Like many Verizon customers, I was ecstatic at the news that the iPhone would finally be coming to my network. So ecstatic, in fact, that I had to make a video to celebrate:
Finally I would leave the world of dumbphones behind and get the one and only smartphone I truly ever wanted, the iPhone! The only question was whether I would instantly get the iPhone 4, or cautiously wait to be rewarded as one of the first super-humans who possess the iPhone 5.
The closer and closer we got to June and Apple’s yearly Worldwide Developer Conference, blog after blog preached with certainty that the next generation iPhone would be gracing us with its presence. Alas, false hopes. With Apple announcing that the 2011 WWDC (where they’ve deputed that last three iPhones in that last three years) is solely focusing on software this year, the iPhone 5 may not appear until next fall or even 2012.
Now I am faced with the choice of finally getting my coveted iPhone or trying out one of the new Android phones that are shaking up the industry. Read along and help me decide…
While I’m undoubtedly an Apple guy through and through (see video above), there’s something off-putting with the iPhone 4. The fact that it came to Verizon a year after its initial debut with AT&T just makes it seem old and out-dated. The new CDMA chip the phone needed to run on Verizon’s network even limits it capabilities when compared to its GSM chip counterpart. Perhaps the biggest drawback is that the Verizon iPhone, which runs on the 3G network, launched at the dawn of the 4G era.
The case against the iPhone is pretty clear when you line it up next to the HTC Thunderbolt and upcoming Motorola Bionic:
| iPhone 4 | Thunderbolt | Bionic | |
| Network: | 3G | 4G LTE | 4G LTE |
| Processor: | 1GHz Apple A4 | 1GHz Snapdragon | Dual-core 1 GHz Nvida Tegra |
| RAM: | 512MB | 768MB | 512 MB |
| Storage: | 16 or 32GB | 8GB (w/ microSD= 40GB) | 16GB (w/ microSD = 32GB) |
| Front Camera: | VGA | 1.3MP | VGA |
| Rear Camera: | 5MP | 8MP | 8MP |
| Screen: | 3.5″ | 4.3″ | 4.3″ |
So which phone do I go with? The answer may seem pretty obvious, right? The Thunderbolt is bigger, stronger and faster than the year-old, re-packaged iPhone 4. Or do I play the waiting game again (and probably lose) with the Bionic?
Unlike all the Mac rumor blogs that so easily ignored their glaring miscalculations and simply moved on to prophesizing the iPhone’s second-coming (or I guess fifth?) in 2012, I need a new phone! I guess the only thing I know for certain is no matter which phone I go with, it’ll be old technology in another six months. So best not to worry, right? What to do you think?
Kibitzers 
Why’s everyone so down on the Motorola Bionic?
It has a dual-core processor and is going to be suuuuuuper fast. But they already are saying they’re having battery life issues just like the Thunderbolt. That’s what you get for the fastest phones.
DON’T GET THE IPHONE!!!
HTC EVO is the way to go
iphone4 with a one year contact! Boom! Seriously I have both a droid (galaxy 5 s as my personal phone on verizon) and a iphone4 (as my work phone on at & t) and they are both awesome in totally different ways. Actually as I type this (thinking of apples to apples and knowing my judge) you would watch videos more than play on facebook, you would take and upload pictures more than face time, and you would want to swype…get the newest samsung
Great first post, Andrew!Maybe not your objective, but I chuckled a few times, so you should be flattered. I’m going to have to disagree with Amy and recommend you not get a Samsung,or anything Samsung related (however, I speak as a bitter AT&T users so that could play a part). My vote is with the HTC Thunderbolt – the iPhone hasn’t been with Verizon long enough to prove that AT&T was the reason why it sucked until now.
Dude I just watched the video you made, and I can see why CeCe’s manager would contact you. Nicely done.
It’s actually a nice and helpful piece of info. I am satisfied that you shared this useful info with us. Please keep us up to date like this. Thanks for sharing.