The annual Millward Brown BrandZ survey was released recently, with Apple holding fast to its number one spot. Apple's brand worth for 2012 actually grew 19% since last year to $183 billion, followed by IBM with $116 billion brand worth, and Google which dropped a down a rank. It's worth noting that telecom and tech brands claimed about 44% of the top 100 chart's value, compared to a third in 2006. Among the carriers, AT&T still claimed a higher brand value than Verizon, but Verizon has a lot more forward momentum. The Brandz survey spanned over 380 categories, and was generated after over 65,000 different brand measurements in 41 countries.

It's not a huge surprise to see Apple's brand value so high, and one would expect the trend to continue well into next year. In fact, the effectiveness of Apple's branding has gotten to the point where competitors can't help but attack the cult-ish mindset in courts. Apple has created an iconic brand with no small help from their marketing efforts, retail locations, and not to mention world-class products. In fact, at this point it's hard to imagine many other companies being able to command the same clout among the masses as Apple has. Seriously, what could other manufacturers even do to  recreate the same kind of mystique as Apple without just looking like a copycat?

Brand value has real tangible returns, and isn't just an indicator of how good Apple is at marketing itself; UBS Research showed not long ago that iPhone users are overwhelmingly the most likely to stick with Apple for their next device out of every smartphone manufacturer. That's part and parcel of having a strong brand.

You can download the full BrandZ 2012 report here, which is actually really, really detailed. Included are a bunch of interesting editorials on marketing across a variety of industries and regional trends.

Source: Reuters

Verizon's CFO Fran Shammo mentioned at the J.P. Morgan Technology, Media, and Telecom conference recently that anyone migrating from 3G to 4G devices won't be able to grandfather in their old unlimited plan and will have to instead take a data share plan scheduled to launch this summer. That way, not only are you burning through data faster, but you're also splitting it among friends or co-workers. Everybody wants that, right?

Those of you that scrambled to get unlimited data plans on Verizon before they dropped the axe on it will have to carefully consider your next upgrade.

To be fair, this will make it easier to split data between devices, which is a common eventuality for those of us using both an iPad and an iPhone. Still, this sentiment is in direct opposition to Sprint, who has pledged that they'll keep unlimited around even if an LTE iPhone is eventually released. The question is, how long are you going to be willing to hold onto your iPhone 4S with an unlimited plan before being tugged into a limited (but faster) world of LTE? Will Verizon still rip you from the warm embrace of unlimited data even if you stick with a 3G device?

Source: FierceWireless

UPDATE: Verizon recently clarified that no, they won't be forcing people to switch to the shared plan, though new subscribers still won't be able to pick an unlimited plan.

Just in case we needed any more convincing that people love their iPhones, the American Customer Satisfaction Index has found through recent surveys that Apple's smartphones are leaving customers the happiest. The iPhone scored 83 on their system, compared to to Nokia, LG and HTC who are all tied at 75, Motorola at 73, Samsung at 71, and RIM at a sad 69. The ACSI also looked at U.S. service providers. Topping the list were regional carriers like U.S. Cellular with 76, then Sprint with 71, followed by Verizon with 70, and AT&T and T-Mobile tied at 69.

Lots of other studies have consistently backed up customer satisfaction for the iPhone, but it's always interesting to see just how much of a lead Apple has on the competition. The fact that the competition is nearly ten points suggests it will take a whole lot of work to bring Android and the other platforms up to snuff with iOS.

Do these rankings stack up with the sentiment you see among friends? Is Sprint really ahead of the other three major U.S. carriers?

Source: ACSI via Wired

A fresh study by Consumer Intelligence Research Partners sows that Walmart sells 11% of all iPads in the U.S. By comparison, Best Buy sells 24%, Apple sells 26%, Amazon sells 8%, and AT&T and Verizon sell 1% each.  This data has been gleaned by a survey done in February of anyone who has bought an iPad in the last 90 days.

This is  noteworthy because there has been a lot of talk about Apple launching a store within a store initiative at the big box retail chain. This is good news for anyone who lives far away from an Apple store, and will just be plain convenient for those who don't feel like going on a trip. Of course, there are a lot of people who feel this is lowering the classiness of Apple products, but I think most of us can appreciate the convenience of an official Apple outlet in Walmart stores.

Quick show of hands - how many of you have bought an iPad at Walmart? How many of you would put the convenience of doing your Apple business at a Wal-Mart ahead of the polished experience of doing it at a proper Apple store?

Source: BusinessInsider

Carriers have a love/hate relationship with the iPhone. They hate Apple's control (because they want that control for themselves) but love the money and customer-retention having the iPhone on their network brings them. Sprint's willingness to pay damn near all the money in their pockets, and delve into whatever passes for a corporate second mortgage, proves that that point.

AT&T, Verizon, and Sprint sell Android because they want to. They sell iPhone because they have to.

Apple isn't exactly easy to deal with. Android gives carriers far more control, generally requires far less up front investment (in terms of subsidies), and promises a thus far inexhaustible cornucopia of new devices to thrust at consumers on a seemingly weekly basis. It just doesn't generate the revenue or reduce customer churn the way the iPhone does.

They tried. They really did. Verizon pushed the Droid and Sprint pushed the Palm Pre and the EVO. They had successes to be sure, especially in sheer volume of units sold. But they never came anywhere near iPhone levels of profit or customer loyalty. And at the end of the day, even for carriers, that's what matters.

Not that you'd know it by looking at their websites. Go to Verizon.com or AT&T.com or Sprint.com and iPhones have little to no home page presence and remarkably little wireless site presence.

Verizon's home page features the eye of Sauron the Droid. Their wireless page does have the iPhone in the first of three small blocks at the bottom, but the massive feature boxes are filled almost entirely by Android. There's even a token BlackBerry thrown into the mix. But no iPhone.

This despite Verizon selling 3.2 million iPhones last quarter, accounting for more than half the smartphones they sold (i.e. the iPhone outsold all Android and other smartphones combined.)

AT&T's home page is all about Windows Phone and Android, with Nokia grabbing one of the hero slides and HTC and Samsung getting the other two. On their wireless page Nokia repeats in the spotlight, with Android and cheapy phones playing backup. There's no iPhone in sight.

Yet AT&T sold 4.3 million iPhones last quarter, which was 75% of all the smartphones they sold, and 60% of all the on-contract phones AT&T sold period (including feature phones).

Sprint's home page has the iPhone in the third of four feature spots, and the fourth of four bottom blocks. They don't have a separate wireless page, so their home page does double duty.

Still, Sprint managed to sell 1.5 million iPhones last quarter. They don't break out how many smartphones in general they sold, however, so there's no way to calculate the iPhone's percentage of total sales.

And that's just in the U.S. Internationally, Apple sold over 20 million iPhones. Rogers in Canada reported 35% more iPhone activations, year-over-year, compared to just 20% more smartphone activations overall. (And their home page features Android and Windows Phone, and iPad, and their wireless page shows an iPhone only in a block advertising their Find my iPhone-like Phone Finder service.)

So with little attention, ad spend, and product placement, Apple's iPhone still accounts for most of the carriers smartphone -- if not all phone -- sales, and reduces their customer churn. And that probably drives them up-the-wall crazy.

Apple, who doesn't let them festoon the iPhone with their revolting logos, clog it up with their dodgy crapware, allow them to delay or refuse software updates, or arbitrarily alter casing designs, and charges them among the highest up-front prices of any manufacturer in the industry, is increasingly responsible for their financial and customer success.

And it doesn't even have LTE (yet) or a ginormous screen (likely ever).

If carriers had their druthers, manufacturers -- including Apple -- would be little more than dumb assemblers (much as, if customers had their druthers, carriers would be little more than dumb pipes). Yet as much as Verizon, AT&T, and Sprint would far, far prefer to sell the always amenable Android, customers, increasingly, want iPhone. So carriers increasingly have to deal with Apple. Even if they continue to try to find viable alternatives.

That's why carriers will never go all-in on iPhone promotion. They don't want to become entirely dependent on Apple (or any one platform). It's in their best interest to have several, highly competitive platforms on the market that they can hedge with, and against.

Still, it's interesting to imagine a market where carrier manipulation didn't influences the market. Free to compete strictly on customers and merits, would smartphones be more like tablets, and would the iPhone have the same relative positions as iPad does to Android tablets, BlackBerry PlayBook, and the like? The same position the iPod had in the carrier-free MP3 space?

Verizon has reported it's first quarter, 2012 income and it includes the sale of 3.2 million iPhones, and $3.91 billion in net revenue. Their wireless business, which includes the iPhone and iPad, was up 7.7% in services, 8.9% in retail year-over-year. They added almost 3/4 of a million net new retail customers, almost half a million of which were postpaid. That makes their total reach now 93 million, of which 88 million are postpaid.

The iPhone numbers are down, of course, given the previous quarter included the launch of the iPhone 4S and the initial rush of immediate adopters has passed. Yet 3.2 million is still a strong number, and the iPhone still outsells every other smartphone on the network, combined.

Verizon, of course, continues to complain about the high initial cost of the iPhone, which it subsidizes and then earns back over the course of -- typically high priced -- two year contracts.

"Verizon delivered double-digit earnings growth and strong cash flow this quarter," said Lowell McAdam, Verizon chairman and CEO. "We built momentum coming out of 2011, and our results show that we continue to execute in the key growth areas of our business. Verizon Wireless produced both great growth and great margins, and we produced another strong quarter of FiOS growth. We are confident we will improve Wireline margins for the full year. Our repositioning of Verizon Enterprise Solutions has better aligned our strengths in high-growth markets, and we expect our enterprise business to contribute even more to overall Wireline revenue growth and profitability over time."

He added: "We remain confident in our ability to take advantage of the growth opportunities we see, and we are focused on driving operating efficiencies. We are on track with our plans and expect to continue to deliver strong results."

And here are the "wireless highlights"

Wireless Financial Highlights

• Service revenues in the quarter totaled $15.4 billion, up 7.7 percent year over year. Retail service revenues grew 8.9 percent year over year, to $14.9 billion, an increase of 110 basis points over fourth-quarter 2011 and the highest growth rate in three years.

• Data revenues were $6.6 billion, up $1.1 billion - or 21.1 percent - year over year, and represent 42.9 percent of all service revenues. Total revenues were $18.3 billion, up 8.2 percent year over year.

• Retail postpaid ARPU grew 3.6 percent over first-quarter 2011, to $55.43. Retail postpaid data ARPU increased to $23.80, up 16.0 percent year over year. Retail service ARPU grew 3.4 percent, to $53.66.

• Wireless operating income margin was 28.6 percent. Segment EBITDA margin on service revenues (non-GAAP) was 46.3 percent.

Wireless Operational Highlights

• Verizon Wireless added 734,000 retail net customers in the first quarter, including 501,000 retail postpaid net customers. These additions exclude acquisitions and adjustments.

• At the end of the first quarter, the company had 93.0 million retail customers, a 5.2 percent increase year over year, including 88.0 million retail postpaid customers.

• At the end of the first quarter, nearly 47 percent of Verizon Wireless' retail postpaid customer phone base were smartphones, up from 43.5 percent at the end of fourth-quarter 2011.

• Retail postpaid churn was 0.96 percent, an improvement of 5 basis points year over year. Total retail churn was 1.24 percent, an improvement of 9 basis points year over year.

• Verizon Wireless continued to roll out its 4G LTE mobile broadband network, the largest such network in the U.S. As of today, Verizon Wireless 4G LTE service is available to more than 200 million people in 230 markets across the U.S. - more than two-thirds of the population.

• Verizon Wireless introduced five new 4G LTE devices in the first quarter 2012: the Droid 4 and Droid Razr Maxx by Motorola, the Spectrum and Lucid by LG, and the Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.7. In addition, the Apple iPad with Wi-Fi + 4G became available from Verizon Wireless in mid-March.

Source: Verizon, The Next Web

If you've got a blown or distorted speaker, or the bottom mic isn't working on your Verizon or Sprint iPhone 4, you may need to DIY replace the speaker assembly. Luckily, this is one of the easier repairs to perform on your own. It's also a lot cheaper than paying for a replacement if you're out of warranty.

Disclaimer: As with any repair, neither iMore nor PXLFIX can be held responsible for any damage you may do to your device. It’s also worth considering that opening up your device to perform any repair or modification can and will void your Apple warranty. If you don’t feel comfortable opening your device, don’t. Use extreme care and caution when performing a repair on any device.

What you need for a DIY CDMA (Verizon or Sprint) iPhone 4 speaker assembly replacement

PXLFIX recommends using only quality and genuine parts from a reputable supplier like eTech Parts. They have quality parts, tools, and much more for all your repair needs. We've linked to the part you need below but feel free to order parts from another source as well. Just verify they have high quality parts and not knock-offs.

• CDMA iPhone 4 (please note there ARE internal differences between the GSM and CDMA models - this guide strictly deals with the CDMA model - in the US, that means Verizon or Sprint)
• Replacement speaker assembly - CDMA iPhone 4 speaker assembly
• #00 Phillips screwdriver
• Pry tool or spudger
• Security screwdriver (to remove the 2 screws in your dock connector, all CDMA models will come with security screws)

Power off your iPhone 4

Before performing any repair, always power off your device before removing any screws or parts.

Remove the back

1. First remove the bottom 2 dock connector screws in your iPhone 4. Use your five point security screwdriver for this as all versions of the CDMA iPhone 4 have security screws in the dock connector.

2. To remove the back simply slide the back upwards and lift it off gently.
3. Set the back and 2 dock connector screws aside.

Organize your screws

It's very important to make sure you remember where you are pulling screws from, so place them in an arrangement that you'll understand and remember. I normally lay them out the same way every time I disassemble a device so I remember where they came from and how they go back in. They're all different sizes so trying to figure out where they go if you get them mixed up probably won't be fun.

Remove the battery

1. To remove the battery you’ll need to remove the #00 screw holding the battery clip in place. Remove this screw located to the bottom left of the battery.

2. The metal clip on the battery is what clips the battery to the logic board. You’ll need to pop this clip up with your plastic pry tool. Simply stick the end of your pry tool underneath the clip and gently pull upwards until it unfastens from the logic board.

3. To remove the battery, I do not recommend using the plastic pull tab. There is quite a bit of adhesive underneath the battery and the tab will normally just rip off or you can bend the battery. Instead, run your pry tool along the right side of the battery and break the adhesive that way. Once the battery is free from the adhesive, you can pull the battery out of the phone. There are no other connectors holding it in.

4. I typically fold the plastic tab over while working on the iPhone 4 to keep it out of the way while I'm disassembling parts. It's not necessary but convenient.

Remove the grounding clip

To the left of where you disconnected the battery you'll see another screw holding in a grounding clip over the antenna. We'll need to remove it.

1. Unscrew the one screw holding the grounding clip in place with your #00 Phillips screwdriver.

2. Gently lift the grounding clip out of the device. It's very tiny as you can see above. Take care not to misplace it or lose it.

Remove the dock connector shield and disconnect the cable

1. There is a shield held on with two screws covering the dock connector cable. Remove the two screws holding it in place and set the shield and screws aside, remembering where they came from. (They are labeled as screw 1 & 2 in the photo above.)

2. Next, use your pry tool to pry up the actual dock connector cable. Be careful as there is adhesive holding the cable in place as well. Peel back the adhesive gently to free the cable.

Unclip the antenna from the logic board

Underneath where you removed the grounding clip, you'll see a tiny circular cable. This is your antenna cable. You'll need to unclip it from the logic board.

1. Take the edge of your pry tool or spudger and gently pry up the circular head to detach it from the logic board.

2. You'll notice the cable is wound around some metal brackets. Just gently guide it out of the brackets with your pry tool and finger. It's attached to the speaker assembly. Once you've finished unwinding it from the brackets, you can leave it where it is for now.

Remove the speaker assembly

1. To remove the speaker assembly you have two #00 screws to remove. They sit to the right and the left of the speaker assembly. The left screw will have a tiny triangular shaped plastic spacer under the screw. Set it aside with the screw as well for re-assembly. If you lose this, your speaker assembly will not sit correctly.

2. Gently lift the speaker assembly out of your device and set it aside.

Place the cellular antenna on the new speaker assembly

Remove the 2 screws holding the cellular antenna down and peel it off the speaker assembly. From here you can apply cellular antenna to the new speaker assembly. Replace the 2 screws on the new speaker assembly to secure it.

Reassemble your iPhone

To re-assemble your CDMA iPhone 4, you can check out our video re-assembly walkthrough above. For a speaker assembly, just forward through to the point where you need to re-assembly.

And... done!

If you followed the above steps correctly you should now have a working loud speaker and/or mic. Now's the time to give yourself a big pat on the back and let us know how it went! Want to know how to perform another type of iPhone repair or modification? Send me suggestions to ally.kazmucha@imore.com or leave them in our Mod & DIY forums via the link below.

For questions or to inquire about mail-in repairs through PXLFIX, please follow us on Twitter, like us on Facebook or e-mail us directly! Of course, you can like us and follow us just because you think we're cool too!

Additional Resources:

• How to DIY replace a GSM iPhone 4 speaker assembly
• How to replace an iPhone 4 battery
• Even more DIY repair guides
• Mod & DIY forums

Verizon has just announced that they're expanding their LTE network to a bunch of new areas across the U.S. In New York, the Buffalo-Niagara area has 28 new LTE towers, while Cattaraugus-Alleghany counties are getting their first taste of 4G on Thursday. Also launching on Thursday are new markets in Georgia, including LaGrange, Brunswick, and Macon. Pierre, South Dakota, and Ocala, Florida will also be getting LTE service on the 19th. Other recent expansions have included Hopkinton, New Hampshire; Lancaster, Massachusetts; and Stockton, Fresno, and Bakersfield in California.

This is good news for those outside of major urban centers wanting to get high-speed data on the new iPad, but surveys show that the majority of iPad usage is over Wi-Fi. Still, this nicely sets the stage for an LTE iPhone, which we're expecting sometime this fall. We have a forum thread going asking which carrier folks would go with for an LTE iPhone, and so far it seems like a pretty even split between Verizon and AT&T. Which would you side with?

Source: Verizon via Android Central

For the first time in... forever, iPhone 4S commercials are hitting the air with celebrities.... talking to Siri. The Avengers' Samuel L. Jackson is in one spot that finishes with Verizon branding and The New Girl's Zooey Deschanel is in another with the Sprint logo at the end.

