That’s right, we finally have an official date, we all hoped it would be before the Masters Tournament but Verizon needed a bit longer to get things ready and now they have set a date — July 21, 2011.

Get your 4G phones turned back to 3G/4G, you only have a month to wait. You can read the press release below.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

June 21, 2011

VERIZON WIRELESS LAUNCHES 4G LTE IN AUGUSTA ON JULY 21

AUGUSTA, GA – Verizon Wireless announced today that it is bringing the world’s first

large-scale 4G Long Term Evolution (LTE) network to Augusta, Georgia on July 21. Residents

in Augusta, North Augusta and Aiken, SC with 4G LTE smartphones, laptop modems and

hotspots will be able to take advantage of speeds up to 10 times faster than the company’s 3G

network.

“Verizon Wireless is making the best network even better,” said Jeff Mango, president of

the Georgia/Alabama Region of Verizon Wireless. “The activation of our lightning fast 4G LTE

network in Augusta is further evidence of our commitment to and investment in the residents of

this area.”

In real-world, fully-loaded network environments, 4G LTE users should experience

average data rates of 5 to 12 megabits per second (Mbps) on the downlink and 2 to 5 Mbps on

the uplink. Verizon Wireless began introducing the globe’s first large-scale LTE network on

December 5, 2010, covering more than 110 million Americans, and is quickly expanding

national coverage, currently offering service in 74 metropolitan areas. The company is rapidly

building out its 4G LTE network, and is on course to deliver 4G LTE to its entire 3G wireless

footprint by the end of 2013.

As the first wireless company in the world to broadly deploy game-changing 4G LTE

technology, Verizon Wireless is committed to building its 4G network with the same

performance and reliability for which it has long been recognized. Verizon Wireless’ consistent

focus on reliability is based on rigid engineering standards and a disciplined deployment

approach year after year. The company’s 700 MHz spectrum gives Verizon Wireless specific

advantages with 4G, including a contiguous, nationwide network license.

Visit www.verizonwireless.com/lte for more information about Verizon Wireless’ 4G

LTE network.

###

About Verizon Wireless

Verizon Wireless operates the nation’s fastest, most advanced 4G network and largest, most

reliable 3G network. The company serves 104 million total wireless connections, including

more than 88 million retail customers. Headquartered in Basking Ridge, N.J., with 85,000

employees nationwide, Verizon Wireless is a joint venture of Verizon Communications

(NYSE, NASDAQ: VZ) and Vodafone (LSE, NASDAQ: VOD). For more information, visit

www.verizonwireless.com. To preview and request broadcast-quality video footage and high-

resolution stills of Verizon Wireless operations, log on to the Verizon Wireless Multimedia

Library at www.verizonwireless.com/multimedia.

 

I don’t think my title is a stretch when you see this new T-Mobile ad. It’s online only for now, but will air on TV in a week. Tell me this doesn’t reek of my 4G network is bigger than yours is! Also if you didn’t notice, there’s a hint of the Android vs iPhone battle going on.

 

The news that everyone has been wanting to hear for years has finally been announced — Verizon is getting a CDMA version of the iPhone! Unfortunately, it is only a CDMA version and according to the Q&A session today at Verzion’s event they are not currently working on an LTE version.

The iPhone 4 on Verizon will be released February 10, but if you are a current Verizon subscriber you will get the option to pr-order starting February 3. There will be 2 versions available — 16GB for $199 and a 32GB for $299, both prices are after signing a new 2-year contract.

Read on for the official press release.

 

Verizon Wireless & Apple Team Up to Deliver iPhone 4 on Verizon
 
BASKING RIDGE, New Jersey and CUPERTINO, California—January 11, 2011—Verizon Wireless and Apple® today announced that the iPhone® 4 will be available on the Verizon Wireless network beginning on Thursday, February 10. Qualified Verizon Wireless customers will be given the exclusive opportunity to pre-order iPhone 4 online on February 3, ahead of general availability.
 
iPhone 4 is the most innovative phone in the world, featuring Apple’s stunning Retina™ display, the highest resolution display ever built into a phone resulting in super crisp text, images and video, and FaceTime®, which makes video calling a reality. iPhone 4 on Verizon Wireless will also include new Personal Hotspot capabilities allowing customers to use iPhone 4 to connect up to five Wi-Fi enabled devices.
 
