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"After more than four years, AT&amp;T's exclusivity on iPhone in the U.S. is set to come to an end on Tuesday, with Verizon expected to announce the launch of the device on its network at an event in New York City.  \nThe move has been a long time coming; rumors of a Verizon iPhone have intensified significantly in the past year, while frustration with AT&amp;T's network reliability has continued to mount.  At the same time, rival carriers have launched dozens of Android devices, which are now outselling the iPhone in aggregate.  \nAll of that sets the stage for an interesting shakeup in the dynamics of the smartphone market.  Although not necessarily indicative of broader consumer perferences, 30% of Mashable readers indicate they're eager to switch to Verizon \u2014 even if it means paying a high early termination fee \u2014 to get the iPhone on the carrier's network.  \nMeanwhile, the real battle might be over which carrier can introduce an iPhone on its next generation 4G network first.  Forrester Research wireless analyst Charles Golvin writes, \"LTE is the future 4G technology path for both Verizon and AT&amp;T ... If Verizon can convince Apple to accelerate its incorporation of LTE, the carrier will be able to deliver a significantly accelerated iPhone experience to more customers than its competitor, and attract a significant number of the first wave of buyers, including the Apple acolytes.\"\nWe're not expecting Verizon to delve into future devices during today's press event, but rather simply announce that the current generation iPhone will be available on its network.  The event is expected to kick off at 11 a.m. ET \u2014 stay tuned to our live notes below (all times ET) and to Mashable for more details about the Verizon iPhone's pricing and availability. \nVerizon iPhone Announcement: Live Notes\n10:45 - The doors have opened ... we're in the second row!  It's not typical Apple event music; they've got some jazz going (we are at Frederick P. Rose Hall, Home of Jazz at the Lincoln Center, after all).\n10:56 - There's some commotion in the back of the room as John Oliver from The Daily Show shouts \"f\u2014k yea!\" repeatedly.  Random?\n11:00 - Verizon's President and COO Lowell McAdam takes the stage, right on time.  He says today's announcement \"won't disappoint\" and that if we write about something long enough, it will eventually come true.  Yep ... iPhone.\n\n\n\n\n11:02 - McAdam is now talking about the reliability of Verizon's network and its ability to support data.  \"We debated calling this 6G,\" he says, noting all the ads other carriers have been running about their mobile broadband capabilities.  \n11:05 - \"Today, we're bringing to market the fruit of our strategic partner with another giant of the high tech industry, and that's Apple.\"  BOOM, iPhone on Verizon folks.\n11:07 - McAdam says that Verizon spent more than a year testing iPhone on its network to make sure its network can offer the reliability its customers expect.  The device will be available early next month.\n11:08 - McAdam introduces Apple COO Tim Cook.\n\n\n\n\n11:10 - Cook says iPhone 4 on Verizon has all the features you'd expect \u2014 Facetime, retina display, HD video recording, Apple's custom designed A4 chip, and \"most importantly, an integrated experience that's far beyond what anyone else is providing.\"\n11:11 - \"This is just the beginning of a great relationship between Apple and Verizon,\" says Cook.  \"I'm very optimistic about what the future holds.\"  Cook introduces Dan Mead CEO of Verizon Wireless.\n11:13 - Mead says that training of Verizon employees will start this week.  Merchandising, back end system, and customer service have all been ramped up in preparation for launch.  He expects unprecedented volume.\n11:15 - \"We have been testing ... thousands of devices on the network.  We could not be more pleased about where we are and what we're going to be offering to customers,\" says Mead.\n11:16 - On February 3, Verizon Wireless's existing customers will have an exclusive opportunity to pre-order iPhone 4 online ahead of general availability.  On February 10, the iPhone 4 will launch to everyone online, in Verizon stores and in Apple stores.\n11:17 - $199 for the 16GB device and $299 for the 32GB device with a two-year contract.  iPhone 4 will enable customers to connect up to five Wi-Fi devices using the phone's data connection.\n11:20 - Cook and Mead are now on stage for Q&amp;A.\n\n\n\n\n11:21 - On why the phone is CDMA and not LTE, Cook says it would require design compromises that Apple is not willing to make.  He also says that customers want it now and he wanted to provide that choice now. \n11:23 - The deal between Apple and Verizon is multi-year and non-exclusive ... meaning another CDMA carrier (like Sprint) could potentially offer the iPhone at some point. \n11:24 - As with other CDMA devices, you won't be able to browse the web while on the phone.  Advantage: AT&amp;T.\n11:25 - Verizon is not announcing pricing for data plans today, though they reiterate the unique feature of being able to use the Verizon iPhone 4 as a mobile hotspot.\n11:25 - Cook offers a \"no comment\" when asked about an LTE iPhone.\n11:30 - Press conference over ... stay tuned for more analysis from Mashable throughout the day."^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://mashable.com/2011/01/11/verizon-iphone-launch/>