Given that at least two carriers seem to be involved so far, it's hard to imagine Apple isn't behind them. While there have been some carrier specific ad spots in the past, they've been very specific, often touting network features like simultaneous voice and data (AT&T), reliability and reach (Verizon), or unlimited data (Sprint) and something slamming the competition. iPhone features, especially when the carrier is relegated to branding at the end, are typically done by Apple (and air outside the US with international carrier branding).

Unlike previous Siri commercials, the celebrities in these spots actually get their whole heads featured and aren't simply shot from the mouth down (obviously). There's a lot of missed opportunities too, with Samuel L. Jackson never asking Siri "where's my super suit?!".

So this raises several interesting questions. Are there more celebrity spots on the way? Why would Apple switch gears now and use celebrities anyway? We'll be keeping our eyes peeled tonight in case any other commercials show up -- let us know if you see any. And let us know which celebrities you'd like to see in an iPhone 4S commercial. James Earl Jones would be pretty epic...!

Verizon is increasing the fee they charge customers who upgrade to a new, subsidized iPhone -- or other mobile device -- as part of a 2-year contract renewal. The new fee will be $30 and takes effect on April 22.

This fee will help us continue to provide customers with the level of service and support they have come to expect which includes Wireless Workshops, online educational tools, and consultations with experts who provide advice and guidance on devices that are more sophisticated than ever.

Verizon offers their eco-friendly trade-in program as a way to hedge against the costs.

We've already heard that carriers are starting to push back on the costs of premium devices, like the iPhone, which cut their incredible profits down to only fantastic sizes. They successfully, and unsuccessfully, tried to increase other costs to try and get more money out of consumers for a while now. They'll likely keep trying until they find the paths of least resistance.

Does the new upgrade fee bother you? Will it change your mind about upgrading on Verizon? Jump into our Verizon Forum and let us know!

Source: Verizon

AT&T, T-Mobile, Verizon, and Sprint have agreed to create a shared database of stolen cellphones in order to lock them down and reduce resale value. Once a phone is identified as stolen, carriers would be able to block it from getting service from any of the service providers. Over the next six months,  AT&T and T-Mobile will develop databases like the ones Sprint and Verizon already have in place, then in the following year, they'll all be integrated, and smaller regional carriers will follow suit afterwards. We all know that the iPhone is a hot commodity in the shady crowd, and with LTE becoming more prevalent, it makes simply unlocking a phone and popping in a new SIM card very easy.

It's entirely possible that anyone unwittingly buying a stolen iPhone may be unfairly cut off from service, but at least this shared database should deter anyone from knowingly purchasing burgled handsets. If SIM cards are going to be tied to particular devices, this system also has the potential to block legitimate SIM-swapping, but the details of the shared database have yet to be nailed down.

Research data shows that of the 26,000 electronics robberies in New York in the first 10 months of 2011, 86% were of cellphones.

The U.K., France, Germany, and Australia are already implementing something like this, and have seen some reasonable success in reducing phone theft. Apple's Find my iPhone app has already proven useful in recovering stolen iOS gadgets, but it's not enough if a thief is wily enough to keep it powered down before popping out the SIM card. That said, do the pros of a shared database of stolen iPhones outweigh the potential con of further-restricted SIM card slot?

Source: WSJ

If you've accidentally cracked the screen on your Verizon or Sprint iPhone 4, or it's just stopped responding, and you don't want to pony up the money for a new CDMA iPhone just yet, you can DIY repair it. If you feel pretty confident that, with a little ninja daring, we can walk you through how to do an iPhone 4 screen replacement all on your own.

Disclaimer: As with any repair, neither iMore nor PXLFIX can be held responsible for any damage you may do to your device. It’s also worth considering that opening up your device to perform any repair or modification can and will void your Apple warranty. If you don’t feel comfortable opening your device, don’t. Use extreme care and caution when performing a repair on any device.

This repair is one of the more difficult repairs when it comes to the iPhone 4 (be it GSM/AT&T or CDMA/Verizon/Sprint). In short, you'll need to disassemble almost the entire phone in order to swap out the screen. While it may be a bit of a process, it's definitely do-able with a bit of patience and steady hands. Just think about whether it's a challenge you're willing to take on before proceeding.

What you need for a DIY CDMA (Verizon or Sprint) iPhone 4 screen replacement

PXLFIX recommends using only quality and genuine parts from a reputable supplier like eTech Parts. They have quality parts, tools, and much more for all your repair needs.

• CDMA iPhone 4 (please note there ARE internal differences between the GSM and CDMA models - this guide strictly deals with the CDMA model - in the US, that means Verizon or Sprint)
• Replacement LCD & digitizer assembly - Black, White
• #00 Phillips screwdriver
• Flat blade screwdriver
• Pry tool or spudger (you may need a handheld razor blade as well)
• Security screwdriver (to remove the 2 screws in your dock connector, all CDMA models will come with security screws)

Power off your iPhone 4

Before performing any repair, always power off your device before removing any screws or parts.

Remove the back

1. First remove the bottom 2 dock connector screws in your iPhone 4. Use your five point security screwdriver for this as all versions of the CDMA iPhone 4 have security screws in the dock connector.

2. To remove the back simply slide the back upwards and lift it off gently.
3. Set the back and 2 dock connector screws aside.

Organize your screws

It's very important to make sure you remember where you are pulling screws from, so place them in an arrangement that you'll understand and remember. I normally lay them out the same way every time I disassemble a device so I remember where they came from and how they go back in. They're all different sizes so trying to figure out where they go if you get them mixed up probably won't be fun.

Remove the battery

1. To remove the battery you’ll need to remove the #00 screw holding the battery clip in place. Remove this screw located to the bottom left of the battery.

2. The metal clip on the battery is what clips the battery to the logic board. You’ll need to pop this clip up with your plastic pry tool. Simply stick the end of your pry tool underneath the clip and gently pull upwards until it unfastens from the logic board.

3. To remove the battery, I do not recommend using the plastic pull tab. There is quite a bit of adhesive underneath the battery and the tab will normally just rip off or you can bend the battery. Instead, run your pry tool along the right side of the battery and break the adhesive that way. Once the battery is free from the adhesive, you can pull the battery out of the phone. There are no other connectors holding it in.

4. I typically fold the plastic tab over while working on the iPhone 4 to keep it out of the way while I'm disassembling parts. It's not necessary but convenient.

Remove the grounding clip

To the left of where you disconnected the battery you'll see another screw holding in a grounding clip over the antenna. We'll need to remove it.

1. Unscrew the one screw holding the grounding clip in place with your #00 Phillips screwdriver.

2. Gently lift the grounding clip out of the device. It's very tiny as you can see above. Take care not to misplace it or lose it.

Remove the dock connector shield and disconnect the cable

1. There is a shield held on with two screws covering the dock connector cable. Remove the two screws holding it in place and set the shield and screws aside, remembering where they came from. (They are labeled as screw 1 & 2 in the photo above.)

2. Next, use your pry tool to pry up the actual dock connector cable. Be careful as there is adhesive holding the cable in place as well. Peel back the adhesive gently to free the cable.

Unclip the antenna from the logic board

Underneath where you removed the grounding clip, you'll see a tiny circular cable. This is your antenna cable. You'll need to unclip it from the logic board.

1. Take the edge of your pry tool or spudger and gently pry up the circular head to detach it from the logic board.

2. You'll notice the cable is wound around some metal brackets. Just gently guide it out of the brackets with your pry tool and finger. It's attached to the speaker assembly. Once you've finished unwinding it from the brackets, you can leave it where it is for now.

Remove the top logic board shield

1. There are 5 screws holding the logic board shield in place as labeled in the photo above. Remove the 5 screws holding it in place plus screw number 6 off to the right (we'll get to this one in a second). Just be sure to remember which holes they came out of as the screws are different sizes. I keep them arranged in the shape they came out of the logic board with the shield next to it. I find this to be the easiest way to keep them in order.

2. Next you'll need to remove the shield. There is a tiny clip built into the shield holding it in place. (Refer to the photo above.) Grab the shield by the top where the top screw came out and gently lift up and push down. The bottom notch will come out and you should be able to gently lift the shield out of the device.

Remove wifi antenna grounding clip

1. The number 6 screw we removed previously we're now returning to. There is a clip underneath it. Gently use your pry tool to remove it.

2. You'll find a cross head screw underneath it. We'll get back to that in just a minute.

Disconnect 7 cables from the logic board

Click on the image to view a larger version

1. Pop up all the cables labeled in the pictures above by gently lifting them with your pry tool or spudger..

2. Next gently lift the camera out of the device. You'll notice there is a tiny tab that is seated underneath the LCD and digitizer cables to the right.

3. Play close attention to the direction in which the cables pop up. The cable furthest to the right will pop up in the opposite direction of the others.

Remove the logic board

Click on the image to view a larger version

1. There are 5 screws you'll need to remove in order to remove the logic board. Three need to be removed with a flat blade screwdriver (flathead) while the other two will be removed with your #00 Phillips screwdriver.
2. Remove the screws numbered 1-3 in the image above using your flat blade screw driver. Make sure you remember which ones go where as the heads are a bit different.
3. Now remove screws 4 and 5 with your #00 screwdriver. Notice that the screw labeled number 5 will have a tiny gold grounding clip for the camera underneath it. Make sure you don't lose this and save it for re-assembly.

4. You should now be able to remove your logic board. Holding it at the bottom, gently pull it upwards. I use my other hand to lift up at the top where the rear facing camera used to be.

5. Take note that there is a small rubber piece that sits at the top of the logic board. You will need this for re-assembly so make sure it doesn't fall off. If you lose this, you could experience wifi or reception issues.

Remove the speaker assembly

1. To remove the speaker assembly you have two #00 screws to remove. They sit to the right and the left of the speaker assembly. The left screw will have a tiny triangular shaped plastic spacer under the screw. Set it aside with the screw as well for re-assembly. If you lose this, your speaker assembly will not sit correctly.

2. Gently lift the speaker assembly out of your device and set it aside.

Remove the vibrator assembly

1. The vibrator assembly in the CDMA iPhone 4 is only held down with adhesive. Use your pry tool to gently pry it up from the mid-frame of the device. Just take care not to bend it.
2. Next, gently lift the vibrator assembly out of the device.

Remove the 4 screws in each corner

There are 10 total screws that attach your iPhone 4 LCD/Digitizer assembly to your frame. The 4 in the corners will need to be completely removed. They are all #00 screws.

1. The first two are located in the top right and left hand corners. You may notice the screw in the top left hand corner has black tape over it. If it does, you'll need to peel it off.

2. The last 2 are in the bottom left and right corners. There's no tricks here. Just remove them. All four screws are the same size as well, so you can keep them grouped together.

Loosen the remaining 6 screws

There are six other screws with washers holding in the LCD/digitizer assembly. Along the left and right side of the phone, loosen all six screws about 2.5 turns each. You can remove them if you'd like but I've always found them rather difficult to get back in. Loosening them works just as good.

Remove the broken LCD & digitizer assembly from your iPhone

This is where it can get a bit tricky. Your screen is held in not only with the 10 screws mentioned above but also with strong adhesive. You will need to break this adhesive in order to remove the front panel.

1. Hold your iPhone in one hand with the screen facing you. Starting in the top left hand corner, run a pry tool or razor blade in between the frame and front panel. You'll need to pry up quite a bit in order to break the adhesive. Be careful around the front facing camera and speaker area.

2. Next move your pry tool or razor blade to the bottom of your device and do the same thing, working your way around until the adhesive is broken and the front panel starts to come off. If your screen is cracked, additional glass may break off. That's perfectly normal.

3. To completely remove the front panel - start at the top of your iPhone and gently pull the assembly away from the frame. Be careful to allow the LCD and digitizer cables to slip through the opening in the frame without getting caught up.

Remove any left over glass or debris from the frame

Before reassembling your iPhone, you'll need to make sure there is no glass stuck to the remaining adhesive or inside the frame. If there is it could cause damage to the new screen or you'll be able to see it through the new assembly, which can be annoying. Just make sure you do a thorough job of picking off all the glass on and around the frame before continuing to reassembly.

Replace speaker mesh and camera hold

Some assemblies will come with new speaker mesh and camera holds pre-installed. Some will not. If your does, you can skip this step. If it doesn't, continue on...

1. Remove the speaker mesh off the cracked screen and place it on the new assembly or the mid-frame. I've found it easiest to line it up perfectly by placing it on the mid-frame. Add more adhesive if needed.

2. Now remove the plastic camera hold from the old assembly and place it around the front facing camera in the mid-frame. Instead of placing it on the assembly and using adhesive, it's going to be easier to place it on the mid-frame. You'll notice there is a groove in it that will allow you to align it exactly correct.

Put on new LCD/digitizer assembly

When you feed the digitizer cables through to put on a new screen, make sure the cables are the same length once you put them through. The thinner one crimps up easily and if it does, you'll find you won't be able to attach it to the logic board.

When putting on the new digitizer assembly, you'll need to make sure that it lines up correctly. Be sure to make sure the brackets for the frame go on the outside of the washers in the mid-frame. You may need to use your pry tool to position each bracket correctly.

To make sure the screen is on correctly, just look around each corner and make sure the black frame is completely flush with the aluminum mid-frame all the way around before replacing screws.

Reassemble your iPhone

Once you're sure you've gotten all the glass and leftover debris out of your iPhone, you're ready for reassembly. Watch our reassembly video or repeat all the steps above in the reverse order.

And... done!

If you followed the above steps correctly you should know have a working and non-broken iPhone 4 again. This definitely isn't the easiest repair to perform so now's the time to give yourself a big pat on the back and let us know how it went! Want to know how to perform another type of iPhone repair or modification? Send me suggestions to ally.kazmucha@imore.com.

For questions or to inquire about mail-in repairs through PXLFIX, please follow us on Twitter, like us on Facebook or e-mail us directly! Of course, you can like us and follow us just because you think we're cool too!

Additional Resources:

• How to DIY replace a GSM iPhone 4 screen
• How to replace an iPhone 4 battery (GSM & CDMA
• Even more DIY repair guides

A survey of iPhone shoppers from December last year through February, reveals that 13% had bought their iPhones from Best Buy, while 15% had purchased theirs directly from Apple. Of course, carriers brought in the lion's share of sales; AT&T sold to 32% of those surveyed, Verizon claimed 30%, and Sprint a less-than-impressive 7%. The survey, conducted by Consumer Intelligence Research Partners, also showed that online stores only accounted for 24% of sales, with regular brick-and-mortar establishments taking up the remaining 76%.

It's not entirely surprising to see Best Buy doing well selling iPhones, since there are a ton of locations, but you would think Apple retail stores would have a bigger proportion of sales then they do; of all of the places to buy an iPhone, an Apple store is without a doubt the nicest (if not always the most convenient to get to). That said, I would be curious to see how many new iPads Best Buy sold in relation to Apple stores.

Where did you guys get your iPhones? Would you have rather bought it somewhere else?

Source: AllThingsD

Once you've decided to get a new iPad, picked out your color, and settled on your storage capacity, if you're going with the 4G LTE model of the new iPad in the US, the question becomes -- AT&T or Verizon, which carrier should you choose? For most of us, the decision will come down to two factors - coverage, pricing, and tethering.

Here's how it breaks down.

Pricing plans

Here's the pricing comparison chart that Apple displays on the ordering page for the new iPad. All plans are commitment free and paid month-to-month -- you can cancel at anytime.

So with regards to cost, you need to ask yourself how much data you plan on using. Realistically, if you have Wifi at home, work and school (if you're a student), you can probably get by just fine with AT&T's 250MB per month plan and save $5. On the other hand, for only $5 more, you can jump up to a full GB of data with Verizon.

The most popular plans will be the $30 plans, and at that price, AT&T gives you an extra gigabyte -- that's 50% more than Verizon's 2 GB. The $50 plans are identical on Verizon and AT&T.

In reality, these plans are fairly similar and pricing shouldn't be the sole-determining factor. It's more important that your carrier offers the data you want in the area you live your life.

LTE availability

In addition to price, you must also consider where each carrier offers coverage and if you're within that area. Here's a side by side comparison of Verizon's and AT&T's coverage maps (left is Verizon, right is AT&T).

Clearly, Verizon has much more LTE availability (green dots vs orange dots.)  If you live in an area where Verizon offers LTE and AT&T does not, your best bet is to probably go with Verizon, providing that their network is pretty solid in that area. If you're not sure, ask your family, friends, and coworkers who have LTE phones on Verizon's network.

If LTE is not available to you on either network, the next thing to look at is 3G coverage. If you live somewhere that only gets EDGE on AT&T (light blue on AT&T's map), Verizon is the way to go.

Most of you, however, will be in one of these last two categories: an LTE available area on both Verizon and AT&T, or, in a 3G, but not LTE available area on both Verizon and AT&T. For those of you in this category, I'm inclined to recommend AT&T, provided that the 3G network is stable in your area. Again, ask your friends, family, and coworkers for their experience.

Why AT&T, you ask? Because AT&T's HSPA and HSPA+ 3G networks are faster than Verizon's CDMA 3G network. It's all about the speed.

You can get a closer look at AT&T's coverage map here and Verizon's map here.

Tethering

If you want to have the ability to tether your iPad's network connection to your computer, then Verizon in your only choice. Verizon includes tethering in their data plans and does not come at an additional cost.

As of right now, AT&T does not offer this functionality.

Making the choice

So which one are you going to choose? Personally, since AT&T's LTE network is not available in my area, but Verizon's is, it was a no-brainer for me to choose Verizon (even though my iPhone is with AT&T). What about you?

• New iPad forum
• AT&T forum
• Verizon forum

Is this a genius marketing ploy by Verizon, a coincidence, or just plain laziness? With everyone now looking forward to the March 7th Apple event, Verizon has somehow found the time to put a new teaser up on their website.

Something Is Coming.

Given the rumors of the iPad 3 (or iPad HD?) coming equipped with 4G LTE, it's certain some people will take this page as a teaser for a Verizon LTE iPad. Of course, it's more likely Verizon is simply laying the groundwork for yet another Android phone or tablet, or simply trying to round up any stray email addresses they can.

Any way you want to look at it, though, it's very curious timing indeed. Anyone signing up...?