“We are pleased to introduce millions of wireless users to the industry leading iPhone 4 on the nation’s most reliable network,” said Lowell McAdam, president and chief operating officer of Verizon. “This is an important step for the industry as two great companies join forces to give wireless customers one of the most important technological additions to the mobile landscape this century.”
 
“Verizon Wireless customers have told us they can’t wait to get their hands on iPhone 4, and we think they are going to love it,” said Tim Cook, Apple’s chief operating officer. “We have enormous respect for the company Verizon has built and the loyalty they have earned from their customers.”
 
iPhone 4 features a 5 megapixel camera with LED flash, HD video recording, Apple’s A4 chip, a 3-axis gyro and a beautiful glass and stainless steel design like no other mobile phone. iPhone 4 also comes with iOS 4, the world’s most advanced mobile operating system, which includes multitasking, folders, Game Center, AirPlay® and AirPrint wireless printing.  iPhone 4 customers have access to the world’s most popular App Store℠ with more than 300,000 apps available in an incredible range of 20 categories, including games, business, news, sports, health and reference.
 
Pricing & Availability
iPhone 4 will be available on the Verizon Wireless network beginning Thursday, February 10 for a suggested retail price of $199.99 for the 16GB model and $299.99 for the 32GB model with a new two year customer agreement. iPhone 4 will be available at more than 2,000 Verizon Wireless Communications Stores nationwide, online at  www.verizonwireless.com/iphone, at Apple Retail Stores, at the Apple Store® (www.apple.com), at Apple Authorized Resellers, and by calling 1-800-2 JOIN IN.
 
(EDITOR’S NOTE: Media can access high-resolution images in the Verizon Wireless Multimedia Library at www.verizonwireless.com/multimedia.)
 
Verizon Wireless operates the nation’s most reliable and largest wireless voice and 3G data network, serving more than 93 million customers. Headquartered in Basking Ridge, N.J., with 79,000 employees nationwide, Verizon Wireless is a joint venture of Verizon Communications (NYSE, NASDAQ: VZ) and Vodafone (LSE, NASDAQ: VOD). For more information, visit www.verizonwireless.com.
 
Apple designs Macs, the best personal computers in the world, along with OS X, iLife, iWork, and professional software. Apple leads the digital music revolution with its iPods and iTunes online store. Apple is reinventing the mobile phone with its revolutionary iPhone and App Store, and has recently introduced its magical iPad which is defining the future of mobile media and computing devices.

 

Before I get to my first impressions review I want to say that this is not the same as the Motorola DROID. This has an older version of the Android OS (Android version 1.5, the DROID runs version 2.0) so some apps that have been advertised for the DROID will not work on the Eris, namely Google Navigation. Google Navigation is currently only available for Android 2.0 devices. The only reason I bring this up is because I’ve heard consumers complaining about this to Verizon and apparently they aren’t being told this by the company, they are just getting the answer, “I don’t know why it’s not working on your phone.” It’s not working on the phone because the phone doesn’t run the same OS as the DROID.

First, the phone is a little taller, thinner and heavier than the HTC Touch, the curves are curvy and it feels good in the hand.

The phone is fast and sliding between screens moves just as fast as you think it should. Apps pop up quickly and respond at lightning speeds, the browser is fast with 3G even though I enjoy the Android 2.0 browser more.

Unlike the Motorola DROID, the HTC Eris has HTC’s signature Micro USB adapter for charging so you’ll be able to use any Micro USB cable to charge or move data over.

So there’s a brief run down of my first impressions. Keep an eye out later this week for the full review with pictures and a video.

 

IntoMobile just released the news that Wirefly.com is selling the Moto DROID for $99.99 and the HTC Eris for FREE (after activating a new Verizon account, of course). Get ‘em while they are hot!

According to IntoMobile the DROID deal is just as it seems — only available on new accounts — but the Eris deal is for current subscribers who are willing to sign a new 2-year agreement and pay $59.99 or more on the accompanying plan. Shipping is free on both phones so if you want to save you’ll just have to wait a few more days for the phones to be shipped.

Wirefly DROID deal
FREE HTC Eris

[via IntoMobile]