GB
iPhone 4 : 32GB
Before Oct 01, 2011
$599.00
$699.00
After Oct 01, 2011
$199.00
$299.00
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RE: Verizon iPhone: the Fine Print
surge3@... Updated - 24th Jan 2011
4g -- don't care about it.
They won't have it in my location anyways, and the 3g here is damned fast. Way faster than what I got on AT&T. And simultaneous voice and data? Again, even when I had my HTC Touch Cruise on AT&T many years ago, I *never* actually used this "Feature" -- so again, I do not care about that -- but that's just me. The crazy thing is, the EVDO spec actually allows for this and has for quite some time, but Verizon didn't see fit to upgrade. I guess it makes sense to just skip that and focus on LTE.

I am an existing verizon customer and I plan to purchase the iphone4 at full price and keep my exact same voice and data plan the way it is now -- I have the Omnia 2 currently and I get unlimited data (yes, truly unlimited) for 30$ a mo. My upgrade date isn't until August of 2011, and I doubt they're going to let me slide and get a new phone in Feb...so full price for me -- in my eyes, it's worth it. I've been waiting for the iPhone for a long time!

"iPhone customers will have to choose one, but the pricing has not yet been announced."

You're saying even if I'm an existing customer I'm going to have to change my voice and data plan if I want an iPhone? Why?
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RE: Verizon iPhone: the Fine Print
snoop0x7b 24th Jan 2011
@surge3@... You won't. ZDNet authors are using this narrative because they think speculation sells page views.... It's unfounded and baseless, they've offered no evidence to support this speculation, so ignore it, or berate them about it.
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RE: Verizon iPhone: the Fine Print
surge3@... 25th Jan 2011
@snoop0x7b
And -- it's confirmed.
http://www.engadget.com/2011/01/25/verizon-confirms-iphone-will-get-30-unlimited-data-plan-we-try/
Data and voice plans will remain the same.
Way to go ZDNet for being wrong and speculative grin
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RE: Verizon iPhone: the Fine Print
snoop0x7b 24th Jan 2011
Why are you guys still trying to speculate like the iPhone will have a different data cost than Verizon's existing phones with similar data profiles (Android). We already have unlimited plans for 29.99/month. Verizon isn't AT&T, they don't need to make up some random price plan.
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If you are going to wait...
pwatson 24th Jan 2011
Wait for 4G LTE devices. Verizon has USB data devices using 4G LTE available. However, Verizon 4G LTE coverage is limited.

Do not be fooled by AT&T and T-Mobile claims of 4G.
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4G or not 4G
pllamonica@... 24th Jan 2011
4G is available only in limited areas wo what's the hub, bub? Even then the watered down 4G label is meaningless, the ITU redefined 4G to mean any 3G network that you made better. 4G was supposed to be faster and IP based.

I suspect that the iPhone on Verizon will be no better or worse than it is on the AT&T network, time will tell.
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RE: Verizon iPhone: the Fine Print
surge3@... 25th Jan 2011
@pllamonica@...
I find it hilarious that all these carriers are marketing 3.5g technologies as 4g; and even more funny is that most people don't seem to care or want to know the truth \ difference. The ITU exists for a reason -- it really sucks that the carriers choose to ignore their standards and market their ******** fake standards to consumers.
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RE: Verizon iPhone: the Fine Print
oriorda Updated - 24th Jan 2011
Given that people certainly notice a headline, probably read the Summary and then possibly skim the article itself, your Summary might have more accurately stated 'Verizon CDMA network limits simultaneous voice and data, even for iPhone'. The limitation you refer to, as pointed out by several of your correspondents, is the result of the specific Verizon CDMA network, not the iPhone, which is more than capable of doing several things at once.
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RE: Verizon iPhone: the Fine Print
rhudgins@... 24th Jan 2011
AT&T is Offering the same Iphone 4 for $49.99 here is North Carolina. Why would I pay the $199 or $299 for the same Iphone 4 at Verizon. ITs a Game. They purposely value these phones high and then do not produce enough for everyone to purchase one. Apple knows the process of demand and they constantly keep there Iphone prices High even if it is 3 yrs old phone. ridiculous!
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RE: Verizon iPhone: the Fine Print
Pete "athynz" Athens 24th Jan 2011
@rhudgins@... You might want to recheck that - the iPhone 3Gs is $49.99 not the iPhone 4.
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RE: Verizon iPhone: the Fine Print
non-biased 27th Jan 2011
@athynz And it's an 8GB 3GS at that.
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RE: Verizon iPhone: the Fine Print
psvita 6th Nov
PS Vita
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