Source: Verizon

With up to 38 different 4G LTE frequency combinations at play around the world, Apple would need to offer more than one iPad 3 model in order to support North America as well as Europe, Asia, and Australia

Following not only rumors by nearly every tech blog out there, but sources for both iMore and The Wall Street Journal are saying that the next version of the iPad will almost certainly come in an 4G LTE option. The Wall Street Journal says AT&T and Verizon are sure things, but what about everyone else? Not only is LTE up-and-comer Sprint not mentioned, but neither are carriers in Canada, the UK, or anywhere else in the world. Let's dig in a little to discuss if it would be worth Apple's while to make an iPad to work internationally.

LTE is a standard that is being used around the world, starting with TeliaSonera in Sweden and Norway back in 2009. In the US, you have AT&T, Verizon and even MetroPCS with various states of active LTE networks. In fact, there are over 30 countries that have commercial LTE service available, so pushing the standard into the iPad sounds like a no-brainer. That is, until you consider the frequencies used. Unlike GSM which used exclusively the 800, 900, 1800 and 1900 MHz bands around the world, LTE is being used in nearly every band available. In North America, the 700 and 1700 MHz bands are the main bands for LTE, but 800, 1900, 2500 and possibly even 1500 MHz are in play. Add in the rest of the world, with 900, 1800 and 2600 MHZ, and you have the potential for up to nine bands that the radio chipset would have to support. Complicating matters even more, even in similar frequencies, there are multiple chunks of spectrum that don't overlap. For example, Verizon uses 746-787 MHz, while AT&T uses 704-746 MHz. While close, these different blocks have different equipment needed due to radio propagation and interference issues. Extrapolate this across the world, and we're now encompassing 38 different frequency combinations around the globe.

Now, a multi-band phone can only do so much. Look at the devices we have now, which include the bands for GSM on 800/900/1800/1900 MHz, and usually only three similar bands for 3G. If Apple is to make the LTE enabled versions available all over the world, a nine band LTE radio is not possible. Keep in mind that Verizon has essentially said that single band LTE devices are all they're going to be rolling out in the near future.

So going back to the question, is it worth Apple's while to make an iPad to work around the world? No, because they can't do it with just one device. However, it is worth it to make multiple devices. One will support the 700 and 1700 MHz bands in North America, and one for the 800, 1800 and 2600 MHz bands for Europe, Asia and Australia. At this time, the 900, 1500, 1900 and 2500MHz bands are outliers, and though will some day be used, aren't necessary for a successful international launch. Remember T-Mobile here in the states? Apple seems to be doing just fine without supporting their 1700 AWS spectrum.

I think the initial iterations of an LTE iPad are going to be similar to the iPhone 4 strategy. Recall the Verizon version shipped months after the AT&T/GSM version and only worked on the 800 and 1900 MHz bands for CDMA here in the US. Meanwhile, an international version worked on GSM and HSPA networks around the rest of the world. I expect the initial version to be rolled out for North America, launching in the US and Canada right away. Then a version with support for the most widely used blocks and bands for other parts of the world in the coming months.

Mickey Papillon host The Cell Phone Junkie Podcast and is a frequent contributor to Mobile Nations. Follow him @TCPJ_Mickey.

NBC's Saturday Night Live (SNL) lampooned Verizon Wireless' confused, complicated, almost chaotic 4G LTE smartphone marketing last night. While Verizon has done a good, restrained job with their iPhone commercials to date, their non-Apple marketing has ranged from "Tell your wife it has a Tegra 2 processor" to tablet names that look more like 1980s Jean Claude van Damme movies, to a dizzying array of overlapping phones with very little in the way of clear segmentation or differentiation.

Right now, if my mom wanted a not-iPhone on Verizon, rolling dice and picking at random would likely be as effective a strategy as walking into the store. (Lucky for her, and for Verizon, there's Android Central)

Verizon would do well to draw up one of the Steve Jobs product grids, but instead of consumer and pro, portable and desktop, stick with consumer and prosumer, keyboard and no keyboard. Then build out slowly from there. A few great devices that get phenomenal, long term support would be far more memorable and marketable.

Source: PhoneArena via The Verge, Android Central

Sprint sold a total of 1.8 million iPhones during Q4 2011, with 40 percent of those going to new customers. Admittedly, 1.8 million is only about a quarter of the 7.6 million iPhones AT&T sold during the same period, and less than half the 4.2 million moved by Verizon, but considering Sprint's 55 million customers ranks as the the third largest U.S. wireless carrier, and this is the first official quarter that Sprint had the iPhone to sell, it still indicates a fairly solid adoption by their subscribe base.

“Our strong fourth quarter performance illustrates the power of matching iconic devices like the iPhone with our simple, unlimited plans and industry-leading customer experience,” said Dan Hesse, Sprint CEO. “During the past year, Sprint added more than 5 million net new customers and grew wireless service revenue by more than 5 percent, including 17 percent for the Sprint platform. This momentum gives us confidence as we execute our Network Vision upgrade and 4G LTE roll-out.”

Although the company recorded a $1.3 billion net loss for the quarter, they're focusing on added subscriber value and overall unit sales this time around. And with those added smartphone sales, new customers are subsequently coming in by the masses according to their earnings report -- mostly thanks to the iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S, and their position as the last U.S. carrier to offer unlimited data contracts.

It looks like that $20 billion bet Sprint made with Apple is slowly starting to pay off.

Source: Sprint

We'll likely get a new iPad 3 sometime this March and an iPhone 5 later this summer or fall, but will either or both of them run on the new, ultra-fast 4G LTE (Long Term Evolution) networks? And if they do, will LTE be built into every device, or will there be special models made for just those networks that support it?

Right now there's only one iPhone 4S and it runs on both GSM/HSPA+ and CDMA/EVDO Rev. A, on every carrier that offers it. That's a change from the iPhone 4 that debuted as GSM/AT&T only and later had a different model, with a different antenna, released for Verizon. Likewise, the iPad 2 still doesn't come in a unified model, having on version for AT&T/GSM and one for Verizon alone.

So, while Apple has moved to unify their manufacturing for iPhone 4S, they have in the past, and still to this day, made separate models of iPhone and iPad to handle different network technologies.

And they could do it again for LTE.

Size and power consumption

Previous generation LTE chipsets were deemed unusable by Apple due to their size and battery-draining power demands. Early Android LTE handsets like the HTC Thunderbolt bled power at an almost comical level. Early devices were also chunky, but soon thinned out again and grew in length and width instead of depth, like the Nokia Lumia 900, letting larger screens take advantage of that extra space.

While rumors persist of a 4-inch iPhone 5, it's hard to imagine that Apple would let the iPhone 5 casing grow very much if at all just to accommodate an LTE radio and its battery. And they wouldn't put one in the iPad 3 now if they weren't planning on putting one in the iPhone 5 later. The phone is still the flagship, for now.

Qualcomm is releasing new chips, however, and it's possible they'll have one ready in time for the iPhone 5 that's small and power efficient enough to meet even Apple's demands. Let's grant for a moment that that proves true. There's still a much bigger problem when it comes to LTE.

Availability

Verizon has a decent U.S. LTE roll out, claiming coverage in 190 markets of varying size. AT&T claims 26 markets with large scale deployment not complete until the end of 2013. Sprint will have 4 markets on LTE by mid 2011, but it will likewise take years to roll out nationally.

Internationally things get worse. Both Rogers and Bell have a handful of LTE cities each. In Europe and Asia there are a smattering of cities, but many huge markets are still years way.

LTE simply isn't very common yet, and Apple is the company that didn't even add 3G to the iPhone until the second generation version launched in 2008.

Models

Would adding the expense -- both component and engineering -- of an LTE radio, along with any remaining size and power demands, make sense to Apple if there are so few markets able to make use of it? Apple sold the one-iPhone 4S-model-to-rule-them-all faster and further than any other handset in the history of the business, getting it into more countries, on more carriers, for more users than ever before. Would that be possible if the iPad 3 or iPhone 5 similarly included LTE all in one model?

Instead, what if Apple kept the current radio stack in place for the iPad 3 and iPhone 5 and but also launched separate models for LTE in the markets where they make sense, like the U.S., Canada, and those European and Asian countries that support it.

Not all LTE operates on the same frequencies, so engineering even an international LTE radio wouldn't be dead simple, let alone a GSM/CDMA/LTE across all bands. Letting HSPA and CDMA continue to do what they do now, in markets that don't have other options, isn't a bad idea.

But if complexity and scarcity are still the case, why worry about LTE at all in 2012? Why not just wait until 2013?

Verizon

The current iPad and iPhone run at up to 14.4mbps on AT&T and GSM carriers. They run at 2-3mbps on Verizon's CDMA network. Apple went out of their way to avoid calling the HSPA+ iPhone 4S a "4G" phone last year, knowing if AT&T and others claimed it as such, Verizon's version would be made to look less-than by comparison.

That hasn't hurt Verizon's sales yet -- iPhone 4S set records on every carrier including Verizon, eclipsing devices with bigger screens and LTE radios on the same shelves -- but it likely hurts Verizon pride. With the best LTE deployment in the U.S. and a desire to use it that's so strong Verizon reportedly won't let Windows Phone and BlackBerrys on their network without LTE anymore, how happy would they be to sit on CDMA for another year, to again have to market an EVDO Rev. A iPad 3 and iPhone 5?

Apple could pull the trigger on LTE in 2012. In most markets they don't need to, but in the U.S. in general and Verizon in specific, there's reason to consider it. Doing two models -- HSPA+/CDMA for most of the world and LTE for Verizon and the other carriers that support it -- wouldn't be unprecedented for Apple, and could indeed be the best of both worlds.

Apple has finally caught up with the huge demand for the iPhone 4S. For the first time since its iPhone 4S launch way back< in October/a>, all models of the iPhone 4S are now shown as in stock.

No matter which model you go for, 16GB, 32GB or 64GB or which carrier you choose from AT&T, Verizon or Sprint, they are all in stock. Even the unlocked and contract free models too.

Source: Apple Store via Macrumors

Verizon has released their Q4 2011 financial results and they seem to have done fairly well for themselves -- 18.3 billion in gross profits, up 7.7%. Wireless revenue was up 13% with data revenue up 19.2%. (And yes, in case you were wondering, that's why carriers want data-hungry devices like iPhones on their network.)

iPhone sales numbers weren't disclosed in the results but Verizon had previously stated 4.2 million of Apple's handsets went out the door last quarter. That's double the previous quarter, which is impressive considering overall smartphone sales were short. Verizon did take a slight hit on the iPhone, however, having paid out higher than average subsidies.

It will be interesting to see the next few quarters when the iPhone 4S isn't the newest, hottest handset on the market and rival platforms start to release their big hero devices.

Apple reports their Q1 2012 results later today.

Source: Verizon

Bloomberg reports that Verizon Wireless sold 4.2 million iPhone units during the last quarter.

The demand suggests Verizon Wireless is winning an increasing share of new iPhone users, after gaining rights to offer the handset to its subscribers last year. In the third quarter, Verizon added 2 million customers for the device, trailing the 2.7 million iPhone activations at AT&T Inc. (T), which has offered the handset since 2007.

This will no doubt reflect well on Apple's next quarterly earnings call scheduled for January 24th -- which is also, as usual, predicted to be their highest quarter in terms of revenue.

Source: Bloomberg

Amid a swirl of negative reaction and FCC attention, Verizon has reconsidered their recent $2 payment surcharge.

“At Verizon, we take great care to listen to our customers. Based on their input, we believe the best path forward is to encourage customers to take advantage of the best and most efficient options, eliminating the need to institute the fee at this time,” said Dan Mead, president and chief executive officer of Verizon Wireless.

They'll no doubt try to get the money from somewhere else, but for now at least you can extinguish the torches and call off the hounds.

Source: Verizon via PhoneScoop, Android Central

After yesterday's news that Verizon would be charging a $2 fee for paying bills online and over the phone, the FCC has chimed in.

“On behalf of American consumers, we’re concerned about Verizon’s actions and are looking into the matter,” the statement said.

A lot of subscribers have spoken out against Verizon's decision to institute this new convenience fee. It'll be interesting to see what the FCC ultimately decides to do, and what if any effect that has on other networks like Sprint which don't "surcharge" but do offer "discounts" for their preferred payment options. (Just goes to show how far smart PR and better marketing language can get carriers who aren't Verizon...)

Source: NYT

If you listened to Girls Gone Gadgets last night, you heard Ashley, Kim, and me debate Verizon's new $2 convenience tax -- where and when it's actually applied and how much money they stand to make from it over the course of a year. (Plus, perhaps, some mature language and impassioned ranting.) But at the end of the day it doesn't matter what anybody thinks but Verizon customers. If you're one of them, is $24 a year insignificant to you? Is it annoying but something you'll just pay attention to avoid? Or is it the last straw that drives you to another carrier? (Who might just be smart enough to phrase or hide their fees better -- cough, Sprint, cough.)

We're running a cross-site Mobile Nations poll, so vote below and give us your thoughts in the comments below.

Our sibling site Android Central has confirmed that, beginning January 15th of 2012, Verizon Wireless will start charging a $2 fee for bills paid online or over the phone.

The fee will help allow us to continue to support these single bill payment options in these channels and is designed to address costs incurred by us for only those customers who choose to make single bill payments in alternate payment channels (online, mobile, telephone).

Neither AT&T nor Sprint charge similar fees for bills paid online or over the phone. With AT&T there is, however, a small fee for paying a bill through a customer service representative by phone instead of by IVR (interactive voice response).

This may put a few subscribers off a bit.

Source: Verizon Wireless via Android Central, PhoneScoop

For the third time in almost as many weeks, Verizon seems to be having data network issues. We haven't gotten that many reports from iPhone users this time, but our sibling site Android Central is certainly hearing all about not hearing it now.

You know the drill -- if you're rocking a Verizon iPhone or Verizon iPad, let us know how you're data is working. If it's not working, let us know where you are, when it stopped, and when it starts up again.

Replacing the rear camera in your GSM or CDMA iPhone 4 isn't a very difficult DIY repair, as long as you have the right tools and parts. We'll walk you through step by step and show you how to get your camera back into working order in no time. While the GSM and CDMA variants are slightly different, the guide will work for both. So grab your tools and your sad iPhone 4 and follow along!

Disclaimer: As with any repair, iMore nor PXLFIX can be held responsible for any damage you may do to your device. It’s also worth considering that opening up your device to perform any repair or modification can and will void your Apple warranty. If you don’t feel comfortable opening your device, don’t. Use extreme care and caution when performing a repair on any device.

What you need for a DIY iPhone 4 rear camera repair

PXLFIX recommends using only quality and genuine parts from a reputable supplier like eTech Parts. They have quality parts, tools, and much more for all your repair needs.

• GSM or CDMA iPhone 4
• Rear camera replacement - iPhone 4 camera
• #00 Phillips screwdriver
• Pry tool or spudger
• Security screwdriver (only if your iPhone has 5-point security screws in the dock connector)

Power off your iPhone 4

Before performing any repair, always power off your device before removing any screws or parts.

Remove the back of your iPhone

1. First remove the bottom 2 dock connector screws in your iPhone 4. Use either your #00 screwdriver or the five point depending on whether or not your iPhone 4 has security screws in the dock connector. Almost all newer devices will have security screws.

2. To remove the back simply slide the back upwards and lift it off gently.
3. Set the back and 2 dock connector screws aside.

Before we move on to actually replacing the camera. You may want to make sure your back plate is not the culprit if your camera is producing bad images. Check and make sure neither the inside or outside of the lens cover is scratches or cloudy. If it is, try taking a picture with your back cover removed. If the pictures turn out fine, you'll just need to replace your iPhone 4 back cover. If your images are still blurry or the camera does not function at all, you'll need to continue on to replace the actual rear camera component.

Remove the battery

1. To remove the battery you’ll need to remove the #00 screw holding the battery clip in place. Remove this screw located to the bottom left of the battery.

2. The metal clip on the battery is what clips the battery to the logic board. You’ll need to pop this clip up with your plastic pry tool. Simply stick the end of your pry tool underneath the clip and gently pull upwards until it unfastens from the logic board.

3. To remove the battery, I do not recommend using the plastic pull tab. There is quite a bit of adhesive underneath the battery and the tab will normally just rip off or you can bend the battery. Instead, run your pry tool along the right side of the battery and break the adhesive that way. Once the battery is free from the adhesive, you can pull the battery out of the phone. There are no other connectors holding it in.

4. GSM iPhone 4 users will notice a tiny grounding clip sitting underneath where you unscrewed the battery. Set this aside for replacement during reassembly. This is a grounding clip for your antenna. Make sure you put it back in place before reconnecting your battery. CDMA users will not see this as it is in a different location.

Remove the top logic board shield

1. There are 5 screws holding the logic board shield in place. Depending on whether you have a CDMA or GSM iPhone 4, your shield will look different. The process is the same though. Simply remove the 5 screws holding it in place. Just be sure to remember which holes they came out of as the screws are different sizes. I always keep them in order of how they came out.

2. Next you'll need to remove the shield. Both models have a tiny clip built into the shield holding it in place. (Refer to the photo above.) Pop it up with your pry tool and you should be able to slide the shield up fairly easily. Just take care not to bend it or break off a clip. The Verizon variant seats into the logic board with two tiny notches underneath the camera connection. When reassembling, just line up the two notches on the shield and it will slide into place easily. For the AT&T model, just make sure the clip in the photo above is the first part you insert and it will line up nicely again.

Replace the rear camera

1. There is only one connector holding the camera to the logic board. Simply remove this cable in the picture above using your pry tool. Gently lift upwards and it will pop right off.

2. Next gently lift the camera out of the device. You'll notice there is a tiny tab that is seated underneath the LCD and digitizer cables to the right.

3. To insert the new camera, start by sliding the tabbed part underneath the two cables and then push down gently to seat the camera. Try not to touch the lens at all.

4. Re-fasten the cable to the logic board.

And ...done!

That's it! All you'll need to do now is reassemble your device in the reverse order and you'll be taking pictures again in no time.

Have you done this repair yourself? Let us know how it went! Want to know how to perform another type of iPhone repair or modification? Send me suggestions to ally.kazmucha@tipb.com or leave a comment in our brand new Mod and DIY Repair Forum!

For repair questions or to inquire about mail-in repairs through PXLFIX, please follow us on Twitter or e-mail us directly!

Looks like the Verizon, the network that prides itself on the reliability and coverage of it's network, is having a major network outage this morning. A lot of you are telling us your 3G data is down, and our sibling site, Android Central can't seem to jump on LTE either.

