This is exactly what we thought would happen to the Google Wallet. As we noted earlier this year, the first partners are losing their exclusivity by the end of the year. It looks more likely now that the exclusivity lasted until the Galaxy Nexus was launched. Either way, there are too many players in the ecosystem and all want a piece of the action.

"Recent reports that Verizon is blocking Google Wallet on our devices are false. Verizon does not block applications. Google Wallet is different from other widely-available m-commerce services. Google Wallet does not simply access the operating system and basic hardware of our phones like thousands of other applications. Instead, in order to work as architected by Google, Google Wallet needs to be integrated into a new, secure and proprietary hardware element in our phones.

"We are continuing our commercial discussions with Google on this issue."

Let's break down exactly what Verizon is trying to say here. The Google Wallet is an m-commerce solution. Check. The Google Wallet is different because it institutes NFC, a security chip and is fundamentally different than other m-commerce options. Check. Google Wallet needs to be integrated into our phones in a secure and proprietary hardware in our phones. Check ...

Wait.

Outside of software that Verizon adds and the ability to run LTE/CDMA capabilities, what is Verizon really bringing to this phone? Google and Samsung designed it. Verizon is the carrier and the one that is going to subsidize the phone to consumers. So, yes, Verizon should have some type of say as to the functionality of the phone. Verizon is also Android's largest global carrier, so it has a certain amount of clout to play politics.

Make no mistake about it. This is politics pure and simple. Verizon never signed off on the Google Wallet project and the Samsung/Google duo cannot just sneak it through, especially as Verizon works with AT&T and T-Mobile on the ISIS project.

Verizon cannot legally block applications and so far it has said that it is not actually blocking the Google Wallet on the Galaxy Nexus (see the explanation of why Verizon cannot block applications on its spectrum at SplatF). In that vein, the company's statement above does not make a lick of sense. Technically, everything is fine.

I hate to say I told you so... but, I told you so. In earlier articles in our mobile payments series, we questioned whether or not NFC and the Google Wallet could actually make any headway into the mobile payments space based on the complexity and composition of its partnership structure. The first Google Wallet announcement had very specific requirements: Sprint, Mastercard, Citibank on the Nexus S. I am yet to meet anybody who qualifies in all those areas outside of people purposely use all those services to get Google Wallet capabilities.

Google is going to experience pain points on the way to mass adoption with every new partner it brings into its mobile payments ecosystem. You think Verizon is going to be the only one? Absolutely not. AT&T will drag its feet too. T-Mobile, the whipping boy of the carrier environment, will probably not have a choice, as long as it is independent.

Yet, what about new banks? Other financial institutions? You think MasterCard is going to be happy when Google tries to tie Visa and American Expresss to the Google Wallet as well? Both of those companies have their own large investments in mobile payments infrastructure and methods.

Here we have a classic example of corporate culture and the failure to innovate. Once a company gets to a certain size, bureaucracy and middle management slow down the entire innovation process, usually in the name of "growth." Decisions are harder to make. Now, take about a dozen companies, all with billion dollar bankrolls, and try to get them to play nice with each other.

We have written about the confluence of the tech and payments industries and what that means for mobile payments going forward. Verizon is a different type of entity, a tech company but also a communications company. The biggest fears that the telecoms have is that they will be turned into "dumb pipes" without any control of the content and data flowing over their networks. That is why Verizon has its own Android app store and why it is a partner with ISIS. If transactions are going to be made over Verizon's networks, the company wants a cut.

Too many hands in the cookie jar, all with big, brutal sticks to make sure they get the biggest and best cookie. Eventually, this will all sort itself out. It is just going to be an ugly mess until we get to that point.

At first glance, a company with the size and clout of Verizon would appear to be a formidable potential challenger to Netflix, who has been especially vulnerable lately. Still, there are reasons to doubt that Verizon would be successful in making a dent in Netflix's dominance of this space.

