iPhone Freedom Now! Attica! Attica!
by Andy Neuenschwander on July 30, 2010
Some of you out there might be finding yourself facing the same decision as I am…your Verizon contract is expiring, and it’s time to pick an awesome new phone so you can look cool and get chicks. Chicks like phones, right?
There’s a plethora of great Android phones on good ol’ Verizon Wireless, including the Incredible and the brand-new Droid X, not to mention the Droid 2 due out later this year. Yet, despite the fact that these phones are at least comparable (if not superior in some ways), I find myself sighing listlessly, staring out the window, and thinking about iPhones.
There have been rumors, rumors, and more rumors about the iPhone going to Verizon, especially in the past year with the release of the iPhone 4. There were theories about AT&T expanding its network capacity to prevent iPhone users from switching to Verizon, stories about a Verizon-compatible version being built for a September release (still a possibility), and even a mention from Steve Jobs that there’s a Verizon cell tower on Apple’s campus. Oh, and there’s the Verizon tattoo on Steve’s lower back.
But there’s a problem. AT&T has this thing called a contract. And as long as it stands, iPhones will be AT&T-only.
However, it seems as though there might be some loopholes. First off, the U.S. Copyright Office decided last week that unlocking/jailbreaking phones is no longer a federal offense…so you could legally put your iPhone on a compatible network like T-Mobile. Your data speeds, however, will go right down the crapper. Or, if you live in Canada, you can buy your iPhone contract-free and take it to whatever carrier you want.
There’s also this ZTE Peel 3G case, which connects to CDMA networks (Sprint is branded on the case, but Verizon is a possibility) and can act as a mobile hotspot…and can connect to your iPod Touch. Could this be a way to make your iPod Touch into a VOIP phone?
Meanwhile, Bloomberg has cited two unnamed sources who say that Verizon will get the iPhone in January. I always say, if you can’t trust shady, unnamed sources, who can you trust?
man, this is actually exactly my dilemma. there’s rumors that the verizon iphone will pop up in january, which IS when my contract is up. i’ve decided i’m biting the bullet and going with att if i can’t get a verizon iphone by then.
Really? People are still getting the sweats over a proven sub-par device? OH! I forgot, most people are attracted to shiny rather than worky. Granted, the reception will be better on ANY other network, *reception not guaranteed with physical contact to device*, but what is so wrong with NOT having an iPhone? If Ed Hardy made a shirt that accidentally had no arm holes and called it a poncho, would you run to buy it? Don’t answer that. I can already see the flocks of armless, facetimers advancing on my position now … I’m doomed.
I’m a convert. The Samsung Vibrant stole me away. Before you go getting stuck on AT&T or what not, play with the Vibrant a touch. Other than the annoyance of having Avatar on your phone (why won’t that movie just go away!), it’s a great phone.
The thing is, by this winter the duel core probably 4g androids will be out, as well as gingerbread which is bringing some big ui updates
It’s all about the apps, right? I have a Storm, but it just lacks the fun apps of the iPhone.
This is exactly what I’m doing right now. ugh. I want to keep Verizon but have been “staring listlessly out the window” at iPhones for a while now. . . . don’t really want at&t so I will probably be getting a droid instead. . . .
If you want the iPhone bad and AT&T is the reason you’re not getting it, why not just make a little trip to Canada (or check out e-bay) where you can buy an unlocked phone? And then you can take it back and put it on whatever network you like. Seems like a simple solution to me (granted this depends on where in the US you live). Plus road trips are awesome!
I too am a Verizon user that will be staying with Verizon. Even as a Mac Addict since 1985, the service for my phone is what counts. I have had AT&T in the past and the service was terrible in both usage and customer service. So it is looking like Droid X or the new Samsung. need to touch em both…
Strangely I’m in the exact situation BUT on the other side of the fence. I’m in AT&T territory peaking over ninja style at those purdy new Droids.
It’s the freedom you all don’t know you have (or truely appreciate) that make us over here want to be you over there…