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Verizon bubs flub, hawk their last Hub
No, we didn't accidentally link to the wrong page -- that "page not available" you're getting over on Verizon's site is where the Hub's product site used to reside. The whole thing's been unceremoniously yanked and the product sunsetted, suggesting that the carrier's functionality-rich VoIP base station wasn't getting the love it needed to justify its continued existence, Verizon didn't know how to market it, or some combo thereof. We got the following statement from Verizon today, which doesn't exactly come right out with the discontinuation -- companies often avoid admitting that a product's said its last goodbyes, for whatever reason -- but basically says the same thing in a more wordy fashion: "Verizon Wireless, like many companies, continually changes and updates the products and services it offers to customers. Our sales teams in all channels will continue to focus on providing our customers the latest and most innovative wireless products and services. Verizon Wireless will continue to support existing Verizon Hub customers with post-sale service or support ." So the good news is that current Hub owners should be good to go without disruption in service -- for the time being, anyhow. Question is, where's that Hub 2? Is the company completely abandoning the curious practice of competing with itself by pitting traditional landlines against VoIP and Verizon Communications against Verizon Wireless, or are they just making way for something a little more awesome? [Via Zatz Not Funny]
Screen Grabs: Verizon Hub tells of Serena's galavanting
Screen Grabs chronicles the uses (and misuses) of real-world gadgets in today's movies and TV. Send in your sightings (with screen grab!) to screengrabs at engadget dt com. We didn't happen to spot Nelly's shiny new BlackBerry Storm on last night's Gossip Girl, but we did see that cast-wide Verizon contract rubbed in our faces again. Verizon's newest non-cellphone (that'd be the Hub) made a brief appearance at the tail end of the episode to inform Lily van der Woodsen that her dearest Serena had reverted to her old carefree ways and hopped a private jet to Spain. Hope she took a worldphone over there, else making that "I'm here!" call is going to be just a wee bit difficult in GSM world.
How would you change Verizon's Hub?
Ah, the Verizon Hub. A curious beast this day and age, wouldn't you say? For those of you who spent the better part of Super Bowl Sunday setting one of these crazy contraptions up in your domicile, we're eager to hear of your experiences. Has it made you want to throw away your cellphone? Are you already regretting the contract you're now locked into? Are the widgets sufficiently useful? We found ourselves a bit torn as to whether or not the Hub was even a device worth considering given the monthly fee attached, but now that it's sat in your place for well over a month, we're anticipating some better feedback from those who've used it a time or two. Spill your guts below.
Verizon Hub spotted streaming internet radio
We've already heard a few of you clamoring for internet radio support on Verizon's Hub, and if a mall unit is indicative of shipping units, your prayers have been answered. Mr. Dave Zatz happened upon a Hub while checking out the good word at a Verizon mall kiosk, and sure enough, WiFi radio functionality was in tact and working smoothly. We're told that the company's initial music partner is Clear Channel's iheartradio.com, though details beyond that are nonexistent. In all honestly, the Hub seems like the perfect device to see all sorts of added utility via firmware updates, so we're crossing our fingers in hopes that Verizon feels the same way.
Switched On: Verizon Hub is a handset homecoming
Ross Rubin contributes Switched On, a column about consumer technology. After years of providing the devices on which we spoke, Verizon is finally providing the Hub. The Verizon Hub is not the first VoIP product to use that moniker -- with pay upfront for lifetime long distance startup Ooma having used the "hub" name for its primary home phone adapter -- but the telco's take on the screenphone represents a turning point in the evolution of consumer telecommunications. For much of its existence, the cell phone had long played second-fiddle to the home phone as the wireless wonders implied expensive plans and inferior voice quality. Increasingly, though, consumers are finding connections to data services as critical as voice connections, and despite attempts that have ranged from the Cidco iPhone (yes, there was one years before iPhones by Cisco and Apple) and more recently the RSS-savvy GE InfoLink (now abandoned by Thomson's exit from the cordless handset business), the home phone has begun to lag far behind its portable cousin as an Internet resource. Enter our nation's two largest telecom providers. Triple-play aspirant Verizon Wireless has joined rival AT&T in offering a touch-screen, Internet-savvy home phone system heavy on information delivery and communications functionality while working with up to four DECT expansion handsets. Unlike the questionably named Samsung HomeManager offered by AT&T, the screen on the Verizon Hub cannot be carried conveniently about the house like a tablet display. The Verizon Hub also uses IP for its voice and data communications whereas HomeManager uses broadband for data and a traditional circuit-switched connection for voice calls. Why would Verizon blithely bypass its own copper?