Verizon's Initial Limitations

Yet there are a few caveats reportedly coming with Verizon's new offering. For one, it's not going to be available anywhere that Verizon offers FiOS service. Geographically, that's a huge portion of the U.S., but many major U.S. cities, especially along the East Coast, have access to FiOS and thus won't have the option to sign up for the new service.

It's also apparently going to have a limited selection of content at first, with only a handful of content providers signing on. After all, Verizon wants wants to move further into the online video space, but is not exactly eager to disrupt the pay TV industry.

As rocky as things have been for Netflix's brand in the last few months, the company still has the benefit of being a relatively young Internet company without the baggage and reputation of a bloated telecom. There is, at least to a small yet growing extent, some philosophical resistance to the idea of signing up with such companies for anything more than an Internet connection. In all likelihood, Verizon's streaming service would be aggressively bundled with its other products.

Still, for existing Verizon customers (and there are more than a handful), a competitively-priced streaming service could be attractive enough to add to that monthly bill.

What do you think? Would you sign up for a Netflix competitor from Verizon?

In March the CEOs of Sprint, Verizon and AT&T took the stage at CTIA in Orlando for a lively discussion about the state of the mobile ecosystem and its future. The keynote was affable with an undertone of drama, coming two days after AT&T announced that it was acquiring T-Mobile for $39 billion.

The CEOs returned to the stage today at the CTIA Enterprise & Apps conference in San Diego. A lot has changed from March. Sprint has sued AT&T to prevent the T-Mobile merger and is fighting for its livelihood as a major U.S. carrier. Sprint CEO Dan Hesse took a couple swipes at AT&T head man Ralph de la Vega but overall the carriers spoke about working together and how they are pushing the bounds of mobile innovation in the United States. Check out our Storify of the keynote below.

The Verizon Android store will focus on premium apps and ship alongside the Android Market on Verizon devices. Verizon is dropping its V Cast app store and renaming it Verizon Apps. On the flip side, Verizon is trying to make app search easier through its partnership with Chomp, a company that has created an algorithm specifically designed to tackle the tricky problem of app store search results.

Verizon is now trying to align itself more with third-party Android application stores like GetJar and Amazon with the focus on premium apps. Todd Murphy, director of the consumer solutions group at Verizon, told AllThingsD that nearly three out of every five applications it sees downloaded through Verizon are paid applications. That is significantly higher than in the Android Market itself.

This could portend and interesting trend for developers. They could focus their marketing efforts for premium games on the third-party directories next to their Android Market offerings. Verizon's effort to control the apps that are downloaded through its pipes is also a signal of how the carriers want to control more of the content running on their devices. Not only will they be able to monetize on the apps that are downloaded, but premium apps tend to be used more than most paid apps, which has the potential to drive up data use and hence the revenue that Verizon can potentially make off of data plans.

Tackling Search

Searching application stores is an exercise in pounding your head against the wall. That goes especially true for trying to search the iOS app store, but Android Market is no better, even though it is controlled by Google. This is where Chomp steps in.

The Verizon Android store will have a search box featured by Chomp.

"What is different about app stores is that the search tech is very primitive," said Ben Keighran, CEO and co-founder of Chomp to ReadWriteWeb. "You only get good results if you search the specific name of the app and sometimes you get very strange search results."

The goal of Chomp is to change the fundamental nature of how people search application stores. Instead of looking for a specific app, they have created an algorithm that will search categories much more efficiently. Say for instance you are looking for "recipes" or "fun games." In the Android Market and Apple App Store, those could give a variety of search results. Chomp thinks that its specially built algorithm can give the best results for more generic search terms.

Keighran said that Chomp's approach is two-fold. It understands the DNA of how search works along with knowing how people search and what they expect to see. The Google-style PageRank does not work in application stores because there are no links within an app for the search engine to crawl and very little metadata.

"We have built the team around the idea of how people search," Keighran said.

