Mari and I have been following the Verizon Hub, from its pre-release iterations through the product that ultimately shipped in February of this year. And I’m sad to say that Verizon has decided to pull the plug. The Hub was designed to be both an Internet-connected widget station and serve as the household VoIP hub … Read more
Until now, Google Voice has been a web-only service to manage voicemail in the same way Gmail manages email. That’s no longer the case. But, as of today, Google Voice is a first class locally installed mobile application, available in the Android Market, deeply integrated with the Android operating system. (And there’s a less robust … Read more
I swung by the Verizon mall kiosk today to play a bit with the Verizon Hub ($200). Unfortunately, I only had my iPhone with me and wasn’t able to take stellar photographs. But it should be clear (enough) that the promised streaming Internet radio has arrived. Verizon’s initial music source/partner is iheartradio.com, a Clear Channel … Read more
I’ve seen several demos of pre-release Verizon FiOS TV remote DVR scheduling via dedicated mobile applications. But tonight an anonymous Lakers fan tipped me off to a live, handset-agnostic mobile web portal… that will support a variety of Verizon home services. Despite the “beta” designation, Kobe our tipster was able to successfully log into FiOS … Read more
I take on review gear with the best of intentions, but frequently find myself short on time or just plain distracted. And for that I apologize to the magicJack folks who provided me a device at the CTIA show nearly a year ago. So, before any more time passes, I figured the best thing to … Read more
Prior to delivery, we’ve definitely seen the potential in Verizon’s Internet widget station here at ZNF. But as release approached, with the implementation and contract details revealed, my enthusiasm has waned. In fact, I turned down a hands on briefing at Verizon’s HQ last week. However, that didn’t dissuade another PR flack from rebutting a … Read more
Tech specs are still fuzzy, but what we do know is that this is a POTS-based cordless phone system with a touchscreen for Internet access and integration with Verizon wireless phone services. It’s meant to act as a digital photo frame, note board, family calendar, and widget station all at once.
At CES Unveiled earlier this week, Ooma introduced their next generation hardware. While “Telo” pricing and timing have yet to be locked down, it’s looking like we’ll see the new gear early to mid 2009 and at a similar price point to the existing hub ($250). As implemented now, an Ooma VoIP hardware purchase entitles … Read more