Sam, speaking as an Android platform, I'm forced to agree with some of the comments that the partnering with Verizon is a mistake.

It makes users outside of the Verizon network and your non-American international users feel like second class.

To the people using iOS - it was entirely your decision to support a company that locks down their handsets the way that they do - Apple. It's one of the reasons why I don't buy from Apple; that and their lack of ethics. However, there is no technical reason why an apk file couldn't be uploaded for all Android users who wanted to test it.