The move from Verizon comes the day after AT&T started moving jailbroken hotspot users without data plans involuntarily to tiered data plans. Verizon hotspot plans start at $20 for 2 GB of data when added to a data plan of $29.99 or more. Every GB after the 2 GB threshold is an additional $20. The move corresponds with U.S. carriers closing loopholes in their pricing structures to maximize revenue from data as voice and text messaging revenue decreases.

The timing of Verizon's move to block jailbroken tethering access is worth noting. Coming in the wake of AT&T's move yesterday and taking effect on a Friday (if not within the last two days), it shows that the operator does not want the news to make a big splash. Reports surfaced Friday morning that AT&T would begin throttling the bandwidth of heavy users and only later confirmed their plans with a press release late in the afternoon, EST.

Moves like this should not take consumers by surprise. The networks do not like consumers getting away with data for free. Any loophole that consumers can be use to get around data plans or additional services (like the extra charge for tethering) will be closed and the operators will point users to their pages highlighting data rates.

According to Verizon, its customers will be able to sign up for Serve accounts on both Verizon phones and tablets, although it did not specify which devices those would be.

Serve, which can be funded by a bank account, debit or credit card, or from another Serve account, does not require users to be American Express card holders. Instead, it's aimed at those who don't rely on credit cards. With Serve, customers can shop both online and offline, anywhere American Express is accepted.

Verizon Wireless customers will be able to use Serve to buys goods and services on their mobile device in just a few clicks. The process is easier than entering in a credit card number by hand, because all that's required to checkout using Serve is your mobile phone number.

American Express and Verizon will also team up to use Serve as a way to source, distribute and enable the redemption of online and mobile offers with participating Serve merchants. The offers and coupons customers redeem at checkout will automatically appear in their Serve accounts, which can be viewed and managed online and on mobile.

In addition, both companies are working with Payfone, a mobile payments startup which American Express invested in this spring.  Payfone helps to combine mobile authorization and payment services with the Serve platform. This allows customers to pay for both digital and physical goods using just their phone number. Payfone is unique as it leverages the security built into mobile operator networks to fight fraud. With Payfone, the customer's SIM card, device ID and location are tied to each customer's account for more secure transactions.

Merchants interested in learning more about accepting Serve can visit www.serve.com/billmyphone.

The new service brings a "one-click" payment option to any Verizon mobile phones that ship with a Web browser. No upgrades will be required to use the service, says Verizon - the option to pay using your mobile will simply appear as a link on the merchants' websites.

For larger purchases that a customer may not want to charge to their monthly phone bill, the option to link a Payfone account to a credit card will be made available.

The deal, which was first reported by The Wall St. Journal on Friday, has been officially confirmed by the companies today.

What makes Payfone unique is its security system. Unlike traditional payments network, it leverages the security built into the mobile operator network while processing transactions. To do so, it ties a customer's SIM card, device ID and location to their account, so that it knows when a different phone is used, or when a phone is used in an unusual location. Payfone also takes advantage of the global SS7 signaling network for connected payment authorization and processing. The end result is a location-based, customer-specific approach to fighting fraud, reducing risk, chargebacks and identity theft.

Payfone is also used by American Express's new Serve payments platform, which just today launched into a partnership with AOL.

Other Verizon Initiatives

Verizon is also involved in other payment initiatives including Isis, a mobile payments service launched along with T-Mobile and AT&T that will allow customers to pay at point-of-sale using their mobile phones.

It should be noted that this is not the first carrier billing program provided by Verizon. BilltoMobile, a Verizon partner since March 2010, teamed up with mobile payments companies BOKU and Zong in January, to offer expanded direct carrier billing options to Verizon customers. The new relationship with Payfone does not aim to replace this current partnership or any other initiative, says Verizon, it only serves to complement them.

It was a moment of high drama and the players didn't dissapoint.  When asked point blank about the consequences for innovation of the deal AT&T's Ralph de la Vega focused on the positive and Verizon's Dan Mead yawned at the supposed threat.  Sprint CEO, underdog and the Chairman of CTIA itself Dan Hesse, however, was quite explicit in sounding the alarm.

