Hasta La Gadget!

It’ll probably be subject to an additional fee as usual, but Verizon and Apple have just revealed that the new CDMA iPhone 4 will act as a mobile WiFi connection for up to five devices. It’ll come with an iOS-specific version of the Verizon 3G Mobile Hotspot that folks have been enjoying on their Droids for many moons now. That should allowing for laptops, tablets and the like to get online via iPhone without a pesky cord, and almost certainly make the long-verboten iPhone – iPad tethering connection finally attainable. Joy to the world!

Update: Verizon called it an app, but getting hands-on we can see that’s not the case at all — Personal Hotspot is built right into the CDMA iPhone 4’s build of iOS 4.2.5. Perhaps we’ll see it migrate to other devices as well?

Verizon iPhone 4 will have 3G mobile hotspot (update) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 11 Jan 2011 11:16:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We’re expecting to see the Verizon iPhone finally make its debut in just about a half hour now, but it looks like AT&T is doing some pre-show damage control — in an interview with the Wall Street Journal this morning, Ralph de la Vega said “we’re ready” to lose exclusivity because “we are much bigger than this.” That definitely sounds like someone just got spurned by their biggest partner, but don’t think AT&T’s just going to ignore Verizon — it’s planning an ad blitz that will highlight the iPhone’s better data speeds and simultaneous voice / data capabilities when used on its network. Sounds like things are going to get even more heated between the two largest carriers — and honestly, we can’t wait.

AT&T: ‘We are much bigger than’ iPhone exclusivity originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 11 Jan 2011 10:29:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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No matter what happens, we’ll be there live, reporting on the news as it happens with the best liveblog in the business. Tune in at the times below on Tuesday, January 11th at this URL to see it all go down!

06:00AM – Hawaii
08:00AM – Pacific
09:00AM – Mountain
10:00AM – Central
11:00AM – Eastern
04:00PM – London
05:00PM – Paris
07:00PM – Moscow
12:00AM – Perth (January 12th)
12:00AM – Shenzhen (January 12th)
01:00AM – Tokyo (January 12th)
03:00AM – Sydney (January 12th)

Verizon’s alleged iPhone event happens tomorrow, January 11th at 11AM EST / 8AM PST, and we’ll be there live! originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 10 Jan 2011 23:25:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Still not believing that Verizon Wireless will introduce a CDMA’d iPhone for its network tomorrow? We can’t say we’re completely sold either, but it’s getting harder and harder to fight off the emotions pointing to “yes.” The Wall Street Journal has followed up on its earlier reports by suggesting that not only will VZW soon carry Apple’s iPhone 4, but that it will make no changes to its data plans once that happens. Of course, it’s not like anyone actually expected Big Red to do such a thing, but it’s definitely one more reason for heavy users to consider Verizon Wireless over AT&T. Grandfathered customers notwithstanding, AT&T users who buy a new iPhone 4 are hit with a few tiered data plan options, with the largest ($25 / month) being capped at 2GB. With Verizon, $29.99 per month nets you “unlimited” data, though you could run into issues if you routinely suck down more than 5GB — a rather typical ‘gotcha’ in the American cellular space. The real question, however, is this: will the Verizon iPhone be compatible with Verizon’s $14.99 / month (150MB) plan, and moreover, will it ever be upgradable to handle the LTE network we heard oh-so-much about just days ago? Bookmark our liveblog and tune in tomorrow to find out!

Verizon reportedly ready to offer unlimited data plans on iPhone originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 10 Jan 2011 11:17:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ah, the Verizon iPhone. In our bizarre careers as tech journalists, if there’s one question we’ve heard more than “When is Verizon getting the iPhone?” we can’t think of it. Also, outside the original rumors for the iPhone and iPad, we can’t think of another product so heavily teased by those in the know and those not in the know — though mostly by those not in the know.

But then we heard Verizon is having a little get together on Tuesday, which is particularly odd timing because Verizon has a huge presence and a large amount of announcements at this year’s CES. Rumors of the event being a Verizon iPhone announce immediately flared up, but there were still reservations: Apple usually announces its own products at its own corporate campus — why would Verizon be doing the honors in NY?

That’s when the Wall Street Journal swooped in with a confirmation: the Verizon iPhone will be announced on Tuesday, and WSJ’s All Things D even thinks Steve Jobs will be there. So, who is this fly-by-night “Wall Street Journal” publication we speak of? They have one of the best track track records on Apple rumors in the business, and they’ve been leading the Verizon iPhone predictions from day one. Follow after the break as we talk it out.

Continue reading Verizon iPhone: everything you need to know

Verizon iPhone: everything you need to know originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 07 Jan 2011 22:59:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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