News: Verizon Gets the iPhone

It should come as no surprise to anyone. After a few weeks of “definite” news stories, rumors, gossip, and lots of complaining by those who were certain we’d see an iPhone on Verizon earlier, you can now get an iPhone on a network other than AT&T in the United States. The event took place at 11AM Eastern today in New York, and was a completely Verizon-oriented presentation. This version of the iPhone is CDMA, since Verizon’s LTE coverage is still lacking.

Besides that, the iPhone is a lot like the version of the iPhone 4 that has been around for months. It’s got the same stainless steel frame, the same glass front and back, and the same Retina Display. The only exception is the missing micro-SIM slot on the side. It is running iOS 4.2.5, which is an odd numbering scheme, considering that we’re at 4.2.1 right now.

Besides that, the pricing structure is familiar and different at the same time—$199 for the 16GB model, $299 for the 32GB model. You’ll get to use it as a mobile hotspot for up to 5 devices (What?!). No word on pricing or data caps right now.

Existing customers can order on February 3, while others can order on February 10.