Panel moderator Jim Cramer started out asking simply, what are the consequences to innovation of the AT&T deal for T-Mobile? The New York Times said there was little for consumers to cheer about concerning the deal.  Did the panelists agree?

AT&T's Ralph de la Vega answered first.  He disagreed, of course, and said that the deal would benefit consumers because it resolves spectrum issues in major cities. "When you combine networks," he said, "your coverage becomes denser and you have more capacity." He also said that as a result of the deal, AT&T would focus on rolling out next generation networks to rural America.  

Throughout the panel, de la Vega's responses had a tone of humility.  That's probably a good affect to take on, given the stakes of regulatory consideration of the T-Mobile deal.

What does Verizon think of the deal?

CEO Dan Mead appeared unmoved.  "We've built a foundation of great spectrum through many may acquisitions similar to what's being discussed here," he said.  "We feel very good about our spectrum position."  When asked if Verizon had considered acquiring T-Mobile itself, Mead said "we didn't think there was a need."

Mead didn't offer much comment on innovation in particular, he appeared much more concerned about the company's strong marketshare and ability to service its customer's basic needs.

"The underlying issue is a fundamentally sound spectrum policy to foster innovation," he offered. "We have a tremendous amount of competition [already]."

The Sprint reply was the most entertaining.

"Are you concerned that consolidation could stifle innovation?" asked moderator Cramer.

"My opinion doesn't matter," said Sprint CEO and CTIA chairman Dan Hesse, "it's the FCC and the DOJ's that matter. But yes. If that transaction is allowed to proceed, 79% of marketshare would be in the top 2 companies. I am concerned it would stifle innovation."

With that the crowd at the event burst into cheers.  It was clear that people at this industry event are concerned about the growing centralization of power as well.

Hesse gave AT&T credit for opening up the huge market for mobile apps like no one else had been able to do before, but he also said he really hopes that the Microsoft and Nokia partnership goes well.  "If that partnership goes well, it gives consumers more choice," he said. "I think it's good for our industry to have a strong 4th choice."

That's an appealing and intuitive position to take.  It's also a logical position for someone who is on the outside of that 79% marketshare held by the 2 big players.

In a fast-mobilizing world, rich with innovation possibilities throughout a complex value chain, what do you think is best for innovation?  Competition among a larger number of mobile carriers or the superior service and platform that the market leaders say comes from scale and density of coverage?

Disclosure: The topic of this post was chosen independently of Sprint's sponsorship of our coverage at CTIA. Because of the scope of the event, our coverage of CTIA will at times undoubtably mention other vendors and companies including Sprint and their competitors.

I kid, I kid. But really, after the great antennagate debacle of 2010, if I never heard the phrase "signal issues" again it would be too soon. If you're not sure what I'm referring to, I'd love to know the location of your rock so I can hide out until antennagate 2.0 blows over.

Anyway....

iPhone 4 Antenna Still Doesn't Work, Says Consumer Reports

Consumer Reports says the Verizon iPhone has the same issues as the AT&T version - it loses its signal when a specific area of the phone's outer casing is covered by your fingers or thumb. The only solution to this issue is to put the iPhone in a case of some sort - like, for example, the iPhone 4 bumper cases that were at one time offered to unhappy AT&T customers through Apple's now-discontinued free case program.

In the new article, Consumer Reports details how it performed its tests, its conclusions, and all that technical jazz, but the bottom line reads:

"...we are not including the Verizon iPhone 4 in our list of recommended smart phones, despite its high ranking in our Ratings."

I'm sure Apple is very concerned. Despite the media insanity (and let's be frank, the truthfulness) of the antenna issues, the company went on to sell a record-breaking 1.7 million iPhone 4's within its first three days on the market. Apple sold 16.24 million iPhones last quarter. And Verizon ran out of inventory on its first day of iPhone sales.

Hmm, looks like people are just fine with buying a case for their iPhone.

