Verizon iPhone Hotspot: Potential pitfalls

We can now finally dispel with the rumor of the Verizon iPhone. It has arrived, or at least, it will arrive next month. One of the interesting features that will be included included is the HotSpot technology. I thought I would delve into this a bit.

As announced, the Verizon iPhone is based on CDMA. The current GSM-based iPhone allows for both Data and Voice simultaneously. CDMA, in its current state, cannot replicate this feature of GSM. This means that you cannot talk and be surfing the web at the same time.
This can have some issues for those who need to look up a phone number on the web while on a call. It means that you will need to end the call, find the number, and call the individual back. There may not be a ton of times that you would use this feature. But, I’m sure there will be at least one time in your life that you desperately need it, and then you will certainly regret its absence.


One of the new features is the HotSpot. HotSpots are excellent for keeping all of your WiFi-based devices connected. There are some drawbacks, though. The first is that it will draw more battery power from the device. Granted, the iPhone has some great battery life now, and this can be remedied by using a battery pack. So, that’s fixed.
Despite being able to fix the battery life, you cannot fix CDMA. Take for instance that you have your devices connected to your Verizon iPhone and are just surfing away. All of a sudden, you get a phone call from somebody. Well, guess what just happened to your surfing. If you said nothing, sorry but you are incorrect. All of your surfing just stopped. This is because the CDMA technology uses circuit-switched for voice and packet switched for data traffic.
It’s not just that tethering and hotspot will not work. Absolutely NO data will work while on a phone call. No apps can be sending or receiving data while on a phone call. This means no Email, no Twitter, no Pandora and no tethering while on a phone call.
It is not all bad news. You will still be able to use data during a phone call, so long as you are connected via WiFi. Despite this ability, given the limited Verizon HotSpots available, this may make it a bit trickier to accomplish.
There you have it: the potential downside to a Verizon HotSpot. I guess Apple can no longer show the ads where you’re surfing and talking on the phone simultaneously unless they put a disclaimer that it will not work on Verizon’s Network.