Chances are you have at least friend that has Verizon and that person has probably not stopped talking about the new Verizon iPhone that comes February 10th. With all the hype though, there are some very good questions about the phone and Verizon’s service. Let’s cover some of those questions now.
Antennagate
There was a lot of hype over the antenna problems with the original iPhone 4. If you ask most of us here we will tell you that the issue was more with the signal calculations than the actual antenna. The fact did remain though, if you held the iPhone in an ever so specific way, you could make the signal go down. While there have been some antenna redesigns with the new iPhone, the root problem still exists with the iPhone as it does with all phones. The truth of the matter however is that you have to hold the iPhone quite unusually to have any problems. Our verdict: This isn’t going to be a big issue, so don’t let this sway your decision.
No Simultaneous Voice and Data
Sorry folks, this one is true. While it is easy to say, well I will never use that anyway, there are some times that it would be very useful. Some examples of this are using navigation and receiving a phone call, using the new wi-fi hotspot and the receiving a call, and even receiving and looking at an email with a client on the phone. Unfortunately, this is a limitation of what is called CDMA, the network that Verizon uses. LTE, the next version of Verizon’s network that is being built out now, will support voice and data at the same time. If you are a current Verizon subscriber, this will not affect you, if you are coming from AT&T or T-Mobile however, keep in mind that this may be a feature you will miss.
Leaving “The Nations Fastest Network”
Sure, AT&T loves to say that they have the nations fatest network, but in our experience that is not entirely true. Sure, AT&T may have some areas that are very fast, but they are not as consistent as Verizon. In our experience, the speed you get from Verizon in the city, is pretty much the same speed you will get everywhere. So yes, you may lose some theoretically speeds, but don’t fret too much, I am sure next years iPhone will be LTE, and Verizon is one of the big dogs there. In the mean time, think about trading some possible speed for the ability to actually make phone calls almost everywhere you go.
So what do I get?
The one big thing that Verizon really has going for them, even though their network may not be as advanced is the pure amount of coverage they offer. The biggest complaint I hear from AT&T subscribers (albeit not from all of them as many enjoy their service) is that they love the phone, hate the service. Quite often I will be on a call with clients in Vegas and they drop. We call again, and then 2 minutes later, we drop again. This is something that we find is much less common on pretty much everybody but AT&T. So what do you get? A network that actually works where you live, work, and play (thats not a guarantee, but there are pretty good odds.)
Our overall verdict
If you are sick of your current provider, we would highly suggest looking into switching to Verizon now that they have the iPhone. If you need a great business rep, we suggest calling the same guy we use, Patrick White. Please contact us for his information.