Underlying some of this growth was an increase in wireless revenue for the company - a 9.9% growth. This was also the first quarter where wireless revenue outpaced wireline revenue. But the growth rate for new customers was the lowest in five years.

The company also said it had activated 442,000 tablets in Q4. AT&T calls the increase in tablets a "a new growth area for the company".

That "new growth area" may deflect from what will be AT&T's last quarter as the exclusive carrier of the iPhone, as today's figures come on the heels of the (long-awaited) announcement that its rival Verizon would start selling the iPhone - something starting February 3. AT&T noted that the fourth quarter was good for "churn" - subscribers switching carriers - but that number will undoubtedly change when the company reports on figures from the first quarter of this year. Nonetheless, these are strong figures from AT&T, as the company readies to do battle with Verizon over what is clearly the future - wireless subscriptions.

Of course, this will likely require carrier support, so AT&T users still might not benefit.

According to BGR, the OS version will be 8F5148b, the baseband will be 04.08.00, with technical acceptance planned for March.

In the meantime, you can read our guide on how to jailbreak your iPhone to turn it into a hotspot.

Or you can get an Android, which offers Wi-Fi and tethering as part of its OS.

But there are questions, too. What is the difference between the carriers' networks? Has the antenna issue been fixed? Is there a charge for the new Wi-Fi hotspot feature? Will the iPhone come with preinstalled Verizon apps? And, of course: can I get it in white?

We'll attempt to answer some of those questions here.

The Verizon iPhone has CDMA chips inside which allow it to run on the Verizon network, while the AT&T iPhone runs on a standard called UMTS. Theoretically speaking, AT&T's network is capable of faster speeds, but to the end user, there won't be a major difference in speed when switching between the two because the network gridlock that (regularly) occurs on AT&T causes slowdowns. In fact, the Verizon iPhone may actually feel faster.

Although the new phones have not been released yet, CNET was able to do some brief comparison tests and found the Verizon iPhone loaded webpages much faster than AT&T's version. If you're in an area where there's poor coverage or on a congested network, switching to Verizon could solve those issues.

2. Why Can't I Talk and Surf the Web/Use Apps?

The one drawback to Verizon's CDMA technology is that it limits you to using only voice or data in a single session. The AT&T iPhone lets you talk and the surf the Web at the same time, however. This also means that you couldn't load up any Web-connected mobile applications during a phone call, like Maps, for instance, and have them work. It's a minor inconvenience, to be sure, but if this is your only concern, you shouldn't consider it a deal-breaker. (Besides, who really talks on the phone anymore anyway? Don't you just text?)

Photo credit: Wall St. Journal

3. Has the Antenna Issue Been Fixed?

Those of you with slightly longer memories, may recall a little (OK, major) PR debacle last year dubbed "Antennagate." In short, it appeared that Apple's decision to place its radio antennas as metal bands that wrap around the iPhone's body led to there being a particular spot on the phone where pressing on the antenna could diminish the signal strength. Unfortunately, it's near impossible to hold a phone comfortably in your hand without touching the trouble spot. Apple eventually held a press conference, admitted there were mistakes and gave out free plastic bumpers to iPhone 4 owners, which effectively solves the problem. (Bumpers were provided for a limited time only - now you must purchase them.)

With the new Verizon iPhone's debut, people are wondering if it will have the same problem - will you have to buy a case along with the phone? Although, again, it's too early for thorough tests to have been completed, early reports indicate the death grip is no more.

Photo Credit: Slashgear

4. Is Verizon the Exclusive CDMA Carrier?

If you're hoping that the CDMA iPhone, now that it exists, will make its way to other CDMA networks, you may be in luck. Verizon says it and Apple have a multi-year, but non-exclusive contract. That leaves the door open for Apple to offer the phone to other CDMA carriers in the future, like Sprint, for example. Nothing has been officially announced regarding Apple's future plans.

