iPhone News Updated

Family Tech: iPhone spreads to other carriers

Family Tech: iPhone spreads to other carriers

Ever since the iPhone first came out in 2007 for exclusive use on the AT&T network, fans have lived for the day Apple would let Verizon sell a version for their network.

AT&T users in many cities, especially San Francisco and New York, complained of dropped calls and spotty coverage. Verizon’s stronger and more widespread network, they hoped, would deliver them from their pain.

Every few months the tech world would get a leak or rumor saying a Verizon iPhone was just around the corner.

Finally, last week, it came true.

The Smartphone market is like the computer market in the 90s. New ones with significant upgraded abilities come out every few months. Owners are finding them highly useful in their lives. I advocate a Smartphone — Android or iPhone — to anyone willing to take the time to learn how to use it. A Smartphone in your pocket is an eReader, e-mail everywhere device, a research tool, a GPS Navigator and many more things. See my blog this week for a posting on all the tools my phone has replaced.

If you are an iPhone user, and want to switch to Verizon, there are a few things you should know. First off, you’ll need to buy a new phone. AT&T and T-Mobile use the international standard GSM for their network ,while Verizon and Sprint use CDMA. iPhones for Verizon have different technology inside. The good thing is Verizon’s iPhone has improvements that should reduce the issues the AT&T iPhone had with the antenna.

Also, GSM allows you to talk on the phone and surf the net at the same time. CDMA and thus the Verizon iPhone does not have the technical ability to do that.

On the plus side, for an extra fee, the Verizon iPhone lets you turn the phone into a hotspot, meaning that up to five devices nearby can communicate to the phone via wi-fi, and get access to the web through the phone’s 3g access. Currently, the AT&T iPhone cannot.

Apple has released upgrades to the iPhone every June. That means the Verizon iPhone you buy now for February delivery will likely be upgraded four months later. The current iPhone 4 will likely be reduced in price, while the new phone will cost what the current one does. At least that is what Apple has often done in the past.

I have an Android phone, but I have used an iPad and iPod Touch extensively. They are similar to iPhones, lacking a camera and phone ability. The operating system for iPhone, iPads, etc., is iOS.

iOS devices are generally easier to learn than Android devices. As an unabashed geek, I prefer Android for the control and openness it has. I can easily develop my own apps for Android, a more difficult and costly process for Apple devices. Also, there are so many Android phones, they are showing up as free offerings from cell phone providers. I recently got a mid-range Android phone for free when renewing with Sprint. Apple isn’t likely to allow iPhones to be fully subsidized anytime soon.

Verizon has said their contract with Apple for a CDMA iPhone is non-exclusive. Now Sprint, the other CDMA network, will have a major phone announcement Feb. 7. You don’t suppose?

This will be an exciting year. A new iPad is coming, and there were 35 tablets introduced at the recent Consumer Electronics Show.

[Thanks: http://www2.insidenova.com]

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