How's your Verizon iPhone connection doing? If you're experiencing any problems, let us know where you are, how long you've been having trouble, and let us know when it starts working again.

AT&T still offers the fastest data speeds, with HSPA 14.4. Verizon claims the best network coverage. Sprint is the only major carrier still offering unlimited data to new iPhone owners. C-Spire is the only small carrier to pick up the iPhone 4S to date. T-Mobile... you have to work for it and it's EDGE only, but that means you must really love them to stick with them!

But now that you have a choice, TiPb Nation, we'd like to know who you chose and why? Was it speed? Was it coverage? Was it data? Was it customer service? And did you switch from a different carrier to get iPhone 4S on your current carrier? As always, vote in the poll up top and give me the details in the comments below!

Verizon has announced their Q3 2011 results and in the accompanying conference call revealed that they sold 2 million iPhone 4 handsets last quarter. As to iPhone 4S, unlike AT&T, who've already boasted about a million activations, Verizon offered only:

On Oct. 14, the Apple iPhone 4S became available on the Verizon Wireless 3G network.

The current quarter should be interesting.

Source: Verizon, AllThingsD

iDB conducted a few speed tests on the new iPhone 4S comparing data performance across AT&T, Verizon and the newcomer, Sprint.

It looks like AT&T and Verizon are just about neck and neck despite the iPhone 4S supporting AT&T's HSPA+ network, with Sprint falling pretty far behind. Keep in mind the comparisons aren't exactly scientific, so your mileage may vary. It also appears that data coverage isn't optimal in the area they shot the video given the speedtest.net results, but this gives you a pretty good idea of how the iPhone 4S performs under the different networks.

Check out the full video below and let us know what speeds your seeing on your new iPhone 4S!

Source: iDB

Sprint and Verizon will offer the iPhone 4S with an unlocked micro-SIM card slot according to information given to Macworld. The iPhone 4S is the first iPhone that can be classed as a world phone which means it has a GSM and CDMA radio. This is particularly useful if travelling overseas where CDMA networks are few and far between.

In simple terms, this means that users of Sprint or Verizon who buy an iPhone 4S and travel overseas will have the ability to install a local micro-SIM card in their phone; to use on GSM networks. AT&T will still offer the iPhone 4S with a locked micro-SIM card slot; which means users can roam on overseas GSM networks but do so via AT&T agreements with local carriers. This leads to a huge increase in call and data charges with this method.

If you use Sprint or Verizon and travel overseas, having an unlocked phone could save you a considerable amount of money. The downside however is that your number will be different when using a local micro-SIM card. Sprint’s iPhone 4S will be unlocked from day one but Verizon will do it on request after 60 days; as long as your account is in good standing.

Source: Macworld

We're up, ready and raring to go at CTIA Enterprise & Applications here in San Diego. First up is the Day 1 keynote, with the CEOs of Sprint, Verizon and AT&T. Just as when they got together for us in March, this should prove to be a barn burner.

Join us after the break for the liveblog. Things get going at 9:30 a.m. Pacific, 12:30 p.m. Eastern.

iPhone 4S is the first iPhone to have both Verizon and Sprint CDMA versions available alongside the AT&T GSM version. CDMA is famous for its rock solid reliability and call quality and now that iPhone 4S is a world phone, it can even roam on international GSM network. However, CDMA brings with it some downsides as well, including lack of simultaneous voice and data over 3G, subtle quirks to SMS, and greatly reduced conference call options.

None of these are unique to iPhone 4S on Verizon or Sprint, but they're something to keep in mind if you're thinking of switching to one of those networks now that they have iPhone 4S.

So here's the deal.

There are some great advantages to CDMA. It tends to need less towers to cover greater areas so CDMA networks typically have better reception in more places. This also means they tend to sound better, more often for voice calls. If you use your iPhone as a phone -- who knew? -- and that's the most important thing to you, or if Verizon or Sprint provide the only reliable coverage in your area, than case closed.

If cost is a factor, well we've already put together that breakdown for you.

• AT&T vs. Verizon vs. Sprint: Which iPhone 4S should you choose?

But if you want to know what you're getting into when it comes to the data and conference calling tradeoffs, there are several things to consider.

Note: We'll be using a lot of tech terms, so see our wireless networking guide for more on what all these acronyms mean.

Slower 3G data

iPhone 4S on AT&T and other GSM networks supports 14.4 Mbps HSPA+ download speeds. Depending on where you live, you may never get anywhere near that speed in the real world, but the potential is there.

By contrast, while CDMA-2000 give Verizon and Sprint great voice, their EV-DO rev A 3G data speeds are theoretically limited to about 3.1 Mbps.

No simultaneous voice and data

Verizon and Sprint's EV-DO Rev. A network does not support simultaneous voice and data the way HSPA and HSPA+ does for AT&T (and other GSM carriers).

That means if a call comes in while you're using 3G data -- surfing the web, Skyping, sharing your connection via personal hotspot -- you can either ignore the call and continue using 3G data, or answer the call and effectively put your 3G data connection on "pause". If you're on a call you won't receive email or push notifications and if you try to surf the web or download an app you'll be informed you're not connected to the 3G network. Once the call ends, 3G data reconnects and you can start using the internet again.

If you're on Wi-Fi as opposed to 3G data you can make calls and use data without a problem. It's only 3G data that cuts out during calls.

Verizon and Sprint have chosen not to roll out EV-DO Rev. B, which does support simultaneous data in favor of more quickly deploying a 4G LTE network (currently a hybrid CDMA-voice with LTE-data network, in the future a Voice over LTE network) and WiMax with LTE to follow, respectively. There are some phones that support Voice over Rev A (VoRA) aka SVDO which will allow for simultaneous voice and data on CDMA/EV-DO phones, but not the Verizon or Sprint iPhone. (See The Cell Phone Junky for more on the technology.)

SMS/Text splitting

SMS/Text messages are limited to 160 characters. On many phones, if a message exceeds 160 characters, the OS will be able to put it back together and still show it as a single message to both the sender and receiver.

On CDMA networks this doesn't always seem to work as well as on GSM and once an SMS hits 160 characters, any additional text is split off into a second message, after 320, a third message, etc. The same content is still delivered, it's just not presented as nicely. (In some cases the message parts might even appear out of order which is even more annoying.)

Again, some users claim to seldom if ever experience this problem in the real world, others say it happens often enough to annoy them.

Limited conference calling

Verizon and Sprint's CDMA networks only supports "3 way calling" so you can only enter into a conference call with up to 2 other people (3 including yourself) at the same time. It doesn't matter if iPhone can handle more, CSMA networks and hence the Verizon and Sprint iPhone is limited to 3-way calling.

Likewise, handling conference calls is also more challenging on the CDMA iPhones since you can't take one party "private" or hang up on one caller while keeping the other active. You can only hang up on all of them at once.

Apple provides the following diagram in their knowledge base:

The network

So yes, overall there are a lot of limitations to the way CDMA handles voice. However, if Verizon or Sprint has great coverage in your area, you're on Wi-Fi when you want to talk and surf, split SMS/Text messages rarely happen or don't bother you, and agile conference calling isn't a must-have business feature for your iPhone, you may not care.

Otherwise it's a compromise. Decide what's most important to you and which carrier best provides it. If anything is a deal-breaker, then that makes your choice much simpler.

For more information and help check out our iPhone 4S Forum.

Improving on the innovative stainless steel external, dual-antenna design of iPhone 4, iPhone 4S is the first phone to intelligently switch between two antennas to send and receive. iPhone 4S now supports twice the download speed with HSDPA of up to 14.4 Mbps and iPhone 4S is a world phone, so both CDMA and GSM customers can now roam internationally on GSM networks.

The Verizon iPhone 4 only had “receive diversity” or switching between antennas on the receiving data. The iPhone 4S on the other hand has both “send and receive diversity”; which should lead to a much improved call experience. Let’s hope so as the iPhone gets a lot of criticism for its poor call quality and stability.

Source: MacRumors

Once you've decided you should get an iPhone 4S, in the US the question becomes -- AT&T, Verizon, or Sprint, which carrier should you choose? Back in January we compared the AT&T iPhone to the Verizon iPhone, and if you're already tied to one carrier and don't want to pay early termination fees, the decision may be easy; if not, the information can be daunting and overwhelming. TiPb is here to help!

To see a breakdown of prices and features, follow along after the break!

The best way to compare prices, is with a chart. So here you go:

Unlimited data on Sprint

One thing to point out is that Sprint's prices include unlimited messaging and data and that AT&T and Verizon do not offer any unlimited data plan to new users (if you've previously had unlimited data, you may be grandfathered in and can ignore this). Unlimited data is a huge advantage that Sprint has over the other two carriers.

The coverage question

However, how much you get on paper for your money should not be the sole determining factor towards your decision. What good is unlimited data if you are frequently in places that don't have good reception. TiPb always recommends that you do further research on the carriers specifically in your area. Ask your friends, family, and co-workers which carriers they have and how pleased they are with their service.

Pricing plans

Sprint is cheaper than AT&T and Verizon, but it's only about 4.8% cheaper than AT&T and about 9.1% cheaper than Verizon. It adds up, sure, but quality of service has some value as well, and it's up to you to determine how much that value is to you.

Please don't think I'm bashing Sprint, because I'm not. There are plenty of areas where Sprint blows AT&T away when it comes to reliable service, and there are also many places where all three carriers are equally just as good (or bad). The point I'm making is that you have to take many things into consideration when choosing a carrier.

CDMA/EV-DO vs. GSM/HSPA+

Another concern is simultaneous voice and data, a feature that is not compatible with Verizon's and Sprint's CDMA networks. You will need to be connected to Wi-Fi in order to access both voice and data at the same time with Verizon and Sprint. CDMA also has worse conference calling and other limitations.

Lastly, the Verizon and Sprint iPhone 4S will be no faster than the Verizon and Sprint iPhone 4 -- both use the same EV-DO data radio. However, the AT&T/GSM iPhone 4S will theoretically be up to twice as fast as the iPhone 4, supporting HSPA+ 14.4 mbps downloads. (Actually speeds in the real world can and will vary.)

For a complete rundown see:

• Verizon and Sprint iPhone 4S and the limitations of CDMA

Making the choice

We never claimed that choosing a carrier would be an easy decision, but we hope having the information in one place may help. If you have any questions, please ask us in the comments below or check out our Carrier Forums for help:

• AT&T Forum
• Verizon Forum
• Sprint and T-Mobile Forum

Phone Scoop was able to confirm that Sprint, as rumored, will be offering iPhone customers unlimited data plans starting at $69.99.

Sprint today confirmed to Phone Scoop via telephone that the Apple iPhone 4S will have access to all the same voice and data plans (at the same rates) that Sprint's current smartphones do -- including unlimited 3G data and the 5GB mobile hotspot cap.

Both AT&T and Verizon have switched to tiered pricing and no longer offer unlimited data plans for new customers (unless you've been grandfathered in, you're out of luck). With Sprint taking on a $20 billion gamble with the iPhone, something like this to help differentiate themselves from the competition could really go a long way in securing new subscribers.

The iPhone 4S is scheduled to be released on Sprint, AT&T and Verizon on October 14th in the US, with pre-orders starting this Friday. Will this news have any impact on which carrier you'll go with?

Source: Phone Scoop

Just like our good friends over at The Cell Phone Junkie have been saying pretty much all along, the Wall Street Journal's own people familiar with those briefed on the sources are now chiming in with WiMax- and LTE- (Long Term Evolution) busting reports of their own.

[The next generation iPhone] won’t operate on long-term evolution or WiMAX fourth-generation networks.

Which has always made sense, given the proper chipset for lower-powered LTE won't be ready until 2012 and WiMax has no real footprint outside of Sprint.

Still, iPhone 5/iPhone 4S should support HSPA+, which AT&T, Rogers, et. al will still call 4G anyway... But that will leave Verizon -- and Sprint, if they get the next generation iPhone today as expected -- stuck on the slower, more limited EVDO Rev A for another year. Would that weigh into your carrier choice at all?

Source: Wall Street Journal

Florian Mueller from FOSS Patents reports on Verizon's filing of an amicus brief in the long going Apple vs. Samsung legal dispute, claiming any injunction would harm Verizon's ability to deploy LTE, and no doubt otherwise decimate small children, candy, and puppy dogs:

This attempt by Verizon to interfere with Apple's enforcement of intellectual property rights against Android in general and Samsung in particular is a declaration of war that may have far-reaching consequences in the U.S. market. I'm sure that Apple will view this move as a self-serving attempt to game the system in Android's and Samsung's favor, as another sign of Verizon being staunchly Android-aligned in exchange for market-distorting favors from Google, and as an attack on the intellectual property-centric business model of Apple and other innovators.

Apple gives them a shiny, best-selling box Verizon isn't allowed to touch, Samsung gives them carte-blanche to swap out Google for Bing, install crapware, stamp logos everywhere, and otherwise control the experience to their user-hostile heart's content. What's so hard to understand?

Source: FOSS Patents

New internal documents and screenshots seem to indicate that Radio Shack will soon be adding the Verizon iPhone 4 to their lineup. They recently announced that they would be carrying Verizon devices starting in December so it doesn't come as much of a surprise.

What is interesting is the timing. With all these iPhone 5 rumors and 8GB iPhone 4 rumors, does it really make much sense that they'll start receiving the 16 and 32GB versions? They could always lower the price (as Apple usually does) when the iPhone 5 launches and just add the 8GB version to the current lineup at a lower price point.

Either way it's nice to see Radio Shack adding iPhones for Verizon users as well. They typically have some pretty good discounts and trade-in programs when new iPhones roll out. At least Verizon users will be able to take advantage of those this time around.

9to5Mac

Seemingly not content with Apple's stellar run of Peter Coyote voiced iPad 2 commercials, Verizon has struck out on a commercial of their own (pun semi intended) simply entitled iPad2. (Lack of proper spacing theirs, not ours.)

It does start off saying iPad 2 is "faster, thinner, and lighter". Thankfully, however, there's nary a mention of Tegra 2 processors -- or rather Apple A5 processors -- in sight, simply a focus on buying iBooks on the beach, staying connected at the park, and photo tweeting while camping.

These make sense as a way to try and steal iPad 2 users away from the AT&T 3G model, much as Verizon did last year with their Break Away commercial for the original iPad + Mi-Fi combo deal, and both Verizon and AT&T have done for iPhone 4.

This one doesn't feel as solid as any of those though. If you were on the carrier fence, would this make you choose Verizon?

We love our TiPb Nation tipsters and commenters because nothing gets past you guys -- including screenshots in the App Store of the new Dolphin Browser for iPhone that have the words Verizon and 4G in the top bar.

Did the developer somehow have access to pre-release Verizon LTE hardware from Apple, and some bumbling Will Farrell type intern forgot to remove the SIM card for one screenshot? Did a similarly bumbling Tina Fey style apprentice App Store reviewer fail to notice it during the infamous approval process and let it into the store?

Or is this just some really messed up, confusing screenshot (or deliberate Photoshop job), with 4G in the wrong place... that also got past the developer and the App Store reviewer and onto the store?

A while back TiPb heard something that sounded so outlandish, so beyond the realm of possibility, that we decided not to publish it -- that AT&T's 4G LTE launch hero device could, in fact, be the iPhone. It still sounds outlandish, even though there hasn't been word one about which phone AT&T will launch with, but given the availability of the logical Qualcomm LTE chipset, it still seems beyond the realm of possibility.

But BGR recently caught glimpse of LTE references in a carrier-test build of iOS firmware, and now Engadget has heard that LTE equipment in the 700MHz and AWS frequencies is being installed in major Apple Stores in the US... by AT&T.

I'm not getting my hopes up, nor should you. AT&T could still launch an Android device and Apple could still wait for 2012 for an LTE powered iPhone 6. But as Hans Gruber said in Die Hard, Christmas is the time for miracles.

UPDATE: 9to5Mac says Verizon is also installing LTE equipment at Apple Stores. [9to5Mac]

[Engadget]

According to a report by Forbes, Verizon will be rolling out a system to prevent jailbreak tethering apps like MyWi from working on its network. As of today, when using one of these apps, you will be redirected from the webpage that you wanted to visit to a specially prepared Verizon webpage where you will be asked to upgrade to an official tethering plan.

AT&T has also confirmed that it would be forcibly switching habitual jailbreak tetherers to its tethering plan but never given a date. It now looks like Verizon are following that lead. The slightly better news for Verizon users is that it will cost them an additional $20 a month for a tethering plan where the AT&T tethering plan is $45 a month.

If you are a Verizon iPhone subscriber and use MyWi to tether your device, have you noticed the webpage redirect?

[Forbes] p;

Asymco has put up some interesting metrics showing how the most recent 20 million iPhone sales quarter can be broken up between AT&T, Verizon, and "other" -- aka international carriers. Not surprisingly, especially in light of Apple's Q3 earnings, international is huge.

Verizon did contribute (4.5 million Verizon iPhone users is nothing to sneeze at) but the contribution was to a degree that was nowhere near a big bang.

That was because the real big bang was from the rest of the world.

These numbers are particularly impressive considering fewer international markets have access to music, movies, TV shows, books, and apps/games, though the latter of those is changing rapidly. Imagine when they catch up?

[Asymco]

Verizon has now joined Apple and AT&T in reporting their quarterly earnings, and the big news for us is that they activated 2.3 million iPhone 4 devices. That's up from last quarter, but perhaps not as many as expected.

In the follow up, new Verizon CEO Lowell McAdam acted shocked -- shocked we tell you -- that there was no iPhone 5 this summer. He, like the rest of us, expect it this fall. Given Verizon only launched iPhone 4 in February, over a half-a-year later than AT&T, it's hard to believe they were completely out of the loop on Apple's roadmap this time around.

Either way, Apple previously reported selling 20 million iPhones this quarter, and AT&T activated 3.6 million. That means 5.6 million of those 20 million iPhones were activated on an official US carrier, and further proves just how much of Apple's business is increasingly international (gray market included.)

[Verizon]

Shing Yin, a Citadel Securities analyst, thinks a Sprint iPhone deal may not be that far off, perhaps as soon as this year, which would likely mean a CDMA iPhone 5. After Verizon finally shipped the iPhone 4, we found out T-Mobile might be getting one, either on their own or as part of the ongoing T-Mobile and AT&T merger. That leaves Sprint sitting alone in the corner.

