iPhone coming to Verizon? Now what?

9/9/2010

The Blade's blog Culture Shock is a three-times-a-week riff by Pop Culture Editor Kirk Baird on pop culture news, events, and trends. The blog will appear Monday, Wednesday, and Friday mornings, with the odd night or off-day posting if something is merited.

Fall is in the air, which can only mean ...

we're so very close to the Verizon iPhone. I've been keeping track of the rumors of late -- my wife might say obsessively so -- about the wondrous device known to heal lepers and its debut with a new phone carrier.

The iPhone is tethered exclusively to AT&T at the moment, but all recent signs point to their break-up, with Apple free to see other phone carriers such as Verizon and Sprint.

Of course, the rumors of the Apple-AT&T split have been making the rounds for years. Most believed it to be when -- not if -- Apple would move to the biggest U.S. carrier, which has ??? subscribers, including me.

I've been demoing several phones, three Verizon Droids (Droid X, Droid Incredible, Droid 2), as well as an AT&T Blackberry Torch. They're all good phones, though I prefer the Droid Incredible.

It doesn't have as big a screen as the Droid X, or a physical keyboard like the Droid 2 and Blackberry Torch. But I like the user-interface better and the overall feel of the phone. It reminds me of ... the iPhone.

So, as much as I want -- my wife suggests need -- to get a new phone, I'm reluctant to pull the trigger. What if I buy the Incredible, only to have the Verizon iPhone hit shelves in January, as rumored? Would I have buyer's remorse for the length of my 2-year contract?

So, here I sit, paralyzed by rumors and my own indecision, looking at a Droid Incredible and wondering ...

Agree or disagree with a posting? Lemme know. Have a topic or suggestion? Lemme know that, too. Send an e-mail to kbaird@theblade.com or call 419-724-6734. Or even better and easier, rant on the message board.