5. Why is There No SIM Card?

Another minor point of differentiation between the Verizon and AT&T iPhone is the Verizon iPhone's lack of a SIM card slot. This has to do with Verizon's implementation of CDMA technology, which does not require the use of a SIM card. For the end user, a SIM card makes switching between handsets easier, which is of most concern to world travelers who regularly pop out their SIM card and replace it with a prepaid SIM from a local carrier. However, the AT&T iPhone was carrier-locked anyway, making this trick inaccessible to the end user - unless they hacked their phone using jailbreaking software and then unlocked it. Again, this is not a deal-breaker for most mainstream users.

6. Why Did the Buttons Move? (Do I Have to Buy a Special Case?)

Besides having to support CDMA, the Verizon iPhone's antenna has a notch above the volume and mute controls on the left side of the phone. In fact, on the Verizon iPhone the controls have been moved down just a bit, but far enough that it will require a Verizon iPhone-specific case or bumper. The old ones for AT&T iPhones will not work. Apple said these changes were made to accommodate the CDMA chips inside the phone.

Photo credit: Engadget

7. Is There a Charge for the New Personal Wi-Fi Hotspot Feature?

The Verizon iPhone does one-up the AT&T version by introducing a Wi-Fi hotspot feature, which allows up to five additional devices to share the phone's 3G connection. Officially, Apple PR would not say whether there was a charge for this feature, but reports have indicated that it will cost $20/month - the same as Verizon charges for the feature on other devices. We spoke to a local PR rep for Verizon Wireless who confirmed the $20 fee would be in place.

Photo credit: Techcrunch

8. Is Verizon Preloading the iPhone with Apps?

Many of Verizon's smartphones come preloaded with Verizon's own mobile applications - will the iPhone suffer the same fate? Will Verizon "crapware" be installed? Thankfully, no. According to Ars Technica, Apple's VP of Worldwide Product Marketing Phil Schiller said: "we want the experience to be the same for every iPhone user. So there are no special Verizon Apps preinstalled."

9. Can You Get it in White?

Although the mythical white iPhone briefly showed up on Verizon's website, it disappeared just as quickly. Its appearance was more likely an error than an indication that Verizon would be offering the device in the alternative color. Our local PR rep said that no one in the field has seen or heard anything about the Verizon iPhone in white either.

Photo credit: Macstories.net

10. How Much Does It Cost?

Last, but far from least, is price. The actual cost of the phone itself (with contract) is the same on Verizon as on AT&T - $199 for the 16 GB version, or $299 for the 32 GB one. The differences come in the data plan pricing. Verizon has not officially announced iPhone plan pricing, but it's assumed it will be in line with its other smartphone pricing plans. In addition, prior to the Verizon iPhone's launch, The Wall St. Journal reported that Verizon would offer an unlimited data plan for iPhone users.

Assuming the data plans Verizon currently offers are the ones it will provide to iPhone users, there are some differences from AT&T. At present, AT&T's plans provide 200 MB of data for $15/month, 2 GB of data for $25/month and 2G of data plus tethering (via USB, Bluetooth) for $45/month. Verizon's current smartphone plan offers 150 MB of data for $15/month and unlimited data for $29.99/month. The Wi-Fi hotspot would be an additional $20.00.

For more frequently asked questions about this phone, check out Verizon's own FAQ here.

Of course, a number of publications picked up on this, suspecting it was a hint about today's news. But last night, the tweet in question disappeared...which actually seems more of a confirmation that the original tweet ever did.

But the source of the tweet was interesting: "Twitter for iPhone." Was this a sneaky, subtle hint about today's news? Or was the person in charge of the Verizon Twitter account actually using an AT&T iPhone?

Screenshot credit: Business Insider

But what was even more strange is that the tweet getting copied and reposted around the Web oddly disappeared only hours later. Did Verizon pull it down? Apparently. And a Verizon PR isn't saying why.

I think we know.

Google still has the tweet in its cache here.