Interestingly enough, after Verizon ends unlimited data on July 7, 2011, Sprint will be the only carrier to still offer unlimited data. Yin things that may appeal to Apple.

With lower prices on plans, a Sprint iPhone could offer an attractive proposition for more price-conscious users (a demographic that we think is increasingly important to Apple following the rise of Android)...

I think it's only a matter of time before Sprint picks up the iPhone. I'm not convinced they'll receive the next hardware iteration at the same time as Verizon and AT&T but I could see a launch later in the year or early next year, the same way Verizon got the iPhone 4 roughly 8 months after AT&T.

Like with AT&T, eventually everyone on Verizon who wants an iPhone, even an iPhone 5, will have one, and selling into Sprint's user base is the next logical step for expansion in the US.

Barron's

Verizon Wireless has confirmed they'll be ditching unlimited data and switching to tiered data plans beginning on July, with prices starting at $10 per month and going up from there.

New smartphone customers will choose from one of four options:

• 75 MB for $10
• 2 GB for $30
• 5 GB for $50
• 10GB for $80

Overage charges will be $10 per GB.

Existing Verizon customers will be "grandfathered in" and able to keep their unlimited data plans even when upgrading their device. Users who take advantage of their free LTE mobile hotspot feature on devices like the ThunderBolt or Droid Charge will also be seeing changes, as Verizon will begin charging for the service, starting at $20 for 2GB per month for new customers or $30 for unlimited usage for existing customers.

Although most data plans are less expensive on AT&T, the addition of 5GB and 10GB per month options offer more flexibility for users who consume large amounts of data on the go. AT&T also charges $15 for an additional 200MB ($75 per GB) in data overages under their lowest plan, compared to Verizon at $10 per GB. In addition, AT&T doesn't currently offer an unlimited tethering option for grandfathered subscribers.

[FierceWireless via BGR]

It appears VZBuzz has gotten their hands on some Verizon marketing material showing the iPhone 4 price dropping to $150.99. The screen also shows a plethora of Android and Blackberry price drops as well. I don't find it hard to believe this is legitimate as many carriers and retailers have been known to drop the price of the iPhone in anticipation of a new hardware announcement -- like iPhone 5 -- in order to clear out inventory.

Verizon currently offers refurbished iPhone 4's for $150, so could we see a price drop in those as well?

[VZ Buzz via 9to5Mac]

As Rene previously mentioned, we have been making massive changes in our forums the past few weeks in effort to provide you with one of the best Apple related communities on the web. And the changes do not stop here, in the next few weeks we will continue improving our community to the best of our abilities.

Listed below are some of the hottest forums currently within the community. We are proud of the improvements that have been made so if you have not already done so, please take a moment visit our forums and register today!

• Discuss rumors and speculation surrounding the upcoming iOS 5.

• Discuss and get help with Apple's upcoming iCloud service (and MobileMe... while it lasts!).

• Discuss rumors and speculation surrounding iPhone 5!

• Discuss and get help with Jailbreaking the iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, or Apple TV, and talk about Jailbeak apps and hacks.

• Discuss and get help with the AT&T/GSM iPhone 4.

• Discuss and get help with the CDMA/Verizon iPhone 4.

Expect more great changes to come in the weeks ahead! See you in the forums!

AT&T transitioned to data caps and tiered plans just over a year ago and come this summer, Verizon will follow suit. Are you concerned? International iPhone users have had to deal with data caps and tiered plans for years, but in the US "unlimited data" was pretty much expected. It framed users' habits. Streaming internet radio, watching internet video, tethering on the down-low... You could do all of that without the slightest thought.

Many users are already and will remain "grandfathered" into "unlimited data", but if you want official tethering, you'll have to switch, or like we're seen with AT&T, be forcibly switched, to the new, capped and tiered plans. And then you have to start planning for limited data.

Netflix, in response to broadband caps, has started offering smaller sized streams to users worried about their data consumption.

Starting today, watching movies & TV shows in Canada will use 2/3 less data on average with minimal impact to video quality. For example, watching 30 hours of Netflix movies & TV shows will only use 9 GB of data, well below most Canadian ISP data caps. Previously, 30 hours from Netflix typically used 31 GB.

Skyfire has long made a web browser that proxies and compresses data.

A recently released Nielson poll showed that the average smartphone user watched 3.25 hours of mobile video each month in 2010. In a video data consumption test, Skyfire allowed the average user to watch 4.5 hours of video per month, while staying below the baseline 200 MB data cap. For this reason, the one-time purchase of a Skyfire mobile browser ($2.99) can save an average iOS or Android user from $120 to $240 annually in data charges. (This comparison is based on current AT&T and T-Mobile data plan pricing. Specific pricing for other carriers around the world will vary.)

Various audio apps will also let you download over Wi-Fi and store or cache podcasts, songs, audio books, etc. so you don't use data on the road.

How dependent have you become on "unlimited" data? Have you routinely hit 5GB, 10GB, or even more a month? What do you think about the new caps and tiers? Will they cause you to rethink or reduce your usage, or just shake your fists and keep streaming in data defiance?

Or have you never gotten near a data tier, only use a few hundred MBs a month, and don't see what all the fuss is about?

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Mobile Nations is our brand new podcast, bringing together the heads of state from Android, BlackBerry, iOS, webOS, and Windows Phone for full on round-table action. This week Phil, Kevin, Dan and Rene discuss Windows Phone 7.5 Mango, the new Verizon data caps, and the state of the BlackBerry. This is Mobile Nations!

Topics

• WPCentral Review: Windows Phone "Mango" (preview release)
• Verizon's new data plans broken down in complete detail
• RIM results and what's next for BlackBerry?

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Got something to say? Agree or disagree with something we said? Have something you want us to discuss on a future show? Don't just sit there yelling at the screen, dammit, let us know!

• Email: podcast@mobilenations.com
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With the release of the iPhone on the Verizon network just a few months ago, analyst reports are saying it might just have slowed the previously runaway Android market growth. TechCrunch is even conjecturing the upcoming iPhone 5 could stop or even reverse it completely.

For much of last year iPhone was tied to one US carrier, AT&T. Now it's on AT&T and Verizon, but it's still essentially one device (though AT&T still has the bargain-priced iPhone 3GS), made by one manufacturer. Usually that one device is on a once-a-year cycle, but this year it might be closer to 15 months. Android on the other hand is on every network, and has hundreds of devices with new releases every few weeks. Given the greater carrier footprint and greater choice in models, all Android devices together should absolutely be outselling the 1 or 2 iPhones on 2 carriers in the US.

However, reports from NPD from April say that the iPhone market grew while Android's declined. About a month later, Nielsen said Android was indeed leveling off. Just a few days ago Needham was reporting from the use of IDC data that Android's share of the market hit its peak in March and is now declining, where Apple's share is once again on the rise. This is the first quarterly decrease that Android has ever seen. Yesterday, BTIG released a report saying iPhone is outselling Android in the majority of US AT&T and Verizon stores. And Verizon reported it had sold 2.2 million iPhones on its network in just two months.

That's probably not a coincidence. The Verizon iPhone could just be the reason the Android market is leveling off and, in some reports, declining. With iPhone 5 on the way, and the usually media and hype cycles that surround it, it's not unreasonable to think Apple can keep that momentum going. Add rumors of T-Mobile, perhaps even Sprint support in the future, and it gets very interesting very fast.

What do you think, will Android kick it back into gear and keep growing, or does Apple have a real chance to take the lead here?

[ NDP data, Nielsen data, TechCrunch]

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Rene, Seth, and Mickey discuss dueling iPhone 5 rumors, more iPhone nano rumors, Verizon data caps and tiered plans, and will Droid users defect en masse? This is iPhone Live!

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Thanks to the TiPb iPhone accessory store for sponsoring the podcast, and to everyone who showed up for the live chat!

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If Verizon's new tiered, capped data plans make the kind of sense that doesn't, don't worry -- Phil Nickinson from Android Central has broken them down for us. Check out the chart up top for the details, and here are the bullet points:

• If you have Verizon's $29.99 unlimited data plan, you'll be able to keep it after July 7.
• You'll also be able to keep the $29.99 unlimited plan when you upgrade to a new phone. (No word on if there's a pricing difference >- or when that policy could change.)
• If you add a line to an existing account, you'll not be able to chose the $29.99 unlimited data plan.
• If you're a new customer between now and July 7, you'll still be able to choose the $29.99 plan.

Check out AC via the link below for the full set of leaked docs and emails, then come back and tell us what you think of the new rates.

[Android Central]

250 Verizon and AT&T stores surveyed on what was their best selling smartphone, and according to BTIG Research, the number one answer on their board was... iPhone 4! It sat at the top of the charts at 89% of Verizon stores (tied with Droid Charge or Thunderbolt at 38% of those), and 65% of AT&T stores.

And while it only launched in February on Verizon, iPhone 4 has been out on AT&T for over a year, and the base hardware is a year old. That's it's not only still competitive, but still winning at the carrier outlets is interesting. (Not surprisingly, it's the top selling -- and only selling -- smartphone at Apple Stores as well, which just goes to show how large their dominant retail position really is.)

Anyone surprised by this?

[BTIG Research via All Things D]

According to All Things Digital, a Verizon spokesperson has said that they will be dropping its their Unlimited data plan option in July.

We will move to a more usage based model in July. We'll share more later.

Verizon will be switching to a tiered data option for smart phone users on their network, and according to the source, the data caps and prices will be as follows,

• 2GB - $30/month
  
• 5GB - $50/month
  

• 10GB - $80/month
  

• Tethering is a $20/month add-on and includes an additional 2GB of data.

• Overages are assessed at $10/GB.

AT&T dropped their unlimited data plans last summer and switched to a tiered system, but allowed customers to stay "grandfathered" into their unlimited data plans (without the option to tether). Whether or not Verizon follows suit allow their existing users with unlimited plans to keep them, we don't know yet.

If you're on Verizon, what do you think of these new plans? If you're not on Verizon, are you tempted to switch now before unlimited goes away?

[All Things Digital]

Needham analyst Charlie Wolf thinks most Verizon Android users have been holding out for the iPhone 5, and once it's released, a mass exodus from the Android platform will ensue.

Verizon’s Android users are waiting for the iPhone 5. And when it arrives this fall, they’ll make the switch en masse.

Wolf suspects some Verizon subscribers chose not to pick up the Verizon iPhone after it debuted last February, some 8 months later than the iPhone 4 on AT&T.

“It’s reasonable to assume that a material percentage of Verizon subscribers who plan to switch were content to wait until the iPhone 5 arrived later this year,” says Wolf. “One reason Apple delayed the launch of iPhone 5 until September is that it reportedly plans to coordinate the launch of the GSM and CDMA versions of the phone. To do so in June would likely have upset Verizon subscribers who purchased iPhone 4 in the preceding months. It’s our expectation, then, that the anticipated surge in iPhone sales on the Verizon network is likely to occur this fall after Apple launches iPhone 5.”

TiPb has heard that the Verizon deal was a factor in Apple not launching iPhone 5 in June. However, it's just as likely that Verizon users are on contracts with a wide range of end dates, and would be penalized for switching outside their renewal window. If they want a full subsidy, especially for a device that's been on the market since June 2010, they'd wait for it. That means, rather than a sudden rush last February or this fall, we could see a slow, steady transition over time as contracts come up for renewal, and those Verizon users who want an iPhone make the switch.

Of course, not everyone is going to want an iPhone either. By fall there will no doubt be new Verizon Android devices out as well, including those with LTE data speeds -- something iPhone isn't suspected to match until 2012. That could make the decision more difficult and more complicated.

What do you think? Will Verizon Android users be switching en masse come iPhone 5 this fall?

[AllThingsD]

9to5Mac reports that the next iPhone -- rumored to be released in September -- has hit final testing stages, with variations of 'N93' and 'N94' models suggesting a possible release on Sprint or T-Mobile.

The next generation iPhone has reached the final testing stage (aka “AP” stage [Thanks, Chronic!]) and is now being carried around by high level Apple and carrier executives [...] While snooping around the iOS 5.0 SDK we located references to “N94″ and “N93.”

Verizon previously let slip that the next iPhone will be a world phone, supporting GSM+CDMA on a single chip and thus cutting out the requirement of Apple producing separate devices for the two carriers. With N93 and N94 variations in play, this further indicates T-Mobile as a likely candidate for carrying the next iPhone which is rumored to be an iPhone 4 packed with the new A5 chip.

In addition, they were told Apple and Verizon are still in negotiations to bring FaceTime over 3G while the next iPhone will keep the same 5MP camera sensor, most-likely due to production delays with Sony.

If true, is that a deal breaker for anyone? And if Apple adds a US carrier, would you rather it be T-Mobile or Sprint?

[9to5Mac]

Sounds like some Verizon iPad 2 models in Apple Stores and in transit to customers are being recalled, possibly due to some problem that prevents cellular activation:

Verizon iPad 2s aren’t being sent back due to engraving. If someone activates a cellular connection on the device, then wants to view or edit account information, they can’t. They receive a message that it is activated, and that’s it. I saw someone open at least 6 looking for one that didn’t do it. It’s device specific, not software.

Apple Stores have just been asked to send back certain serial numbers, while the on-delivery orders will likely be replaced with unaffected models.

Anyone with a Verizon iPad on the way having any problems?

[9to5Mac]

GigaOM was able to play around with the trial LTE network that AT&T has setup at their Foundry space in Plano, TX, which just might be used by iPhone 6 in 2012. They were able to reach blazingly fast speeds, beating out Verizon's LTE performance without a hitch.

the highlight of the lab was that the Foundry is home to a trial Long Term Evolution network. I asked for a demo and got one. The speeds provided on the download side were about 28.87 Mbps, and were about 10.4 Mbps on the upload side.

The technology behind their test LTE network consists of both 700 MHz spectrum as well as the AWS band they already own (and want to get more of by purchasing T-Mobile USA).

Keep in mind that AT&T's LTE network isn't going to see the light of day for some time, but it's also important to note the speeds they saw were reflective of 'real-world' performance. By comparison, Verizon users see on average ~10Mbps down and ~5Mbps up, so that's a pretty significant difference in speed.

Are you excited as we are to see the iPhone taking advantage of these 4G speeds on AT&T's network down the road? And will the new network finally bring with it reliability to match?

[GigaOM]

Apple doesn't currently make or market an iPhone 4G but given recent North American marketing shenanigans by the carriers, they might just get one sooner than anticipated. There was a time when 4G applied to really fast, really next generation mobile connectivity, like fully implemented voice/data LTE approaching 100 Mbps. Then Sprint launched Wi-Max as 4G. Then T-Mobile rebranded HSPA+ as 4G. Then Verizon deployed early stage LTE as 4G. Then AT&T rebranded their slower HSPA+ as 4G. 100 Mbps got shoved aside, and 21 Mbps, even 14.4 Mbps became "4G". Canadian carriers, which had previously called their 14.4 Mbps and even 21 Mbps HSPA+ networks "3G" have recently rebranded them to "4G" as well so as not to seem old and outdated. (For more on what all these terms mean, check out our networking glossary.)

No doubt it's easier to change a name than change a network, and easier to slap the letters 4G onto a phone than actually getting a real, power efficient, lightning fast 4G radio into one. But that's no excuse.

Verizon is arguably the closest with their early stage LTE deployment and phone like the Thunderbolt that don't get great battery life but do get amazing speeds.

My counterpart over at Android Central, Phil Nickinson has done a review of the Verizon LTE HTC Thunderbolt (and also told the carriers to kindly cut out the 4G smoke in our eyes), while PreCentral.net's Derek Kessler has just reviewed the AT&T HSPA+ HP Veer 4G.

The iPhone isn't expected to go LTE until 2012 but iPhone 5 might just go HSPA+ this fall. (14.4 or 21 Mbps, who knows?) And guess what, AT&T will probably call it "4G"...

...Especially since the CDMA version on Verizon will still be "3G" EVDO Rev A for another generation.

That's a huge competitive advantage, but hugely confusing for users.

Market research company, IDC has just released its smartphone market share numbers for the first quarter of 2011 and it clearly shows Apple is only second to Nokia in worldwide shipments.

Apple’s shipments have grown from 8.7 million in 2010 to 18.7 million in 2011 which is an amazing growth of over 114%. In the same period Nokia only managed a 12.6% increase.

Only 6 million units now separate Apple from Nokia. Apple has posted market beating year-on-year growth which has been bolstered this year with the release of the CDMA iPhone for Verizon as well as strong China, South Korea and Saudi markets. Apple’s market share has increased from 15.7% to 18.7% in the last 12 months.

[The Loop]

Jailbroken Verizon iPhone users on iOS 4.2.7 have been stuck on a tethered jailbreak until recently. Sn0wbreeze 2.6.1 will allow you to go from tethered to untethered quickly and easily. So if you used redsn0w to jailbreak your Verizon iPhone and you're currently tethered, hit the jump for a quick walkthrough on how to free your Verizon iPhone from its tethered state!

What you need

• Verizon iPhone 4 running iOS 4.2.7 currently jailbroken via redsn0w
• Sn0wbreeze 2.6.1 via a Cydia download

1. Launch Cydia on your iPhone and tap on the manage tab.

2. You'll need to tap manage sources and then add the following source: http://cydia.pushfix.info

3. Cydia will refresh your sources for you. Next tap search in Cydia and search for Verizon Untether for 4.2.7.

4. Install the package and reboot your Verizon iPhone.

You can now enjoy being untethered on iOS 4.2.7! Let us know if you have any questions or how the process went for you in the comments. If you experience issues, you can always visit our TiPb jailbreak forums for help and the answers to many questions.

Verizon now plan on taking a further step to include a sticker on every phone that it sells; warning users that it could track location data. The removable sticker will be placed on the screen of the device. Verizon say that the labels will start to appear very soon. We assume that this will include all models of the iPhone too.

Apple has already released a Q&A to address its customer concerns; Apple and Google are still due to appear at a hearing in May to explain their roles in the situation in more detail.

[Electronista]

ih8sn0w has just released sn0wbreeze 2.6.1, an untethered Jailbreak for the Verizon iPhone 4 on the latest iOS 4.2.7 firmware.

