Comcast announces web-based SmartZone communications center

While there's nothing all that unique about it, Comcast seems to be hoping that its just-announced SmartZone communications center will be enough to keep some of its customers from jumping ship. It'll let the company's 12 million high-speed Internet subscribers and 3 million digital phone subscribers access both their email and voicemail from a central website, and let 'em "experience" so-called visual voice mail, which includes things like a viewable call history and the ability forward voicemails as an email. Put together with the help of HP, Plaxo, and Zimbra, the service will also give you a centralized address book, instant messaging, and customizable news, weather, and other information. According to Reuters, Comcast is also hoping to integrate SmartZone with its TV service and Pivot cellphone service, which would certainly make it a tad more interesting. In the meantime, you can look for the standard web-based service to roll out "later this year," with it set to be available at no added cost to subscribers.

[Via Reuters]

[Matt @ May 7th 2007 1:56PM]

Vonage has offered me these services for quite a few years now...

I've had visual voicemail for years...

[Bob @ May 7th 2007 2:01PM]

"Later this year"...How many times have I heard that from Comcast? O, Fios Where art thou?

http://www.engadget.com/2005/03/15/tivo-and-comcast-officially-tie-the-knot/

[RyanTV @ May 7th 2007 3:27PM]

Comcast talks a lot about added features and functionality - but honestly I haven't seen many of them funny implemented. In my area, we still haven't even gotten the digital cable on screen guide update that was promised many months ago.

Dear God - please let Verizon bring FIOS to my area with a quickness!

[Joshua @ May 7th 2007 3:48PM]

I have no faith in any of this until they can get the Digital VoiceMail on the web to actually do something. The pages take way too long to load and often I can even listen to the message over the internet which was something they say you can do.

[Chris McDannold @ May 7th 2007 4:49PM]

My first reaction is: "jump ship" to what? Satellite? Or, is this a concern about losing revenue to the Vonages and SunRockets of the world? If it is the latter, *maybe* Comcast should ask how it is that Vonage can provide VIOP to the masses while Comcast struggles to provide it to a minute percentage of their subscriber base. (Time Warner, this is a question for you, too.)

Also, Visual VM - not as exciting as it sounds. Just provide me with a competitively priced VOIP solution, and we can worry about the extended features later.

[Guy @ May 7th 2007 4:55PM]

Great, just when I was learning to tolerate the last "upgrade" to the web-based email system. This whiz-bang should slow the web-based email to a complete halt, as well as being unusable for the first 2-3 weeks after the big roll-out (or is that shove down the customers throats?). Just like the last one.

[gwlaw99 @ May 7th 2007 5:35PM]

"My first reaction is: "jump ship" to what? Satellite?"

I am guessing they are worried about Verizon Fios.

thetechhunter.blogspot.com

[Mark @ May 8th 2007 11:33PM]

my goodness, please complain some more. And speaking of Vonage, how about creating a business on your own technologies. Obviously if you go your own route there will be small times of instability, but once they get this all settled it will be awesome.

I can't wait to call my dvr to setup a recording or check my voice and emails on the tv.