Verizon snags the iPhone
In a highly anticipated move, Verizon confirmed during a Tuesday press conference that the iPhone would be available on its mobile network beginning Feb. 10. The news ended years of Internet speculation on whether the nation’s largest mobile network would carry Apple’s popular cell phone, while instantly creating buzz about the fate of AT&T and competing Android smartphones.
The announcement comes on the heels of Verizon’s rollout of its 4G LTE network, which offers mobile Internet browsing near the speed of a home Internet connection. While Verizon’s first iPhone will only support 3G capabilities, Apple seems eager to incorporate the new network in later generations of the phone.
The Verizon iPhone will have the ability to be used as a five-user WiFi hotspot for the first time, but does not support simultaneous voice and data as on the AT&T network, according to Engadget.com. The rest of the phone remains seemingly unchanged, except for a new antenna that was redesigned after the release of the first iPhone 4 on AT&T’S network garnered widespread complaints of poor call quality.
While the hardware is virtually the same, the most noticeable differences may come from the service on the two networks. It is not uncommon among current iPhone users to bemoan AT&T’s service. Up until now, AT&T had a contract with Apple to be the exclusive carrier of the iPhone.
Whether iPhone users will fare better on Verizon remains to be seen. A sudden influx of new users attracted to Verizon by the iPhone 4 will undoubtedly leave an impression on network speed and call quality, a problem that AT&T has often wrestled with since it started carrying the mobile sensation.
But while Verizon’s iPhone may ultimately have better performance than AT&T’s, there are many other factors that will determine if this puts a nail in the coffin of Verizon and Apple competitors, mainly the impressive line of Android-based smartphones already offered by each of the major mobile networks.
“It’s way too early to write AT&T’s iPhone eulogy,” said senior cell phone review editor Kent German on the tech blog CNET.com.
Starting Feb. 3, current Verizon customers can preorder the iPhone 4 CDMA 16GB model for $200 or the 32GB version for $300, both with a two-year service agreement, according to the Verizon website.
More Stories
USF admin’s response to suicides unclear. What we know so far.
USF’s administration will not say who or how it will prevent future suicides on campus a month after a student leapt from an upper floor balcony of the Interdisciplinary Science Building – the third suicide since fall 2022. The Oracle has asked repeatedly about which USF administrators are overseeing suicide prevention initiatives and how the […]
USF SG leaders look back on campaign accomplishments while on non-speaking terms
Student body president Cesar Esmeraldi and vice president Elizabeth Volmy reached nearly every campaign goal during their term. The one thing that didn’t persevere was their unity. The pair ended their tenure reflecting on it from separate rooms. “We’ve had a great year,” Esmeraldi said. “I’m very happy with everything we’ve built. But because of […]
USF’s ‘Take Back the Night’ allows sexual survivors to share pain, resilience: ‘Recovery isn’t easy.’
A sexual assault survivor, who was the first speaker at Wednesday evening’s “Take Back the Night,” said the hardest day of their life was not when they were assaulted – it was the day after. “When I had to call my mom and tell her how her [child lost their] virginity and tell my therapist […]
USF campus ministers offer perspective on stadium development: ‘Exciting benefit of exposure.’
Take a tranquil stroll down Sycamore Drive. It’s a quieter part of campus, hidden away from the usual hustle and bustle of USF. It’s home to an area colloquially known as “Religious Row,” a collection of on-campus religious organizations. In just a few years – with the construction of an on-campus football stadium – the […]
McKinley Drive closed down for death investigation, Tampa police say
The intersection between Fowler Avenue and McKinley Drive was closed due to a death investigation late Wednesday afternoon, according to the Tampa Police Department (TPD). A man shot himself after making a bomb threat in the parking lot of the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT), located at 11201 McKinley Drive, according to TPD. Police said […]
USF 2024-25 A&S budget to increase student organization funding in Tampa and St. Pete
The Student Government (SG) Senate approved the 2024-25 Student Activities & Services (A&S) budget for all three campuses this Tuesday, seeing an overall increase in allocated money to student organizations. The vote was 26-0, approving the budget. Related: 2023-24 A&S budget down $5 million from last fiscal year Students pay fees in their tuition – […]