How would you change Verizon's Hub?
By Darren Murph 
posted March 21st 2009 1:09AM
posted March 21st 2009 1:09AM
posted March 21st 2009 1:09AM
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So Verizon if you've read these comments then you'll have to conclude that, quite simply, Nobody Gives A Sh*t .
I would buy one to replace my current VOIP line, but the cost of entry is just to high right now.
The device needs to be cheaper, The cost of entry is too high when you compare the start up costs to another VOIP service such as Vonage and the device comes with a hefty early termination fee. Also, the early termination fee and the requirement that you have a Verizon cell phone is just dumb. Make the device under $100 and half or eliminate the ETF fee.
In addition feature wise, I'd like to see any easy way to sync the phonebook and calendar with the device. There also needs to be some way of automating transferring of calls from your cell to the Hub. The GPS in the verizon phone could be used for this purpose but would most likely require additional software on your handset. I would say that even a non automated button that could be pressed on the "hub" that says "I'm home" Maybe with a timer, "I'm home for the next 12hrs" or "I'm home till 8am" Not sure if the Hub has bluetooth hardware but the phone could also be paired. When the pairing reconnects you are "Home"
Fix that fug ugly handset.
And, yes, kill the monthly fee. That's just silly.
The monthly fee would never go away. It could be made cheaper to compete with Vonage. Remember, this is a VOIP phone meant to replace your current land line.
I've had a HUB since it's first day available. Here's the positive scoop: UNLIMITED calling without using your FamilyShare minutes(though you cannot purchase this unit WITHOUT a FamilyShare plan with Verizon), Free calls to all Verizon customers to your HUB, Unlimited TEXTING, VISUAL VOICEMAIL included.
Here's the Negative scoop: This unit Frequently 'TimesOut' during a call(realized by the 'tick,tick,tick' sound you hear after your call has been lost -Verizon blames it on your Internet Connection speed- you MUST unplug the unit to reboot it - what a ridiculous measure when this happens several times each day!), the HANDSET buttons do not always react when you push them(causing you to misdial numbers), the INTERNAL SPEAKER on the Hub unit is not NEARLY loud enough to use to carry on any type of reasonable conversation(even though the speaker volume is fine when using the other Audio features), SCROLLING feature is ridiculous- you must push your finger on the screen and guide it down to view other Contacts, etc - the screen does not REACT easily as it should to really use this feature(but, there is not other option, so if you don't like it-tough!)-Verizon should have a physical scroll wheel on the side of this unit!), and lastly, It's very confusing when going from a HUB call to using the HANDSET 'SPKR' without squeeling FEEDBACK!......
There are probably other negatives, but I'm too aggrevated right now to remember them!
UNLIMITED calling? I have 1,000 anytime minutes on my T-Mobile $60 contract and if I'm home no dropped calls thanks to UMA. Why would anyone touch Verizon???
Wow, that thing is horrible. I am sorry for your purchase. I will stay away!
On a side not the New "The Haunted" album "Versus" is great! ...I mean its no At the Gates, but its ok.
I would like an analog jack, so I can use my fax machine with it.
My dad new about the Verizon Hub years ago... Verizon delayed the launch for a long time...
Have it for AT&T
First, fix all the issues generalinfo points out. Sounds like it shouldn't have shipped in its current condition.
Then, if you're going to require people to be Verizon wireless customers, what is the phone part for? Make this thing a femtocell, so it boosts your existing cell phone signals, so you don't need any new phones. People could use whatever phones they already have.
Okay, so drop the phone, speakerphone, video phone all that.
Now its just a kitchen computer with a femtocell built in. Make it a good kitchen phone. An open OS that anybody can develop gadgets for. A really good touch interface. Support for syncing contacts in at least all the ways the Palm Pre does. Ditto Calendars. You should be able to look only at the calendar for "Mom" or at the calendar for the whole family easily.
Sticky notes. Web browsing for recipes. Streams audio with decent quality. Streams internet video, meaning flash and quicktime support and all that. All with REALLY GOOD TOUCH SUPPORT.
I'd put android on it
I'd change it from a cell phone-based service to one that piggybacks on top of a FiOS installation. It would be wonderful to buy this thing (the price really doesn't matter, as long as it's not subscription-based), and use it as the base station for one of those new digital wireless phone systems.
I remember when the Hub was thought to be a future addition to FiOS service but because of the monthly fee, I'm not even thinking about it.
I have one and it works well; call quality is great and the thing is easy to use. Things I would change: make it wall-mountable. Have the ability to auto-forward text messages to other selected phones. Give us more widgets. The speaker for the speakerphone needs to be louder. Lower the cost.
It really is a nice device - and having calendar reminders sent as text messages to your family's cell phones is very handy. I also love the time & temp screensaver.
self destroy button.
If it had talking Caller ID id buy it; but not before then. Sometimes i'm too lazy to look for the phone :)
Also, some sort of dialtone jack so you can tie in your existing telephone jacks in the house; like all the other VIOP services do.
If it is to be a "hub," tie it in a lot better with existing services.
Assuming you are required to have a family plan with it, tie all cell #s associated on the plan with this device.
Couple cells to it so when you're at home, cell calls bounce to the hub.
- Allow for sattelite handsets
- Designate specific sattelite handsets to tone for a specifc coupled cell. (maybe more of a nice to have)
- Allow cells to be de-coupled manually as needed
- Synced contact lists from coupled cells
- On-screen display of "Call for Bob from Bill"
- Allow picture / ringtone associations like on a cell
- Synced Calendars from coupled cells
- On screen alerts for Calendar events "Event for Bob today at 0700"
VOIP (possibly in conjunction with FIOS?)
