The Other Drummer

As I’m sure you’ve heard by now, it’s officially official: Verizon is going to start carrying the iPhone 4 starting the February 10th (you folks who are already on Verizon and qualify for an upgrade can preorder on February 3rd).

Here’s what you need to know:

• It’s not the iPhone 5. It’s the iPhone 4 with a different chip in it that makes it work on Verizon’s network.
• The price of the phone is the same: $199 for 16 GB and $299 for 32 GB.
• Verizon is mum on the details of their data plans. I’ve heard it’s going to be $30/mo (same as AT&T) for truly unlimited (not 5 GB “unlimited”) data. On the other hand, they aren’t saying. One speculation about why that is: the plans are going to be worse and they don’t want that to cloud the joyous news of them getting their shiny new handset. Time will tell.
• Verizon’s theoretical 3G speeds are slower than AT&T’s. Take this with a grain of salt as it will all depend on the reception in your given area.
• Can Verizon’s network handle the traffic? Will AT&T’s network become better if everyone floods to Verizon? Stay tuned.
• If you’re streaming a YouTube video or downloading an email attachment and you decide to take or make a call, it will kill your download – you can’t do data and voice simultaneously on Verizon’s network. Sorry.

While I’m excited to be able to use the iPhone on a carrier other than AT&T (without unlocking it…I heart you T-Mobile), keep in mind that if you buy one, you’re buying tech that’s already six months old and half way through its lifecycle. And by that, I mean Apple has released a new iPhone each summer since the original came out. The iPhone 5 is most likely going to be released in June and will be available on Verizon. So if you get one now, it’s going to be outdated in six months and you’re going to be using it for two years.

Me? I’m holding off until iPhone 5. (And iPad 2, but that’s a different story.)

But if your phone is on its last legs and you’ve been waiting for this moment for four years, the iPhone 4 isn’t anything to turn your nose up at.

There you have it. Questions? Hit me up in the comments or visit our kindred spirits over at Engadget who have comprehensive iPhone coverage and involuntarily donated the above photo for my own sinister uses.

Image courtesy of Engadget.

Apple’s has an iTunes-related announcement scheduled for tomorrow. The interesting thing is the timing: they just had a press conference with product announcements a few weeks ago – why not announce it then?

Streaming iTunes? Expanded content deals for TV rentals via Apple TV? Speculation abounds.

But that isn’t why I mentally snorted milk out my nose.

Milk is figuratively dripping from my nostrils because of Andy Ihnatko’s hilarious scenario detailing why the networks didn’t have the deals in place last month:

I can picture the new head of NBC Universal listlessly prodding at the plateful of kitten hearts Apple presented to him as requested. “They’e tasty,” he said, “but unless I get to eat them while children are watching me in tear-stained horror, it’s not really a full meal, is it? Can we try this again in a few weeks?”

Tell me you didn’t snort milk out your mental nose and I’ll call you a liar.

For all its wonderful design and niceties (and there are many), one über frustrating thing about the iPhone (and to a lesser extent, Android) is the obnoxious “set-a-time-via-scroll-wheel” interface.

At first it was kind of novel since multitouch was new – flicking those little tumblers was fun. Now I hate it as each time I want to add something to my calendar or set an alarm, I have to scroll two wheels around like a rotary phone to find the correct numbers.

Just give me a friggin’ 10-key interface and let me type in the time I want my alarm to go off please.

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I’m wondering if it might be faster to buy one at the Apple Store then cancel my online order. Either way, I’ll have my precious little music and video streaming device in about three weeks.

Thanks to Engadget for the pic.

According to reports Apple’s free cases for iPhone 4 customers is going to cost them and estimated $175 million.

Steve Jobs made a point in their Antennagate press conference that they spent $100 million on facilities to test their cell phones and wireless devices.

So they’re spending more on little pieces of rubber to fix the problem than they spent on the facility that was supposed to prevent the problem.