Our long, dark, and frequently-ridiculous Verizon iPhone rumor nightmare is over.

Verizon this morning at a press event here in New York City confirmed longstanding rumors that Verizon will be getting the iPhone. According to Verizon, the device will appear next month and will be CDMA/EVDO only -- not LTE. According to Verizon, this is the culmination of two years of discussion between the two companies -- which rumors had previously suggested were largely centered around Apple's desire to retain total control over the user experience and branding.

"We have enormous respect for the company this team has built and the hard-won loyalty they've won from their customers," Apple COO Tim Cook proclaimed on stage. According to Cook, the iPhone on Verizon is EVDO-only because building an LTE or dual-mode iPhone would "force some design compromises that we wouldn't make."

There's a Verizon FAQ now online. According to Cook, the device can't do simultaneous voice and data. Verizon spent the morning dodging questions about whether or not their version of the iPhone features a fix for the antenna attenuation problem that plagues the iPhone4 on AT&T. Verizon says the device can be used as a mobile hotspot, though they wouldn't specify if this involved an additional fee (we'll wager yes).

Verizon's pre-order page is up, which cites a launch date of February 10 and notes that Verizon's selling the device for $199 (with two year contract) for the 16GB version, or $299 (with two year contract) for the 32GB version. There's no word on data pricing, but it sounds like it should be the same as Verizon's existing smartphone lineup.

Of course an LTE iPhone could appear later this year or in early 2012, raising the question of whether or not it makes sense for users frustrated with AT&T to make the leap just yet. There's also the fact that most AT&T users are locked into long-term contracts with steep early termination fees (ETFs), which will make switching right now impractical.