• by Aaron Baar , January 11, 2011

It's now official. As had long been rumored, Apple is ending its exclusive carrier agreement with AT&T Wireless and will begin offering its iPhone through Verizon Wireless as well.

Apple's iPhone 4 will be available to "qualified Verizon Wireless customers on Feb. 3. General availability for the phone will begin on Feb. 10, with pricing at $199 and $299 for 16 GB and 32 GB devices, respectively.

"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, at an announcement in New York. "We have enormous respect for the company Verizon has built and the loyalty they have earned from their customers."

Verizon's iPhone will feature many of the same features as those on AT&T, including a 5 megapixel camera with LED flash, HD video recording and Face Time video chat. Verizon's device will also include new Personal Hotspot capabilities that will allow users to use the phone to connect other Wi-Fi enabled devices to the Internet.