I think all of these features above would actually make the device more apt to live up to it's name. As it stands, I am not sure why this device is called a hub. It doesn't seem to tie much of anything together. If it did all of the above, I would purchase one in a second.
Nice to have list:
(not owning one, and not having re-read the spec sheet recently) Allow the screen to be a digital photo frame.
Classier design. The handset looks like it belongs to an oldschool bag phone.
I would otherwise not intend to use this as a "computer." I don't see the point of cramming so much extra, otherwise whimsical functionality into this device. If homes were more "connected" then maybe in the future. I also do not really see the need to make this a video conferencing tool. I don't beleive people are that far along yet in general to cram that feature in. I don't check e-mail from my kitchen, and I wouldn't text or sent chat messages either. Start small, make it a hub first, then add features that no one uses to make the spec sheet longer.
First, fix all the issues generalinfo points out. Sounds like it shouldn't have shipped in its current condition.
Then, if you're going to require people to be Verizon wireless customers, what is the phone part for? Make this thing a femtocell, so it boosts your existing cell phone signals, so you don't need any new phones. People could use whatever phones they already have.
Okay, so drop the phone, speakerphone, video phone all that.
Now its just a kitchen computer with a femtocell built in. Make it a good kitchen phone. An open OS that anybody can develop gadgets for. A really good touch interface. Support for syncing contacts in at least all the ways the Palm Pre does. Ditto Calendars. You should be able to look only at the calendar for "Mom" or at the calendar for the whole family easily.
Forgot to put his comment in quotes at the bottom of mine....
I stopped in Verizon to have a hands-on demo of this. My first question, "is this an internet phone or a cellular phone?" I later found out he gave me the wrong answer. I hope V is listening... first, I what a home phone with a cellular connection. I do not want to be dependent on 1) electricity or 2) my internet connection. The latter being dependent on the first. I get my internet from TW cable. I would love to get rid of my land line, but if I commit to basically a VoIP, I am also committing to electricity. If you gave me a cellular home phone, I would not worry about the juice or the cable. The Midwest doesn't have the reliability of a large metro. I can't even get good HD with Time Warner (the video tiles and bad audio synch at times). Let me add a "home" line to my plan and I will pay you extra on a contract.
The hub certainly has a lot of shortcomings (most notably the monthly fee,) but I think Verizon did a decent job of designing a kitchen-top computer your average person would be comfortable with using.
As the device stands though, it won't be able to compete with more open contract-less Linux boxes I'm sure we'll see invading this category. I'd say their best option would be to offer for no monthly fee to people with Verizon internet/ phone plans. They should try to use it as a switching incentive and get as much word of mouth/ market penetration while their product remains on top in its field.
I bought one a couple of weeks ago. It took them over an hour to get it all set for my account up in their system. Wasn't too difficult for me to set up at home, except that both the handset and the base unit volume were way too low to be usable. Played around with it for a while trying to fix it, called tech support who admitted he was seeing this problem with other units. Brought it back to the Verizon store for a refund but the manager asked me to please try another unit because they are aware that some have this problem, some don't . Went through the exact same process, the returned for good. BTW, the demo unit in the Verizon store had the same volume problem . LOL !
What features I was able to play around with were VERY cool, and I would definitely like to have one if they can work out the bugs. It also needs:
To be much less expensive.
WiFi and Bluetooth so it can sync email, contacts, etc. with your computer and cell phone.
Femtocell would be nice.
Ability to add more extension handsets .
Lger screen on handsets.
Many features can be added through software (like those mentioned by others) but they really need to get the hardware right first.
3 weeks after returning this POS and I still have no phone service, at my place of business no less because the idiots at Verizon Wireless are assholes . When I bought the phone they had to port my number over to it but it takes about 2 weeks for them to do it. When I returned the 2nd POS Hub after about an hour of BS at the store as they removed it and credited my credit card, I asked them "Did you cancel the port order ? " Yes I did" said the sales ass ociate . 2 weeks later my business line goes dead, after an hour on my cell phone, (eating up my minutes BTW) I get a guy who says he's figured it out and it should be back up in about an hour. 2 hours later, I'm on the phone for another hour, get a person who says it will take 2 weeks to port it back to the way it was before I bought the POS Hub! Just to aggravate me even more, throughout the whole process she keeps saying she needs to bring me back to Verizon from my current carrier . MY CURRENT CARRIER IS AND ALWAYS WAS VERIZON!!!!!! MORONS EVERY ONE ! DO NOT BUY THIS POS VERIZON HUB!!!!!!
One step forward for... landline phones???
So free hardware, with no contract? So you can just go into any store and say 'I'll take 1000 Hubs, please" and they say 'okay, sure, they're free!'
Stop eating paint chips.
it is not as good as a chumby... but it has a phone
Verizon promis one price then they over charge you . Then you cansel the service and they ruin your credit. Call the BBB They Hellp you out.
Use your music (MP3's), animations, pictures, and photos to create ringtones and graphics: online, without needing software for your computer. Supports most popular telecom provider .
The Verizon Hub
RUN DON'T WALK AWAY FROM THIS PIECE OF JUNK. Bought a Hub, didn't work.
Yes call me stupid, went back and got another one! Spent the better part of the evening with a very nice Verizon rep in New Mexico, who had no idea how to get it up and running. It just kept freezing on the homepage and we couldn't get it to go any further. Took our info
and forwarded it to someone in Pakistan, I think, who would research it and get back to us. Glad we didn't hold our breath. Second Hub went back. By the way, neither one EVER worked for us. He did say he would research the shipment sent to our local Verizon store. He is coming for Thanksgiving this year, bringing the relish tray. What a nice guy. We never got any satisfaction, but have to hand it to him, he tried. Tried for over 2 hours that enchanted evening.
Is the Hub still for sale? Seems line all commercials have been pulled.