Jon Stewart Thrilled By iPhone Verizon Announcement, Pokes Fun At AT&T

“Folks, you may have noticed a certain something about me tonight,” The Daily Show host Jon Stewart said Tuesday night. “A spring in my step, a certain twinkle in…let's go with my pants.

“Here's why: for the last three or four years, those of us in the iPhone community have sacrificed one thing for the ability to carry around every photograph we've ever taken, or song we've ever listened to, or home video or compass. We have sacrificed the ability to make phone calls.”

“For years!” Stewart shouted. “For years, struggling with the world's most popular almost phone.”

But that, Stewart said, is about to change now that, in addition to the AT&T (NYSE: T) service offering, the iPhone 4 (NASDAQ: AAPL) is headed to Verizon (NYSE: VZ).

“Freedom!” Stewart exclaimed, shouting at the top of his lungs. “Freedom!”

To illustrate the source of his enormous elation, Stewart revealed that for the past several years he has carried not only the iPhone but also another device – a small, old-fashioned phone with a pink cord running to the inside of his jacket.

According to Stewart, the drawbacks to using his other phone include:

(1) “My four-year-old daughter would like it back.”

(2) “While the reception is crystal clear, it only allows you to call unicorns and fairies.”

To further illustrate his dilemma, Stewart showed how he typically sends a text message with the iPhone: by typing a message onto the screen before handing the phone to an assistant, who then physically walks the phone over to the recipient so he can read the message.