According to HotHardware, the AT&T iPhone exclusivity will be ending this Wednesday, during Apple’s event. However, this “inside source” has not stated which network the iPhone will be going to and when.

Some people believe that Verizon Wireless is the next carrier of the iPhone, since it is expected to be one of the possible 3G carriers of the rumored Tablet to be announced the same day.

Rumors since the beginning of the iPhone have said early 2010 is when the exclusive contract between Apple and AT&T ends.

Apple will be holding the event this Wednesday, January 27th. Stick with Tech Bulletin for continuing coverage.

So if you haven’t heard, AT&T and Verizon are going against each other is some pretty harsh commercials. Verizon has the “There’s a Map for That,”  campaign and AT&T has the “Fastest 3G,” campaign.

I will be comparing the two based on personal experiences and I am going to split it into 5 categories; Customer Service, Cell Phone Service (Reception), Products, and Exclusive Features, and Overall Quality of the Reception. I will be posting a the categories one at a time. So stay tuned to see who is the winner.

First let me give you a little background of my history with the companies.

I have been an AT&T user before it was even AT&T. It used to be Cingular. But then AT&T got a hold of the company and things were running smooth. I had the hottest phone of the time, the good old Motorola RAZR V3. I could in no way complain about the service. I didn’t get much at my house, but I figured it was because I lived out in the country, so it really didn’t bother me.

Verizon on the other hand, I haven’t dealt with that much. I did use one of the internet cards for a while, and overall I could not complain. The service was responsive, and I got pretty good signal wherever I went with it. I just recently got the Motorola Droid from Verizon and it is a 3G phone.

For the longest time I thought these commercials were a joke. I loved AT&T because it had the iPhone. So when Verizon started attacking the iPhone, I was kinda upset, I did not enjoy the fact that companies were fighting with commercials. And when you cut down one of the things that I love (iPhone) then  you better be ready for a comeback statement from the opposing company. Sure enough AT&T started up their campaign and then Apple followed with their campaign.

Customer Service:

I always had AT&T’s back in these campaigns, but that all changed a few days ago. I remember a while back when I got my iPhone 3GS, it would not activate. So I went to AT&T, and sat there for over 6 hours. The customer service was horrible. They finally sent me over to Apple and made Apple take care of it. I also had many problems with AT&T on the phone. Their phone service was disrespectful and unknowing of what I needed help with. So that lowers my respect even more.

Verizon on the other hand I have not had a problem with their service. The people at the store were very informative and knew just what I was asking. Their phone service was the same way. They took good care of me as their customer. I really enjoyed the fact that they took a little extra time to make sure everything was understood on my part.

So for this round I am giving it to Verizon.

Verizon: 1               AT&T: 0

A new report from OTR Global indicates that Apple is planning on manufacturing new hybrid iPhones that will support both Verizon’s CDMA2000 network as well as the UMTS 3G network. Only the UMTS network is supported by the current version of the iPhone and is used by AT&T and much of the rest of the world.

Qualcomm’s new hybrid CDMA/WCDMA chip offers the potential for a single, global iPhone that users can take to any major carrier, solving the network fractionalization problem. It also solves other issues that had served as roadblocks, including the issue of user confusion that would result from Apple selling separate CDMA and GSM/UMTS versions of the iPhone.

The reason behind building in such support would seem primarily to extend the iPhone’s compatibility with Verizon in the U.S. The move is expected to take place by the 3rd quarter of 2010. Conveniently, AT&T’s exclusivity contract with Apple is believed to expire in mid 2010.

Boy Genius Report posts a brief note noting that it has heard from two separate sources that AT&T/Apple is considering launching a $99 iPhone 3GS in time for Christmas.

We’ve heard now from two sources that AT&T, and we guess Apple, are contemplating launching an 8GB iPhone 3GS at the $99 price point before Christmas. One source said this was AT&T’s way of combating the DROID madness.

No further details, such as whether Apple would simply replace the 8 GB iPhone 3G currently offered at that price point or retain the iPhone 3G model at an even lower price point, were given.

Engadget reports that AT&T has filed suit against Verizon over recent Verizon ads discussing its national 3G network by comparing its coverage to AT&T’s 3G network using a similar App Store phrase, “There’s a map for that.” The complaint requests an injunction preventing Verizon from depicting non-3G coverage areas in AT&T’s network as “blank” spaces on maps in its advertising, as well monetary damages suffered by AT&T due to the advertising campaign.

AT&T’s complaint stems from its belief that the ads mislead potential customers into thinking that AT&T provides no coverage outside of its 3G areas, while the vast majority of areas not covered by AT&T’s 3G network are in fact covered by the company’s 2.5G network that offers essentially the same experience as the 3G network, albeit at slower data speeds.

In response to a direct contact from AT&T, Verizon has altered the ads to remove an “out of touch” label for blank areas of maps depicting AT&T’s 3G coverage and inserted a phrase at the end of the ads stating that voice and data services are available outside of the 3G coverage area in small font. The change, however, has not satisfied AT&T.