I originally ordered a Verizon iPhone 4 for my upcoming SHSH blobs dumper. Then I + many others on twitter realized that an untether was not available for 4.2.7. Over the past few weeks, I’ve been sick and didn’t do much, but today I was finally able to get the strength to work on this Verizon untether. Since i0n1c’s payload is not easily reversible, I went to previous exploits. After trying, pod2g’s + posixninja’s kernel exploit for 4.2.x is STILL in 4.2.7! After some more work, I managed to get this thing untethered. So, this new release includes that new payload to untether + jailbreak 4.2.7.

So if you’re a Verizon iPhone 4 user on the latest 4.2.7 firmware, you can now jailbreak untethered thanks to ih8sn0w. If you go ahead and use this, let us know how it works out in the comments! If you need any help, head over to our jailbreak forum!

[ih8sn0w]

The TiPb forums are naturally a great place to talk, commiserate, celebrate, get help, and offer advice to your fellow iPhone users. In order to create a new thread of your own or reply to any of the existing threads, you must be a registered member. Becoming a member is easy and free so if you haven’t already, head on over and register now!

• iPhone 5 Details: 3.7-inch screen, home button with gesture area, etc... - What are your thoughts on these hardware specs?

• Former Blackberry users switching to iPhones - This is a thread for the many of you coming over to an iPhone from a Blackberry device.

• Sony releases Crackle into App Store - Discuss the new app that allows for some free streaming of a limited selection of movies.

• iOS 4.2.7 update for Verizon iPhone 4 - List bugs or issues you may have encountered.

See you in the forums!

Mickey Papillon nailed the Verizon iPhone and the chipset it would be using a year before it was announced, so when he says LTE just might be coming to iPhone 6 in 2012 via the Qualcomm MDM9615, we're going to pay attention.

Back in February, Qualcomm unveiled it’s next generation of chipsets, including the MDM9615. This chip will provide enhancements in modem performance, power consumption, board area and BOM expense, exactly what Apple is looking for in its devices. The 9615 will support LTE (FDD and TDD), DC-HSPA+, EV-DO Rev-B and TD-SCDMA. This single chip [will likely live alingside] what we will all know as the A6 processor, and will be available in late 2011, perfect timing for Apple to start testing and ready them for production.

(If you're not familiar with all those telecommunications terms, check out our networking glossary.)

So February 2011 introduced the stand-alone Verizon iPhone, fall 2011 will bring the dual-mode iPhone 5, and 2012 will crank this up with an LTE iPhone 6?

Sounds good to me. What do you think?

[The Cell Phone Junkie]

Verizon joined Apple and AT&T this week in releasing their quarterly results, and during the conference call revealed 2.2 million Verizon iPhone 4 were sold since launch, and that iPhone 5 looks to be a world phone. Overall, Verizon announced 6.3 percent year-over-year increase in revenues, data revenues up 22.3 percent, 1.8 million net new subscribers, and 104.0 million total connections, including 88.4 million retail customers.

Demand was strong for new LTE devices -- as well as for Apple’s iPhone 4, which produced the most successful first-day sales in Verizon Wireless history when it was introduced in February to existing customers.

During the call, Verizon also said that the next iPhone, (presumably iPhone 5), whenever it is released (presumably this fall), will be a global device (presumably a hybrid CDMA/GSM iPhone 5).

The current Verizon iPhone already has a dual-mode Qualcomm CDMA/GSM chipset but the GSM radio is not enabled. Flipping that switch makes a lot of sense given Apple's history of simple product lines and huge economies of scale.

There was not mention of LTE, which doesn't rule it out but given Apple COO, Tim Cook's comments during Apple's conference call yesterday, we probably shouldn't hold our breath until the technology requires less "compromises" (like poor battery life).

Did Verizon sell as many iPhones as you expected? Are you waiting on a world phone, or are you going to hold out for LTE? Let us know in comments!

[Verizon]

If you’re still trying to get your hands on an iPad 2, FindOne is now an app for that! It runs on your iPhone, iPad and iPod touch and can pinpoint stores with iPad 2’s sitting on shelves waiting to be snapped up.

FineOne queries various superstore databases to find iPad 2 product availability within the radius of a specified zip code. If products are found, the store phone and address are displayed, along with a list of all the iPad 2 product types currently available in that store.

The FindOne app is available free in the App Store. If any of our readers use this app and manage to grab an iPad 2, be sure to let us know in the comments!

[Free - iTunes link]

[AppAdvice]

Boy Genius Report is claiming that the upcoming iOS 4.3.2 update should fix some of the connection woes Verizon iPad 2 users have been experiencing. The Verizon iPad 2 models seemed to be the only models affected. A dependable source has told BGR that the update should be available within the next week or so. It should also address a few WebKit vulnerabilities as well as a fix for some FaceTime issues certain users were having.

Hopefully this update will fix some extremely frustrating problems. Any of you Verizon iPad owners having 3G connectivity issues? Anyone having those FaceTime issues? How bad are they?

Boy Genius Report

The TiPb forums are naturally a great place to talk, commiserate, celebrate, get help, and offer advice to your fellow iPhone users. In order to create a new thread of your own or reply to any of the existing threads, you must be a registered member. Becoming a member is easy and free so if you haven’t already, head on over and register now!

• With all of the rumors flying around about the release date of the iPhone 5 being pushed back we decided to get our readers opinions in this poll thread - When do you think the iPhone 5 will be released?

• Speaking of the iPhone 5, for those of you in the market for an iPhone should you bite the bullet with iPhone 4 or wait it out for the 5th generation?

• Seems like a lot of you on the Verizon network are seeing some really poor data speeds and that brings up the question, is Verizon throttling data?

• The Redsn0W iOS 4.3.1 jailbreak was recently released, discuss it here.

See you in the forums!

Verizon iPad 2 owners are complaining that if they turn off 3G in settings they can't reconnect to Verizon's 3G network unless they reboot. Restoring hasn't helped and apparently swapping devices hasn't helped either. It's unclear how many Verizon iPad 2 3G users are suffering with the bug but an Apple Discussions thread has already filled with page after page of complaints.

UPDATE: Apple issues the following statement concerning the Verizon 3G connection problem:

We are aware that a small number of iPad 2 customers have experienced connectivity issues with the Verizon 3G network and we are investigating it [All Things D]

More after the break...

[Apple Support via CNET]

So here's what we know:

Bug symptoms

• Turn off 3G cellular data
• Try to turn 3G cellular data back on
• It won't reconnect to Verizon network

Bug work-around

• Turn on 3G cellular data
• Reboot iPad
• iPad should reconnect to Verizon

This is annoying to say the least and hopefully Apple and Verizon will address the issue in the rumored iOS 4.3.2 update. In the meantime let us know if you have experience this bug and if so, whether the workaround worked or if you've come up with any other workarounds!

• Our podcast feed
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iPhone 5 not coming until Fall, iOS 5 not being previewed until June, would an iOS 4.4 take away some of the sting? Who's first, AT&T vs. Verizon on call drops, 12 petabytes of iTunes.com?, Jailbreaking iOS 4.3.1, and the week in apps. This is iPhone Live!

Show notes and all the week's iPhone news after the break!

Announcement

• Like TeleNav and TiPb on Facebook for a chance to win 30 free one-year AT&T Navigator subscriptions!

iPhone 5

• Apple to announce iPhone 5 at a separate event in June? [Crazy rumors]
• Sony 8mp image sensors for iPhone 5 delayed?
• Momentum

iOS

• TiPb Asks: Will there be an iOS 4.4?

News

• AT&T iPhone users see more than twice the dropped calls of Verizon iPhone
• Apple buying 12 petabytes of storage for iTunes online

Jailbreak

• How to jailbreak iOS 4.3.1 via redsn0w 0.9.6rc9 (untethered)
• Toyota releases official Jailbreak Theme
• Apple asks Toyota to pull Scion theme from Cydia

Apps

• Apple releases iAd Gallery app for iPhone
• Atari Greatest Hits brings over 100 Atari games to iPhone, iPod touch and iPad
• Twitter for iPhone removes #dickbar

Hosts

• @reneritchie
• @GeorgiaTiPb

Credits

Thanks to the TiPb iPhone accessory store for sponsoring the podcast, and to everyone who showed up for the live chat!

Our music comes from the following sources:

• I Called You -- iPhone Remix by Pete Leidy
via Sneakmove iPhone Ringtone Challenge

A recent ChangeWave report surveyed 4,068 wireless subscribers and revealed that AT&T iPhone users see more than double the amount of dropped calls compared to their Verizon iPhone peers. AT&T iPhone users reported that 4.8% of calls were unexpectedly dropped on the network, a far cry from Verizon at just 1.8% of calls. This lines up with a survey of overall cell phone customers that found 4.6% of AT&T subscribers and 1.4% of Verizon customers have reported dropped calls.

In addition, 46% of prospective iPhone 4 buyers say they will be going with Verizon, with 27% favoring AT&T and the remaining 27% still undecided. If you look back at the last survey from ChangeWave, it looks like the deciding factor for consumers on which carrier to choose is network quality and dropped calls. Based on these new results, it looks like AT&T (and their new T-Mobile spectrum, if the deal goes through) has a lot of work to do in terms of improving their network and lowering dropped calls if they want to stay competitive now that Verizon has the iPhone 4.

It's not all bad news, however. Consumer satisfaction was about even, with Verizon showing 82% of iPhone users being very satisfied with their device compared to AT&T iPhone users at 80%. The iPhone has historically held much higher consumer satisfaction ratings than smartphone competitors like RIM and Motorola, so this didn't come as much of a surprise to us.

Are you planning on buying an iPhone 4 soon? Which carrier will you be going with, and why? Sound off in the comments below!

[ChangeWave]

The TiPb forums are naturally a great place to talk, commiserate, celebrate, get help, and offer advice to your fellow iPhone users. In order to create a new thread of your own or reply to any of the existing threads, you must be a registered member. Becoming a member is easy and free so if you haven’t already, head on over and register now!

• This is your last chance to win your very own Steve Jobs action figure! Visit this thread for all of the details on how you can win!

• Other companies such as Samsung are introducing smaller sized tablets and with that being said, do you want a smaller version of the iPad?

• Not happy with your Verizon iPhone 4 purchase? Voice your opinion in this thread.

• Let's settle this debate once and for all - AT&T vs Verizon. You pick the winner!

See you in the forums!

iLounge was able to run a few tests on the microphone housed in the new iPad 2 and found there's a noticeable difference in quality between the Wi-Fi-only iPad 2 and the Wi-Fi + 3G models.

When using Skype and Garageband on the iPad, iPad 2 with Wi-Fi, and iPad 2 with Wi-Fi + 3G, we found that audio from the 3G iPad 2’s mic sounded somewhat more muffled and echo-prone than with the original iPad’s or the Wi-Fi-only iPad 2’s mics

This is due to the microphone being moved from next to the headphone jack on the original iPad to a top-center position on the iPad 2. The Wi-Fi-only model is fully encased in aluminium whereas the 3G models have a plastic strip along the top which has an impact on recording quality.

Have you noticed a big enough difference in microphone quality between models for it to actually mean anything to you? let us know your thoughts in the comments!

[iLounge]

The TiPb forums are naturally a great place to talk, commiserate, celebrate, get help, and offer advice to your fellow iPhone users. In order to create a new thread of your own or reply to any of the existing threads, you must be a registered member. Becoming a member is easy and free so if you haven’t already, head on over and register now!

• Are you picking up a iPad 2? Why or why not?

• For current iPad owners, has the device replaced your laptop?

• If you are picking up a 3G iPad 2 which carrier will you be choosing? AT&T or Verizon?

• This is your last chance to win your very own iPad 2 from TiPb! The winner will be announced live tonight on iPhone Live! Good luck!

See you in the forums!

So you've decided on a 3G iPad 2 over its Wi-Fi counterpart, but now you must choose which carrier to go with - AT&T or Verizon?

For a breakdown of each carrier's pricing scheme, follow along after the break!

AT&T

On the original iPad, AT&T offered two prepaid plans. Now, they are offering those same two prepaid plans in addition to two postpaid plans. Both the prepaid and postpaid plans have a 250MB option for $14.99 and a 2GB option for $25 - the difference lies in the overage charges of the 2 GB plans. In the prepaid plan, if you exceed 2GB, you must pay an additional $25 for 2 more GB of data. In the postpaid plan, it's $10 for each additional GB.

Prepaid

• 250 MB - $14.99, $14.99/250MB overage charges
• 2 GB -$25, $25/2GB overage charges

Postpaid

• 250 MB - $14.99, $14.99/250MB overage charges
• 2 GB - $25, $10/1GB overage charges

The other difference, of course, is when you pay for the plans. In the prepaid options, you pay ahead time for the data and if you use it up before the month is over, you have an option to buy more. In the postpaid options, you will be billed for the data you used at the end of the month. So if you want to ensure that you never exceed your alloted data cap, stick with the prepaid options. On the other hand, if you want data regardless of overage charges, go with postpaid option; you'll likely save money in the end.

Lastly, if you are currently on an unlimited $30 plan with the original iPad, you will be grandfathered into this plan automatically.

Verizon

Verizon is offering a broader range of plans, so if you expect to use a lot of data, Verizon may be the better choice for you.

• 1 GB - $20, $20/GB overage charges
• 3 GB - $35, $10/GB overage charges
• 5 GB - $50, $10/GB overage charges
• 10 GB - $80, $10/GB overage charges

With both carriers, the plans are month-to-month and can be cancelled at any time. To summarize, here's a chart that breaks down the pricing for a quick comparison.

Other Considerations

As with choosing a carrier for the iPhone 4, TiPb always recommends you choose the one with better coverage where you are most of the time. If they are comparable, start looking at data speeds and prices. AT&T boasts of having the fastest 3G network, while Verizon claims to be the most reliable.

Also, since AT&T is GSM/HSPA and uses SIM cards, if you're an international traveler and want to be able to get local SIM cards to use in other countries like Canada, the UK, etc. Verizon won't be an option.

Lastly, keep in mind that once you make your decision, it's final. The AT&T and Verizon iPads are equipped with different hardware, so once you choose, there's no turning back.

Do you know which carrier you're going with? If so, let us know who you chose and why in the comments below!

[All Things D]

As part of the iPad 2 event, Apple just announced iOS 4.3 was coming March 11... but didn't mention the Verizon iPhone in the list of supported devices. Was that just an oversight, are we overly sensitive, or will the CDMA radio stack require some additional time for Apple to get iOS 4.3 out to the device?

It's not like Verizon owners will miss personal hotspot, but if it does take longer we'll miss Apple's previously rock-solid record of delivering updates to all devices, all at once.

Again, maybe we're over reacting so more as this develops...

Verizon CFO Fran Shammo told investors today that Verizon Wireless will be moving to tiered data plans as early as this summer, no longer offering the unlimited data plan Verizon iPhone users have enjoyed since Apple's smartphone came to the network last month.

Verizon Communications Inc. will stop offering unlimited data plans for Apple Inc.’s iPhone as soon as this summer and switch to a tiered pricing offering that can generate more revenue and hold the heaviest users in check.

Verizon is following in AT&Ts' footsteps, who removed unlimited data and implemented tiered pricing for the iPhone last year so they could market the iPhone to a broader audience suck up more cash by offering less (a move which wasn't necessarily met with open arms by AT&T iPhone users).

If you already have an unlimited data account with Verizon you'll almost certainly be grandfathered and able to keep it going forward. But if you're new to Verizon after tiered data comes into play, you'll be out of luck.

Let us know what you think in the comments!

[Bloomberg]

Consumer Reports appears to still be ranting about the reception issues on the iPhone 4, this time they're targeting the Verizon iPhone 4 and excluding it from their list of recommended smartphones.

For that reason, we are not including the Verizon iPhone 4 in our list of recommended smart phones, despite its high ranking in our Ratings. Although Apple no longer offers a free case to buyers of the iPhone 4, as it did for a time after the problem was first discovered on the AT&T version, the company has said in the past that it will consider requests for a free case from customers who buy the phone and subsequently experience reception problems.

Consumer Reports helped set off Antennagate when the AT&T iPhone 4 was originally released. After their initial review of the iPhone 4, Consumer Reports claimed they couldn't recommend the iPhone 4 due to the antenna issues.

I don't know about any of you but the reception problems didn't ever affect me personally. Maybe because I always use cases or bumpers. (Who doesn't put a case on a phone as expensive as the iPhone?) I guess I'm not quite sure why Consumer Reports is still ranting about the issues. Millions of iPhones later, people still want them. All phones have signal attenuation issues when held, not just the iPhone. Is it just me or is Consumer Reports making mountains out of mole hills? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!

Consumer Reports

Speaking with the Wall Street Journal, Verizon Chief Executive Daniel Mead addressed reports of slower than expected Verizon iPhone sales by re-iterating that the launch was the most successful in their history. While he wouldn't give specific figures prior to their next earnings releases, he said they carefully planned online sales and a staggered rollout to spread out purchasing.

Mr. Mead said more than 60% of iPhone sales occurred online. That heavy activity online contributed to short lines on launch day, which were noted by many news outlets. "If we had not done online, you would have seen a much different flow in the pictures," he said. In a few days, the company will double the number of stores that sell the iPhone, going from 4,000 to 8,000.

They also expect Apple to eventually offer an iPhone and iPad that work on their 4G LTE network:

"You'll see more coming from Apple on LTE," he said. "They understand the value proposition of LTE and I feel very confident that they are going to be a part of it."

AT&T iPhone comes out the same time of year, every year, when contracts are ready for renewal and/or AT&T offers early renewal. The was no cycle for the Verizon iPhone -- unless by pure chance your contract was up or you don't care about subsidies many people are probably waiting until their next upgrade -- maybe even waiting for iPhone 5.

Perhaps Verizon staggering the availability, doing pre-orders and opening online orders early lowered lineups, but everything about the launch disfavored lines.

We'll know for sure when the numbers come out, but what's your hunch?

[WSJ]

Developer Marco Arment, whose Instapaper app he believes is a good bellwether of iOS adoption, didn't see a spike with the Verizon iPhone launch -- leading him to believe many early Verizon iPhone buyers had previous iOS devices. Now we have heard Verizon iPhone sales were less than expected. Unlike cyclical AT&T iPhone releases, however, many potential customers are likely still on existing contracts and will wait until their next upgrade to switch over to the Verizon iPhone. That's a slow, steady pace as opposed to the previous mad June rushes.

Here on TiPb we've seen a pretty large influx of BlackBerry users and a fair amount of Android converts, but even if they didn't own an iPhone before they could have had an iPod touch or iPad to get their hands into the iOS platform.

