Pogue on the Verizon iPhone 4

David Pogue, on CDMA’s simultaneous voice/data limitation:

A second C.D.M.A. difference: When you exchange long text messages with non-Verizon phones, they get split up into 160-character chunks. G.S.M. phones are smart enough to reconstitute those chunks into one more readable, consolidated message.

I did not know that.

If the top of your screen says “3G,” an indication that you’re in a high-speed Internet area of Verizon’s network, incoming calls take priority and interrupt your online connection. If you’re online in an older, 2G area, you stay online and the call goes directly to voice mail.

I never encountered this because in my use, the iPhone 4 on Verizon has never had anything other than a 3G signal. And, unlike GSM iPhones, there is no switch in the settings app to turn off 3G manually.

★ Thursday, 3 February 2011