@VerizonWireless, Such a Tease

In the meantime, if you're looking for interesting tweets, @VerizonWireless has been a tease for days, tweeting yesterday: "Getting ready to make news on Tuesday," and now this morning asking a follower "if we said what the Verizon event Tuesday is going to be about - would it still be news?"

Yes, yes it would.

The event is being hosted by Lowell McAdam, Verizon President and COO, and will likely see Apple CEO Steve Jobs grace the stage as well.

AT&T & Verizon Trading Barbs

AT&T, which has been the only carrier with the iPhone for three-and-a-half years in the U.S., has even started to publicly dismiss the Verizon version of the phone. For example, AT&T PR spokesperson Larry Solomon sent Business Insider the following statement yesterday:

"The iPhone is built for speed, but that's not what you get with a CDMA phone. I'm not sure iPhone users are ready for life in the slow lane."

He also explained that AT&T's GSM technology is faster than Verizon's CDMA technology.

That same exact wording was released by AT&T Mark Siegel in a statement given to The New York Times.

Verizon then fought back, releasing a statement of its own:

"AT&T is known for a lot of things, but network quality is not one of them,” said Jeffrey Nelson, a spokesman for Verizon Wireless. “Typically companies try to call attention to their strongest suit."

Ouch!

CDMA iPhone Confirmed?

Notably, AT&T's above statement not only confirms the existence of the Verizon iPhone itself, but also its technical nature: CDMA, not LTE.

For those unfamiliar with the acronyms, CDMA is Verizon's equivalent of 3G while LTE is 4G. (Although the term "4G" has been transformed into marketing lingo for "next generation, high speed networks" - none of the U.S.'s "4G" networks actually meet the standards requirements).

That's an interesting detail about the Verizon iPhone because, last week at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES 2011) in Las Vegas, Verizon announced a slew of LTE-capable phones, all of which were running Google's Android mobile operating system.

It appears that the choice Verizon will be presenting its smartphone shoppers is this: do you want a Verizon iPhone, or a 4G Android? Arguably, the supposed lack of 4G technology in the iPhone could make that a tougher decision for those who know and care about network speeds. However, that may not include most mainstream consumers.

According to Elisabeth Rainge, an analyst at IDC, "regular consumers think more about the handset than the network." She wondered: "if they build LTE, will they come?"

Nielsen's latest survey revealed that same sentiment was found among many U.S. adults. The firm asked more than 2,100 U.S. adults about 4G technology to gauge consumer awareness and perceptions, as well as purchase intent.

The results showed that while 83% were aware of 4G, half said they did not understand it. And 71% reported they were not planning on buying a 4G device within the next 12 months.

How Many AT&T Defectors?

Gene Munster, an analyst at Piper Jaffray told NYT that Verizon could activate as many as 9 million iPhones this year, or as much as 40% of its total smartphone sales for the year. He said that up to 6.5 million of those could be from AT&T.

Meanwhile, Credit Suisse estimates that AT&T will have 18.4 million iPhone subscribers in 2010, of which 15.9 million (86%) will be under contract, according to The Wall St. Journal. And analyst Jonathan Chaplin estimates that Verizon will sign up 9.6 million subscribers through 2012, 1.3 million of which will be from AT&T.

The discrepancy in the numbers show that not even analysts are sure of the effect this move will have on the subscriber bases of the two networks, only that there will be one.

Oh yes, this must be the Verizon iPhone.

There's really no other news beyond that, only this mysterious invite:

Image credit: AllThingsD - it's no surprise that they're on the list.

Please, please let it come in white!

For more proof of the Verizon iPhone's existence, see this post: "What's the status of the Verizon iPhone?"

And let's not forget this recently leaked video from smartphone parts firm Global Direct Parts. The video, which was subsequently pulled from YouTube by either Apple.com (as it claimed) or some jokester claiming to be Apple (DMCA takedown notices are often automated), appeared to show a comparison of parts between the current iPhone 4 and some future fifth-generation phone.

This is a backup copy: