There's a new apple update to make this happen?

Actually not true. VZW has been dealing with a large amount of Android smart phones that use just as much or more than iPhone users. Plus now they're rolling out their 4G Service (LTE). They've been wanting to get tiered pricing for quite a while. If you're looking for the best Phone calling experience I almost have better service than anyone I fly with that uses another carrier. Great plans after the Delta 20% discount.

Will a Verizon phone work in Europe? I'm tired of AT&T's crummy coverage in New York, but I still need to be connected while on a trip..

yes, there regularly are updates, but this one is a tip of the hat to the droid.

If you mean the VZW iPhone, No.

If you mean a non-iPhone then the answer is maybe (depends which model phone).

Side note: the VZW iPhone actually has the chipset to do dual mode (GSM and CDMA) but for some reason they didnt build in GSM dual mode in the current version. It's the same chip used in the Droid Global.

Today is also the last day of the TMobile "All smartphones are free." promotion. I got a G2 for my wife and dropped a non-smartphone Sprint SERO plan.
G2 looks nice ans will supposedly work in Europe. Probably cheaper to get it unlocked and buy a local SIM card in Europe rather than pay roaming. I havent checked out TMO's international plans, but with the 15% corporate discount their US plans are very reasonable.

iPhone VoIP App | Line2 WiFi / Cell: 2 Numbers on One Cell Phone iPhone or Android $10/month

Works like Skype but simpler in some ways. Unlimited text and talk in the USA. International calls really cheap (UK and China are 2 cents a minute). Line2 - International Calling It is based on a Wi-Fi connection.

You can set this to always default to make calls via Wi-Fi connection and when you go outside of Wi-Fi it can start using your service provider’s minutes. This allows you to go with a very low SP minute plan. Using this I can now have two lines, unlimited text/talk on Line 2 and cut my Verizon bill in half.

Which is why it's more likely. Bring in all the iPhone users who want to leave AT&T & you've got even MORE smartphone users. Of course on Verizon's network you can't talk and browse the web at the same time, so maybe that will help.

I don't need mobile cellular service overseas so I find that Magicjack is a better deal. $20/yr (discount for a 5 yr plan iirc), fixed phone number, voicemail gets digitized and emailed to my email account as an audio file. I always carry a laptop though. If you are one of those that doesnt like hauling around a lappy then an IOS or Android app might work better for you, because Magicjack won't work with an iPad.

As soon as I can I'm dropping AT&T. fwiw. Been with them since January 2008 and I don't care for them.

I think we are talking about two different animals. The guy I posted to was wondering about mobile phone coverage/service.