Verizon users, rejoice! Unless you live under a rock, you know the cause for celebration — but in the off chance you don’t, here’s the lowdown. As announced by Verizon at a New York City press conference on Jan. 11, the iPhone has at long last broken its marathon of monogamy with the AT&T network and will acquire an additional carrier in Verizon. Whoever said polygamy was unnatural never knew the woes consequent of the iPhone/AT&T exclusivity contract.

This shift comes after years of excessive clamoring on the part of Verizon users for an additional iPhone carrier. Now that their prayers have been answered, smart phone zealots are left wondering what exactly will differentiate the Verizon iPhone from its AT&T counterpart.

While the cosmetic features of the phone will, by and large, undergo this transition relatively untouched, the functional compositions will vary greatly. One of the most profound differences between the Verizon and AT&T versions will be the actual technology that makes the phone tick.

Current iPhone users on the AT&T network have UMTS/GSM (universal mobile telecommunications system created on the global system for mobile communications standards) technology revving under the hood. The new Verizon iPhone will be working off of CDMA (code division multiple access) technology. These technologies that enable the phone to connect to its respective data networks are markedly different in conceptualization and execution, but will only visibly affect the end user in a few aspects.

The biggest difference may be multitasking. Care to browse the Web while your great aunt talks your ear off? If you’re on the Verizon network, too bad — you may very well die of boredom because, based on CDMA standards, once the phone is engaged in a call, there is no data usage whatsoever. Like having a car with an amazing sound system that does not work while you’re driving, it’s not a trait that will ruin the overall experience, but will definitely put a damper on the ride.

The flexibility offered by Verizon may compensate for that small ineptitude. The Verizon iPhone will be able to act as a Wi-Fi hot spot, enabling the user to spread the data transfer connection to up to five other devices at the same time. Get out your iPad, your laptop, and your iPod touch, grab a friend or two, and you’ve got a hot-spot haven.

Just be sure to warn all hot-spot users that as soon as you get a call, they could be losing that eBay item that is seconds away from the final bid or getting cut off from their chat sessions. However, to sweeten the deal, it is rumored that Verizon will be offering an unlimited data plan for iPhones, allowing its users to execute as much data transfer as needed, which could be significant considering the five-device-enabling Wi-Fi hot spot. This is a perk that AT&T recently redacted, forcing its subscribers to choose from an array of data-restricting plans. This means shelling out big bucks for significant data demands.

A few smaller differences may sway your preference as well. Plan on traveling a lot? AT&T is the network for you because the UMTS standard is more popular worldwide, and UMTS devices can easily transition from one network to another. Verizon’s CDMA was created to optimize phone usage in this country. Hate dropped calls? Verizon is the network for you: The CDMA standard uses a method that has several signal towers backing your call connection simultaneously, whereas UMTS requires the signal to be switched from tower to tower, resulting in those pesky dropped calls.

The end of iPhone’s AT&T exclusivity is rumored to usher in a wave of Verizon converts, all scrambling for a great phone on a network that has yet to be sabotaged by its own success. The question that remains to be answered is if network saturation is a self-fulfilling prophecy. Verizon very well may become overburdened because of the customers it will attract for currently not being overburdened, and the lack of the string of demand for AT&T’s network may tip the scales back into the favor of the latter.

For those of you looking to dump your Verizon Blackberry for its iPhone (No BBM? Huh?), the official Verizon release date is Feb. 10. Feel free to mark your calendars now. That goes for you, too, frustrated AT&T iPhone user.

Jessica Smith is a dual information management and technology and television, radio and film major. Her column appears on Tuesdays, and she can be reached at jlsmit22@syr.edu.

Published on January 16, 2011 at 12:00 pm