Verizon iPhone compared to GSM iPhone 4 showing relocated mute switch and adjusted antenna design | Image courtesy of Engadget

Apple and Verizon wireless today jointly announced that the iPhone 4 would be available from the carrier on February 10. Existing customers will be able to pre-order the iPhone 4 online on February 3, ahead of general availability.

The new CDMA iPhone 4 features a number of minor changes; to allow the device to work on Verizon’s CDMA network Apple has adjusted the external antenna design on the iPhone 4. This could also help improve the issue with signal attenuation that has plagued some users of the GSM iPhone 4. Visually the CDMA iPhone 4 has a fourth black line on its antenna, this one above the mute switch. Due to this addition the mute switch has been move down slightly, which of course will require new cases to be made.

The CDMA iPhone 4 currently runs iOS 4.2.5, the update software includes changes to the baseband and such to work with the network but additionally Verizon has a piece of “pre-installed” software on the iPhone. The software which is actually just installed into the Settings.app is called “Personal Hotspot” and will allow up to five devices to share the phone’s 3G data connection over Bluetooth or Wi-Fi or USB. TechCrunch has a detailed run through of the Personal Hotspot feature of the Verizon iPhone.