So let's ask! Is Verizon iPhone your first iOS device? Vote in the poll up top and tell us which iOS device(s) you previously owned in the comments below. If you did have an iOS device before, did you just load it up with your existing app or did you go on another app shopping spree?

[Marco.org]

Good news -- the new Verizon iPhone friendly Apple bumpers now fit 3rd party dock accessories better! One of my biggest gripes with Apple's bumpers is that the charge port only fit Apple chargers. If you use any third party sync cables, chargers, or battery packs they would never fit. I have a Griffin Power Jolt battery pack, a Griffin car charger, and several retractable chargers lurking around the house. It always made me angry when I'd have to take off the bumper to use any of these.

When I picked up my Verizon iPhone for review, I picked up one of the new universal Apple bumpers. To my pleasant surprise, the charge port has also been tweaked a bit. All my third party accessories work! This isn't something Apple has advertised but from the picture above, you can definitely tell the port is wider, allowing other accessories to now fit all the way into the iPhone's charge port. The old Apple bumper is the blue one pictured above and the pink one is one of the newer bumpers.

Thanks Apple for giving us a choice! It's not very often you do that.

A rather interesting bug has been discovered: emoji sent over SMS between Verizon iPhone and AT&T iPhones is not recognized both ways - Verizon can receive from AT&T, but not vice versa.

When a Verizon iPhone texts emoji to an AT&T iPhone, all that is received is a bunch of random characters. However, a Verizon iPhone will recognize emoji sent from an AT&T iPhone with no problem. This inability to interpret emoji is only an issue with the messages app, however. An AT&T iPhone can recognize emoji elsewhere, like email and twitter, just fine - even if the emoji was sent from a Verizon iPhone.

Anyone else run into this problem?

Want to know the ins and outs of how to sell your old iPhone? Were you one of the iPhone users who switched to Verizon now that it's finally available? Not sure what to do with your old AT&T iPhone? There are a number of things you can do with your old iPhone -- from using it as an iPod Touch to handing it down to family or friends -- but if you're looking to get some quick cash then there are a few things to know before getting started. Today we're going to show you how to throw out the old and bring in the new using a number of great services, just hit the jump to find out how!

When Apple and Verizon finally announced the iPhone would be available under the nation's largest network, Verizon subscribers across the country rejoiced. The same can be said for a hefty number of AT&T subscribers too, as a recent ChangeWave survey suggested a significant number of AT&T iPhone users would jump ship to Verizon once they had the iPhone.

So if you were one of the many AT&T subscribers who decided to go the Verizon route then here are a few quick tips to think about before putting your AT&T iPhone up for sale:

1. Jailbreak/Unlock: The iPhone usually sells for more money when it's jailbroken or unlocked, meaning you have the additional options of running restricted apps through Cydia or getting service on another carrier (like TMobile). If you are new to jailbreaking we suggest checking out the jailbreak forums, and we've also written up a few posts on how to jailbreak your iPhone on 4.1 firmware using Greenpois0n, Limera1n and PwnageTool.
2. Condition: It kind of goes without saying that you'll get more money if your device is in better condition, but this counts even more when it comes to the iPhone. If your device is in excellent shape, you're going to be able to ask for a higher amount. For example, an iPhone 3GS in 'fair' condition with wear and tear can get you around $230 while a 3GS in 'perfect' cosmetic condition can get you as much as $300. I've seen a wide range of pricing on the iPhone 4 and 3GS based on condition, so make sure you research prices and price competitively.
3. Wipe your data: Before you end up selling your old iPhone, we highly suggest you run a full data wipe on your device to make sure none of your data is available to the lucky new owner. We've done a quick How-To post to help you with the process.

Now that we're passed the basics and you're ready to put your iPhone up for sale, it's important to take a look at all the options you have before making a decision on which service to use.

There are a ton of great online services out there to help you sell your old iPhone and we won't be able to go through them all, so we've filtered down the list of services for you. We'll start with the most familiar of them all...

eBay

Selling your iPhone on eBay is a pretty simple process. If you've ever used eBay for selling things in the past then you know the selling process isn't all that tricky, however there are still some things to keep in mind when using eBay to sell your iPhone. For instance, eBay charges fees for each auction based on the item you're selling and how much it sells for, among other things, so here are five quick tips to help you get the most out of your auction:

1. Only ship to the buyer's confirmed Paypal address if using Paypal.
2. Price competitively if using Buy It Now as an option.
3. Make sure the pictures you use follow your description and are good quality -- post pictures of any physical blemishes on the iPhone and be up-front in your description.
4. Use a fast shipping service and make sure you include that in your item description.
5. Use keywords in your title and in your item description to attract more potential buyers.

You may also want to consider insuring your item in case anything goes wrong during shipping. Watch out for low-feedback buyers and also keep in mind that Paypal charges processing fees as well.

Craigslist

Selling on craigslist is locally based, so you'll be making a face-to-face exchange with someone in your area. I've used Craigslist to sell a number of things around the house, and always follow a few basic rules:

• Don't ever put your personal or home address in an ad. Ever!
• I'm usually fine with putting my personal phone number in an ad, but that's up to you. Some find it easier to text rather than email.
• Meet in a public place, preferably in the daytime.
• Watch out for email scams, something Craigslist is notorious for.

It's always a good idea to use caution when dealing with Craigslist. I've heard some pretty crazy stories of people getting robbed or worse when meeting with people for a transaction, so bring a friend and meet in an open, public area to avoid those types of situations.

Gazelle

Gazelle offers a service that lets you easily turn most electronic devices into cash. Simply send in your iPhone and Gazelle will send you money after confirming the item condition. The first thing you'll need to do is tell Gazelle what you're selling and what condition the item is in. You can choose from poor, fair, good or excellent condition, and it's important to be honest when rating the condition so there's no hiccups or snags along the way. It also helps if you have the box and original documentation and cables with your item, and the service will check for any water damages before giving you a quote.

An average-conditioned 16gb iPhone 4 will currently grab you about $280 where a perfect-conditioned iPhone 4 will get you as much as $360. The process takes about a week, and although you're not getting as much money in the end it's a great service if you don't want to deal with a lot of hassle. You can have your payment delivered through Paypal among other methods, and you can also submit multiple items if you're looking to get rid of a few more things while you're at it.

SellYourMac.com

SellYourMac.com offers a similar service to Gazelle by letting you send in your old iPhone for payment with little to no hassle involved. In a nutshell, they'll buy your old Mac or iOS device. You're required to provide pictures along with a serial number next to your item description and condition. Once SellYourMac.com receives your iPhone they clean it, inspect it and verify that it's in working condition before they turn around and sell it on eBay. Users can receive payment via Paypal and SellYourMac.com even says they give higher quotes than competing services like Gazelle, so you'll definitely want to compare before making any final decisions.

Verizon Trade-in

Verizon is also offering an iPhone trade-in program for current AT&T corporate customers who want to switch over. Verizon is offering the following quotes for older iPhone hardward:

• iPhone 2G – 16GB: $60
• iPhone 3G – 16GB: $105
• iPhone 3Gs 32GB: $160
• iPhone 4- 16GB: $280
• iPhone 4 – 32GB: $360

To the best of our knowledge Verizon hasn't clarified if they'll be making this service available to all AT&T subscribers or just to corporate customers, so make sure you give your Verizon rep a call to get more details on the incentive.

Bonus Tip: If you're going with Craigslist or eBay, another tip worth mentioning is to include all packaging, cables and adapters if possible. If you have any extra cases or accessories you want to throw in the deal it can usually net you a higher selling price as a bundle instead of trying to sell them individually.

Now that the iPhone is finally on Verizon, the time to start planning on how to dump your old iPhone is now. So whether it's eBay, Criagslist or any other method for selling your old AT&T iPhone we hope this article will help you along the way. As always, let us know if you have any questions or additional suggestions in the comments below!

Tips of the day will range from beginner-level 101 to advanced-level ninjary. If you already know this tip, keep the link handy as a quick way to help a friend. If you have a tip of your own you’d like to suggest, add them to the comments or send them in to news@tipb.com. (If it’s especially awesome and previously unknown to us, we’ll even give ya a reward…)

BGR is reporting that, according to one of their Apple sources, the first week of sales for the new Verizon iPhone were purportedly smaller than Apple and Verizon expected. The figures were drawn from five Apple retails stores covering the first five days of availability, including two "very, very prominent" locations and show a dwindling margin between AT&T and Verizon sales after the first 48 hours of availability:

• Thursday: Verizon = 909, AT&T = 539
• Friday: Verizon = 916, AT&T = 680
• Saturday: Verizon = 660, AT&T = 471
• Sunday: Verizon = 796, AT&T = 701
• Monday: Verizon = 711, AT&T = 618

The difference between Verizon and AT&T sales were as low as 12% by day four, although the Verizon iPhone still managed to out-sell that of AT&T. We're not exactly sure what Apple's expectations were, but regardless it looks like the Verizon iPhone has still been out-selling the AT&T iPhone since day one.

They were also told that online pre-orders between Verizon and Apple amounted to around 550,000 units after selling out within the first 18 hours. The majority of Verizon iPhone buyers were Android switchers at 30% followed by sales to ex-Blackberry users at 25%. Only 14% of Verizon iPhone sales were to former AT&T iPhone users.

There are probably a fair amount of people still locked into contracts, on family plans, or corporate accounts who may have to wait to switch. That could be a gradual process to say the least. Still, given all the hype do you think store sales numbers should have been higher out of the gate? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!

[BGR]

The Verizon iPhone is one of the most anticipated smartphones in recent memory, made even more so by the endless rumors and years of waiting those who wanted it had to endure. Now it's here and while the radio has changed it's still pretty much the same iPhone 4 Apple shipped on AT&T back in June 2010. A 7 month old phone on a brand new network is not something iPhone users have had to consider in the past. Is it worth the wait? Is Verizon really a better network? Does CDMA have important shortcomings you need to be aware of? Will the entire thing be rendered moot when Apple announces an iPhone 5 in June?

Figuring out the answers to these questions and more have kept all of us at TiPb extremely busy over the past couple of weeks. So hit the jump and on for our full Verizon iPhone review!

Since the Verizon iPhone 4 is still an iPhone 4 we're only going to look at and compare the differences between the Verizon model and the AT&T/GSM model here. If you haven't already, check out our original iPhone 4 review to see all the features that are similar including FaceTime video calls, Retina Display screen, 5mp camera and HD video recording, etc.

In the box

You'll get the standard Apple headphones, the wall adapter, a sync cable, and your manuals. The only difference is really the phone and the back of the box.

The back of the box simply specifies the carrier. Other than that, everything should be the same. Oh let's not forget that you won't get a handy dandy micro-SIM removal tool, since CDMA phones don't use them.

Hardware differences

The Verizon iPhone has different breaks in the antenna band than its AT&T/GSM sibling. Even though the antenna band was redesigned for CDMA, I don’t see any improvement when it comes to the “death grip” issue (see our explanation of "death touch" vs. "death grip" for more on this). If anything, I experience it more than I do on my AT&T iPhone 4. I’m not sure if attenuation on the Verizon version is worse because of a difference between CDMA and GSM or if it’s something else. I experience the issue on my AT&T iPhone but it seems that the signal doesn’t drop as quick and when it does, it goes up quicker when I’m not touching the break in the band. The Verizon version seems to lose bars a lot quicker and it takes a bit longer for them to come back.

As most people have already figured out, putting a bumper or a case on your phone will solve the death grip problem.

Other than the breaks in the antenna bands, the mute switch and volume buttons are moved down about 2mm on the Verizon iPhone 4. This is because of the break in the antenna at the top left of the phone. For users coming from an AT&T iPhone 4, this can be annoying as many current iPhone 4 cases will not work as the silent switch and volume buttons are positioned differently.

The only other difference I have found is that the Verizon iPhone 4 doesn’t have the FCC and other clearance marks on the back the way the AT&T/GSM version does.

Software differences

The AT&T/GSM iPhone 4 is currently running iOS 4.2.1. The Verizon iPhone 4 launched with iOS 4.2.6. The only major feature 4.2.6 adds is personal hotspot capabilities (called mobile hotspot on other devices). AT&T has announced that they will offer mobile hotspot as well but no dates have been given yet, and it will require an iOS 4.3 update. Currently AT&T offers internet tethering for iPhone users but you are limited to Bluetooth and USB tethering.

The Verizon version supports wifi tethering for up to 5 devices. This is extremely nice if you’re somewhere without wifi and need to access the internet from a wifi only device (like a wifi iPad). You can simply enable the mobile hotspot feature and it’ll show up as a wireless network on your other device. You can also choose to add a password if you’d like. We'll cover that below.

Syncing data

If your’e coming from an AT&T iPhone, you’ll feel right at home. Actually, if you’ve ever used an iPod of any kind or an iPad, you’ll already know what to do. The Verizon iPhone is no different than its AT&T brother. Plug into iTunes, sync your content, and you’re good to go. Verizon also offers a contact transfer app for current customers that’ll easily bring down all your contacts wirelessly for you (given you use Verizon’s contact backup service). If you need more help:

• How to transfer data from your old AT&T iPhone to your new Verizon iPhone
• How to transfer data from your old Blackberry or Droid/Android to your new Verizon iPhone

There’s really nothing new here, both iPhones will sync and store data in the same manner.

Apps

All the apps that run on the current AT&T/GSM iPhone also run on the Verizon iPhone (with the sole exception of carrier branded apps, like AT&T Navigator.) Apple has hundreds of thousands of apps and games available for the iPhone and Verizon will be releasing some carrier-specific ones as well, hopefully something to tie into their NFL deal. Here are some good starting points:

• Top 10 best iPhone 4 apps
• Top 5 iPhone apps for Droid/Android switchers
• Top 5 iPhone apps for BlackBerry switchers

Call Clarity

CDMA is long known to handle calls better than GSM. But is that really true? When it comes to clarity, sure. But you do lose some features when using a CDMA iPhone. Conference calls are only good for up to 3 people, including yourself. The way calls are handled can differ too. On AT&T, if you initiate a conference call, you can merge the calls, split them off, and hang up separately. On Verizon, hanging up on one will hang up on both. This is also a downside of the current version of CDMA Verizon is utilizing.

In most of our Verizon voice tests, call clarity was always on par with AT&T or better.

Personal Hotspot

Personal hotspot is definitely a welcome feature to iOS. It's also only available for Verizon customers at the moment. AT&T has stated they have plans to release it, presumably with the launch of iOS 4.3, but no date has been given yet.

This feature allows you to turn your phone into a wireless hotspot. Up to 5 devices at a time can connect and use your iPhone 4's internet connection. We tested this pretty thoroughly and found that it works as promised. I was pretty impressed with the speeds and reliability.

Data Speeds

Verizon is offering their customers unlimited (though potentially throttled) data, while AT&T only offers 250MB and 2GB data tiers. This is a huge selling point for them. But can their network handle the traffic? From our experience, yet it can. Quite well actually. Leanna and I both conducted speed tests. Mine in the Chicago area and hers in the Denver area. While AT&T was much faster for me, in real world situations (even tethering), neither of us had issues with Verizon and it always loaded pages within seconds of our AT&T iPhones. Sometimes it even loaded them quicker.

Data speeds and network reliability will, of course, heavily rely on coverage in your particular area. AT&T typically handles well in larger populated areas while Verizon has been known to have a strong network in rural areas as well. We conducted several Verizon iPhone 4 speed tests and the results were more than respectable.

Verizon iPhone or AT&T iPhone?

That's really a decision each individual person is going to have to make. As always, you should base it on what the coverage is like where you live. For some, AT&T and Verizon may both be strong players in your area. If you're in that situation, take a look at each carrier and what benefits GSM has over CDMA and vice versa. We also did a Verizon iPhone 4 vs AT&T iPhone 4 comparison. We pitted them against each other, and both held their own. You'll really have to weigh out what options are more important to you. Do you need simultaneous voice and data or are you more concerned with call clarity? The little differences can end up being annoying over time so it may be worth it to weigh your options and choose the carrier that'll best fit your individual needs.

State of the Verizon Jailbreak

A lot of potential Verizon switchers have been asking if they're able to jailbreak if they switch. The answer to that is a big fat yes! greepois0n supports the Verizon iPhone as well. I jailbroke mine on launch day without a hitch. We've also got a complete guide up on how to jailbreak the Verizon iPhone 4. So if you're a jailbreaker (or want to be), make sure to give that a look.

Wrap Up

We had quite a week playing with the Verizon iPhone 4. We came away feeling that Verizon is definitely capable of delivering a great customer experience. I'd have no qualms about using the Verizon iPhone 4 if you don't need simultaneous voice and data or don't mind some of the little annoyances that come along with CDMA. The plans on both carriers are roughly similar with the exception of Verizon offering unlimited data while AT&T only offers tiered.

Now that Verizon finally has the iPhone, both businesses are going to have to compete for our business. For almost 4 years, AT&T hasn't had to compete for iPhone revenue. If you wanted an iPhone, you were going to play by their rules. Those days are long gone and we have a feeling it's going to get pretty interesting from here on out. Let the carrier wars begin!

Note: We've posted a new version of this article, updated to include iPhone 4S and Sprint.

While many have been waiting a long time for the Verizon iPhone, the same CDMA network that gives Verizon its terrific coverage and reliability brings with it a host of other problems, including the famous lack of simultaneous voice and data and limited international roaming, but also some lesser known issues such as split SMS messages and greatly reduced conference calling options.

None of these are new to the Verizon iPhone but they are new to iPhone now that it's on Verizon, and new to users who haven't experienced CDMA before. We'll take a look at them after the break.

No simultaneous voice and data

Verizon runs on CDMA2000 using EVDO Rev. A for 3G data (see our wireless networking guide for more on what those terms mean). EVDO Rev. A does not support simultaneous voice and data the way AT&T (and other GSM carriers) HSPA networks do. That means if a call comes in while you're using 3G data -- surfing the web, Skyping, sharing your connection via personal hotspot -- you can either ignore the call and continue using 3G data, or answer the call and effectively put your 3G data connection on "pause". If you're on a call you won't receive email or push notifications and if you try to surf the web or download an app you'll be informed you're not connected to the 3G network. Once the call ends, 3G data reconnects and you can start using the internet again.

If you're on Wi-Fi as opposed to 3G data you can make calls and use data without a problem. It's only 3G that cuts out during calls.

Verizon has chosen not to roll out EVDO Rev. B, which does support simultaneous data in favor of more quickly deploying a 4G LTE network (currently a hybrid CDMA-voice with LTE-data network, in the future a Voice over LTE network). They are rolling out Voice over Rev A (VoRA) aka SVDO which will allow for simultaneous voice and data on future CDMA/EVDO phones, but not the Verizon iPhone. (See The Cell Phone Junky for more on the technology.)

Limited international roaming

GSM/HSPA, the standard used by AT&T and T-Mobile in the US, is far closer to being an international standard than the CDMA/EVDO technology used by Verizon. While there are a few other CDMA/EVDO networks in North America and Asia, GSM/HSPA is supported throughout most of the rest of the world, including Europe. If you use a Verizon iPhone there are a limited number of countries where you'll be able to roam. Verizon does offer loaner GSM phones for international travelers but that's not as seamless a solution as GSM iPhones that can intrinsically roam around most of the world.

SMS/Text splitting

SMS/Text messages are limited to 160 characters. On AT&T and other GSM iPhones, if a message exceeds 160 characters it will still be shown as a single message to both the sender and receiver. On Verizon once an SMS hits 160 characters, any additional text is split off into a second message, after 320, a third message, etc. The same content is still delivered, it's just not presented as nicely. (In some cases the message parts might even appear out of order which is even more annoying.)

Limited conference calling

Verizon's CDMA network only supports "3 way calling" so you can only enter into a conference call with up to 2 other people (3 including yourself) at the same time. It doesn't matter if iPhone can handle more, Verizon's network and hence the Verizon iPhone is limited to 3-way calling.

Likewise, 9to5Mac points out that handling conference calls is also more challenging on the Verizon iPhone since you can't take one party "private" or hang up on one caller while keeping the other active. (It hangs up on all callers.)

Apple provides the following diagram in their knowledge base:

That network

So yes, overall there are a lot of limitations to the way CDMA handles voice. However, if Verizon has great coverage in your area, you're on Wi-Fi when you want to talk and surf, you rarely if ever travel internationally, split SMS/Text messages don't bother you, and agile conference calling isn't a must-have business feature for your iPhone, you may not care.

Otherwise it's a compromise. Decide what's most important to you and which carrier best provides it. If anything is a deal-breaker, then that makes your choice much simpler.

For more information and help check out our Verizon iPhone Forum.

AT&T boasts of being "America's fastest 3G network", so I've been putting that claim to the test by comparing the speeds with Verizon and AT&T iPhones side-by-side. The results were incredibly surprising. To find out what they were, watch the video above then follow along after the break!

First of all, I must preface this by saying that these tests took place in Denver, CO. Testing elsewhere could yield significantly different results.

When it comes to numbers, AT&T typically (not always) has faster speeds as you can see in the screenshots above. However, when it came to real world tests with Safari and Facebook, Verizon was neck and neck with AT&T and often times faster.

When out and about, I was consistently getting these results, but not at home. In my house, I have very spotty AT&T coverage and typically connect to a microcell to ensure I can make a phone call. In order to test AT&T against Verizon, I unplugged the microcell and got surprisingly mixed results. Even though I often only have 1 or 2 bars with AT&T, browsing with the AT&T iPhone is usually significantly faster than with Verizon. I say usually, because there are times when AT&T slows down to match Verizon. It's very inconsistent to say the least.

I cannot emphasize enough how my results were obtained from Denver and cannot be generalized to all of America. In fact, Ally has been executing the same tests in the Chicago area and been getting significantly different results than me. Not only do the following screenshots show AT&T with must faster speeds, but Ally reports that the difference is undeniable in practice.

Now, Chicago is one of the best places to have AT&T because it is very stable and running HSPA 7.2. It just goes to show that location is very important when choosing a network. If possible, run tests yourself while within your return period before committing to a network. Here in Denver, I may be considering a switch to Verizon if the iPhone 5 is available on Verizon the same day as AT&T.

Your data speeds?

To help increase our sampling, please add your carrier, location, and current data speeds in comments. Lets see what iPhone 4 can do on Verizon and AT&T in different parts of the country!

Readers who ordered the Verizon iPhone online this week are letting us know they're starting to receive their shipment notifications. The original shipping estimate was for Feb. 18 but that now seems to have been a little on the conservative side.

Anyone else get their Verizon iPhone shipping notice yet? If so, let us know whether you ordered from Apple or Verizon, when you got it, and where you are. We're also keeping track in the Verizon iPhone Forum so head on over for more!

[Thanks Jon!]

Verizon boasts of being "America's largest and most reliable network" and I've been putting that claim to the test. I've been comparing reception, voice quality, how quickly voice calls are placed, and messaging speeds with AT&T's iPhone. To see my results, follow along after the break!

First off, it's important to note that my testing took place in Denver, CO. Networks vary depending on location, so someone in a different parts of the country may obtain different results.

Reception

I must be going to all the wrong places, because I have yet to find a place where Verizon and AT&T both have 5 bars at the same time. One of networks seems to always have 1 or 2 bars more than the other and it's an even split between who has more bars more often. So, in my experience, AT&T does not have "more bars in more places", but only in some places.

With that said, I have not had a single dropped call on the Verizon iPhone 4 - not even a skip.

The dreaded 1xRTT

However, Verizon is not immune to that dreaded little circle that, on AT&T's GSM network, indicates GPRS. In fact, minutes after purchasing the Verizon iPhone 4 from the Apple Store, Ally called my AT&T iPhone 4 as I was leaving the parking garage. As you likely guessed, the call dropped. I instinctively grabbed the Verizon iPhone to check the reception, and there it was - the circle! But what exactly does this mean on Verizon's CDMA network?

When that ugly little circle appears on a Verizon iPhone, it is indicating a connection to 1xRTT which is basically CDMA's version of GPRS. According to Wikipedia, it supports packet data speeds of up to 153 kbps with real world data transmission averaging 60–100 kbps. It's probably not even worth trying to surf the web when connected to 1xRTT because of how painfully slow it is.

Voice Quality

I've heard many people praise Verizon for their superior voice quality, but I honestly didn't notice a difference. Ally had the same experience; neither one of use could differentiate the voice quality between Verizon and AT&T iPhone 4's.

Making a voice call

You know how there is always a pause between the moment you place a phone call and when you hear the ringing tone? Well, this pause is consistently shorter on Verizon's iPhone. When placing the same phone call (regardless of network) on both iPhones at the exact same time, the AT&T iPhone was always sent strait to voicemail while Verizon's iPhone went through with the call. To see the comparison in action, check out the video above.

Sending messages

The last thing I tested was sending SMS and MMS messages. In every instance, the Verizon iPhone sent out SMS messages faster than AT&T's iPhone. We only talking a matter of seconds, however; so in the grand scheme, it's not that big of difference. With MMS, Verizon usually sent the message quicker than AT&T, but as you can see in the above video, AT&T did win that race once.

Conclusion

Overall, I do agree that Verizon provides the iPhone 4 with a more reliable network in Denver, CO; however, AT&T isn't far behind. AT&T's network is very solid here and I generally only get dropped calls when in situations like in a parking garage. The best advice I can give is that before deciding which network to purchase your iPhone 4 with, ask around. Find out the reputations of the the networks in your area.

The TiPb forums are naturally a great place to talk, commiserate, celebrate, get help, and offer advice to your fellow iPhone users. In order to create a new thread of your own or reply to any of the existing threads, you must be a registered member. Becoming a member is easy and free so if you haven’t already, head on over and register now!

• Most of you have your Verizon iPhone 4 in hands right about now so what are your thoughts? Happy? Not happy? Sound off with your very own review here!

• For myself battery life of my iPhone 4 is nothing short of spectacular, how long does your battery last?

• Whether you've just purchased a Verizon iPhone 4 or have had your device for a while now, if you are interested in the possibility of jailbreaking your device, this is the forum for you - Jailbreak and Unlock Forum.

• The rumors regarding an iPad 2 and 3 are running rampant as of late, what are you purchasing plans on these devices? Will hold off until the 3rd generation if it does get released as soon as September? Sound off in this thread.

See you in the forums!

One of the news features introduced with the Verizon iPhone is personal hotspot. Personal hotspot allows you to connect up to 5 devices to Verizon's 3G network through your iPhone 4 via Wi-Fi. Watch the video above for a quick look at how to connect a Mac and iPad to Wi-Fi with personal hotspot.

Connecting with Wi-Fi personal hotspot is a breeze. After enabling it in the iPhone 4's settings, you just find the network with the device you want to connect with, enter in the password, and you're good to go. Check out our tip on how to use Wi-Fi personal hotspot for more details and follow on after the break to see how it works...

Speed

So, personal hotspot is easy and convenient, but is it fast? Absolutely. I am very impressed with how quickly websites load on both my MacBook and iPad while connected with Wi-Fi personal hotspot on Verizon's 3G network. I was expecting much slower results. Ally's doing speed tests so check back soon for more details on the exact numbers,

Battery life

Personal hotspot does make an impact on the iPhone 4's battery. In 20 minutes, I lost 7% battery life while connected to my MacBook. Because of this, when using a device that can double as a power source for your iPhone, like a laptop, I recommend doing so. You might think this defeats the purpose of Wi-Fi and doesn't make it any different than tethering via USB - the speeds are comparable. However, the biggest advantage to Wi-Fi personal hotspot over USB tethering is the ability to connect devices like iPads or other mobile phones that don't have USB ports. Additionally, Wi-Fi personal hotspot allows the connection of up to 5 devices at once. So if one device is helping power your iPhone that still leaves room for up to 4 others over Wi-Fi.

(If you really hate the idea of connecting for power, you can use an external battery case like the mophie juicepak air or juicepak plus)

Pricing

Personal Hotspot requires a 3G Mobile Hotspot plan on Verizon and is an additional $20 on top of your required voice and data plans. This plan includes a separate 2GB reserved just for 3G Mobile Hotspot and if you exceed 2GB, it'll cost you an extra $20.

Simultaneous voice and data

Because Verizon's CDMA EVDO Rev A network is incapable of handling voice and data simultaneously, the personal hotspot connection will be unavailable for the duration of any incoming and outgoing phone calls. You can ignore calls and continue using data but if you accept a call, the data gets paused. Once the call is ended, personal hotspot will automatically reconnect.

Personal hotspot on AT&T

As of now, Wi-Fi personal hotspot is not available on AT&T, but it has been announced that the feature will indeed be available soon, but no dates have been given yet, and it will require an iOS 4.3 update. However, AT&T does offer tethering over USB and Bluetooth.

Our own senior editor, Rene Ritchie, jumped on ABC15 news this morning to talk about the Verizon iPhone launch and some of the technical differences between it and the AT&T iPhone, whether consumers should be worried about the antenna and the chances of Sprint or T-Mobile getting the iPhone somewhere down the line.

VIdeo after the break, watch along!

[ABC15]

The Verizon iPhone 4 and the AT&T iPhone look almost identical at first glance. There are, however, subtle differences between the two model's hardware and software. The antenna band on the Verizon variant has been redesigned for CDMA and iOS 4.2.6 adds hotspot connectivity for Verizon users. Click through for a quick comparison and photo gallery.

What's in the box?

The Verizon iPhone 4 is pretty much the same deal as the AT&T iPhone 4. You'll get the standard Apple headphones, the wall adapter, a sync cable, and your manuals. The only difference is really the phone and the back of the box.

The back of the box simply specifies whether or not the phone is Verizon or AT&T. Other than that, everything should be the same. Oh let's not forget that you won't get a handy dandy micro-SIM removal tool, since CDMA phones don't use them.

Hardware differences

The Verizon iPhone has different breaks in the antenna band than its AT&T sibling. Even though the antenna band was redesigned for CDMA, I don’t see any improvement when it comes to the “death grip” issue. If anything, I experience it more than I do on my AT&T iPhone 4. I’m not sure if attenuation on the Verizon version is worse because of a difference between CDMA and GSM or if it’s something else. I experience the issue on my AT&T iPhone but it seems that the signal doesn’t drop as quick and when it does, it goes up quicker when I’m not touching the break in the band. The Verizon version seems to lose bars a lot quicker and it takes a bit longer for them to come back.

As most people have already figured out, putting a bumper or a case on your phone will solve the death grip problem.

Other than the breaks in the antenna bands, the mute switch and volume buttons are moved down about 2mm on the Verizon iPhone 4. This is because of the break in the antenna at the top left of the phone.

The only other difference I have found is that the back of the Verizon iPhone 4 doesn’t have exactly the same certifications and FCC clearance marks the AT&T version does.

Software differences

The AT&T iPhone 4 is currently running iOS 4.2.1. The Verizon iPhone 4 launched with iOS 4.2.6. The only major feature 4.2.6 adds is personal hotspot capabilities (called mobile hotspot on other devices). AT&T has announced that they will offer mobile hotspot as well but no dates have been given yet, and it will require an iOS 4.3 update. Currently AT&T offers internet tethering for iPhone users but you are limited to Bluetooth and USB tethering.

The Verizon version supports wifi tethering for up to 5 devices. This is extremely nice if you’re somewhere without wifi and need to access the internet from a wifi only device (like a wifi iPad). You can simply enable the mobile hotspot feature and it’ll show up as a wireless network on your other device. You can also choose to add a password if you’d like.

Signal strength differences

I have noticed signal differences in both models. While the AT&T phone seems to keep a steadier signal when it comes to physical bars, the Verizon iPhone seems more finicky when it comes to maintaining and keeping a steady signal. I thought maybe this was just an issue at my home but after testing it out in several different environments, this does seem to be the case. It didn’t ever affect call quality so I don’t see it as a big issue. The picture above I took while writing this article, tethered to Verizon. The iPhone shows 3G with no bars yet I'm tethered on my MacBook, a friend is tethered browsing the web on her PC laptop, and my AT&T iPhone is connected. The internet is still functioning. I do not think the Verizon bars are extremely accurate.

The AT&T version, even with full bars, took quite a bit longer to connect a call than the Verizon version. The fact that CDMA has better voice quality is not a secret. This held true whenever testing call quality on both devices.


There were times when I had 2-3 bars on the Verizon iPhone and full bars on the AT&T iPhone and the Verizon version still seemed to have better call clarity.

This is one of those issues you’re going to have to look at closely before deciding which carrier to go with. While Verizon seemed to have better overall voice quality, AT&T did much better than Verizon when it came to data speeds. I'm still a bit freaked out by being able to tether with no bars. Extremely odd.

While testing personal hotspot, the Verizon iPhone faired extremely well. The connection was steady and barely ever cut out. When tethering on AT&T (using MyWi), the connection was faster but I didn’t think it was such a huge difference that Verizon users would be hindered by the slower data speeds. Unless you plan on downloading substantially large files or streaming media, the Verizon hotspot will work perfectly fine for browsing and basic internet use.

If you’re a frequent talker, Verizon may suit you better. If you rely heavily on e-mail, text, media, and web - AT&T is probably going to serve you better if you live in an area with 3G coverage. Again, this is really going to come down to what you want to use the phone for.

Syncing data

If your’e coming from an AT&T iPhone, you’ll feel right at home. Actually, if you’ve ever used an iPod of any kind or an iPad, you’ll already know what to do. The Verizon iPhone is no different than its AT&T brother. Plug into iTunes, sync your content, and you’re good to go. Verizon also offers a contact transfer app for current customers that’ll easily bring down all your contacts wirelessly for you (given you use Verizon’s contact backup service).

There’s really nothing new here, both iPhones will sync and store data in the same manner.

Conclusion

The Verizon iPhone is definitely a contender. AT&T should be concerned. Verizon is offering unlimited data and personal hotspot tethering. Their data speeds may not match those of AT&T 3G or HSPA+, but they’re going to be good enough for a majority of users. Likewise the Verizon CDMA iPhone can't roam in anywhere near as many countries as the AT&T GSM iPhone can but many users are more concerned about a good network at home than abroad. Data hungry users could be swayed by Verizon’s unlimited data offering as well. I think it’s only a matter of time before we see AT&T bring back their unlimited feature. Unless Verizon switches to tiered data soon, AT&T will have to if they want to compete.

In the end, the Verizon iPhone is only going to benefit consumers in the United States. Up until now, if you wanted an iPhone, you had no choice but to be tied to AT&T. Now that we have a choice, things are only going to get better for the customer as two reputable carriers are going to have to compete for our business. So no matter how you look at it, the Verizon iPhone 4 is a winner.

Did you just get a sweet new Verizon iPhone? Whether you got it on pre-order, you stood in line today to grab one, or you're still waiting for the delivery truck, once you're powered up and ready to go... you might just be wondering what you need to know and do next? Don't worry, TiPb has your back!

• iPhone Starters Guide: Get unpacked, get set up, get updated, and get all the info you need for your new iPhone!
• Top 10 apps for your iPhone 4: From Facebook to Angry Birds, productivity to utility, these are the apps and games to check out first.
• Switchers:
  • How to transfer data from your old AT&T iPhone to your new Verizon iPhone
  • How to transfer data from your old Blackberry or Droid/Android to your new Verizon iPhone
  • Top 5 iPhone apps for Droid/Android switchers
  • Top 5 iPhone apps for BlackBerry switchers
• Tips and How-tos: From beginner to ninja, everything you need to know to get more out of your iPhone
• Jailbreak Starters Guide: If you want to go beyond the bounds of Apple and iTunes but aren't sure how, we explain all the basics and help you get going.
• iPhone accessories: Need an extra case, cable, charger, headset or anything else to make your iPhone perfect?

And don't forget our awesome Verizon iPhone Forum for extra help and expert advice! We've got contests and give-aways, polls and guides, bug fixes and forums, and much, much more. Bookmark TiPb now and come back often, we want to hear from you!

Are you standing in line for the Verizon iPhone 4? It launches tomorrow so if you just can't wait to get your hands on one as fast as possible that's your best option right now. So let us know where you are, Apple Store, Verizon Wireless, Best Buy, Walmart? How's it looking where you are? Doors will open as early as 7am tomorrow morning so you shouldn't have too long to wait. Apple often provides coffee, water and puts on a show (and yes, it can be fun to hang out with other iPhone enthusiasts, waiting for the big launch event!) Just be sure to keep warm!

If you're standing in line, send us your pics or add them to the official thread in the Verizon iPhone Forum and we'll post them up right here!