Verizon Hub goes on sale for $199.99 on contract
We had a pretty good idea Verizon's Hub would be loosed on Super Bowl Sunday, and sure enough, the landline killing machine is now available for ordering. The device itself will run you $199.99 on a two-year contract (after all applicable rebates), and if you're still wondering whether or not this thing is even worth your time, why not have a look at our hands-on / impressions?[Thanks, Carlos]
Engadget Podcast 131 - 01.30.2009
That's right folks, the Engadget Podcast is back for more. Once again, you're treated to the smooth tones of pure gadget goodness, though this week, our compatriot Paul Miller has been felled with a totally minor illness. Taking the controls in Paul's battle pod this round is Engadget Mobile editor Chris Ziegler. Hear Josh, Nilay, and Chris pontificate on the finer points of the week's big stories, including (but not limited to): RIM's new BlackBerry Curve 8900, Obama's old BlackBerry, Windows Mobile 6.5, a possible new Kindle, and Josh's inner-most feelings about childcare. Enjoy! Hosts: Joshua Topolsky, Nilay Patel Special guest host: Chris Ziegler Producer: Trent Wolbe Song: Blitzkrieg Bop 00:02:22 - Apple vs. Palm: the in-depth analysis 00:10:23 - Obama BlackBerry alert: it's a BlackBerry 00:16:00 - T-Mobile BlackBerry Curve 8900 review 00:38:10 - Seemingly real Windows Mobile 6.5 screenshots trickle out of leaky internet faucet 00:54:24 - Amazon to host press event at library, innocently whistling when asked about the Kindle 2 01:02:48 - Verizon Hub hands-on and impressions Subscribe to the podcast [iTunes] Subscribe to the Podcast directly in iTunes (enhanced AAC). [RSS MP3] Add the Engadget Podcast feed (in MP3) to your RSS aggregator and have the show delivered automatically. [RSS AAC] Add the Engadget Podcast feed (in enhanced AAC) to your RSS aggregator. [Zune] Subscribe to the Podcast directly in the Zune Marketplace Download the podcast LISTEN (MP3) LISTEN (AAC) LISTEN (OGG) Contact the podcast 1-888-ENGADGET or podcast (at) engadget (dot) com.
Verizon Hub hands-on and impressions
We had a chance to get our grubby mitts on Verizon's new VOIP / home phone -- the Hub -- and we thought we'd give you a little preview of what's in store if you're planning on busting out the credit card. The device, which we've seen floating around in various forms since January of 2007, is a combo of a cradled wireless handset and 7-inch, resistive touchscreen display. It's an interesting play for a sector of the market that's all but forgotten (and maybe for good reason). If you want to hear some thoughts on the device, follow the bread crumbs beyond the break.%Gallery-43469%
Verizon Hub "landline slayer" officially unveiled
We've been on the trail of the Verizon Hub since way back when it was called the Verizon One, in fact, but it's just been officially announced, and there are plenty of details to report now. The system boasts a 7-inch touchscreen display, and will work with Verizon wireless subscribers handset(s) to eliminate the need for a landline (people still have those!?) The idea here is that the hub can sync to your calendar, contacts, maps, traffic and weather reports via broadband. It can also send and receive text messages, and do all kinds of cute little tasks like send driving directions to your phone. Subscribers have to live in an E911-capable area, and will be able to bring any phone number with them if they want to sign up for new service. The hardware's going to cost $200 (after a $50 mail-in rebate) with a subscription fee of $35 per month -- which comes with unlimited minutes and texts to and from the device. It'll be available starting February 1st. Get ready.[Via Phone Scoop]
Verizon's Hub will interact with Verizon Wireless phones
We're still trying to piece together the Verizon Hub mystery -- namely whether it'll be available outside the realm of Verizon's FiOS broadband customer base -- but either way, we have some evidence here that it'll play nice with the Verizon Wireless handset of your choice. The device was designed from the start to be the be-all, end-all wireline home base (hence the name), so it really comes as no surprise that there'd be some interaction with mobiles for those rare occasions when you simply must leave your home. What you see here are a couple of diagrams (just follow the arrows!) involving the transfer of information to and from Verizon Wireless-branded cellphones; in the first, an address is looked up using the Hub's yellow pages facility, located on a map, then transferred to an LG VX9400. In the second, a lovely photograph from a beach (seriously, what are we doing in front of a computer right now?) is snapped and transferred to a Hub, where it's displayed in real time. Fun stuff -- let's hope owners of any old broadband connection are going to be able to partake.
Verizon Hub headlines carrier's 2008 initiatives, devices
We've gotten the inside track on a few dates on Verizon's radar for the next few months, and it looks like the boys and girls in red are prepping an interesting mix of exclusive and Sprint catch-ups to keep customers fat and happy. As handsets go, the Motorola Q9c is planned for April along with the TouchFLO-powered XV6900, LG enV2, and the CDMA rendition of the BlackBerry Curve (so much for exclusivity clauses on this one, it seems), while the Samsung Glyde is currently slated for late April or early May. Centro fans will be happy to hear that the diminutive Garnet phone will finally hit Verizon following Sprint and AT&T launches in the tail end of May or the beginning of June, followed shortly by the Nokia 6205, which apparently isn't either the 2505 or 7205 unless one of those flips have been renumbered.As technology goes, Verizon looks to launch EV-DO Rev. A-based push-to-talk services -- Sprint folks will know this as Qualcomm's QChat -- toward the end of May. We've also caught wind of something called "Verizon Hub," which we're told will go head-to-head with T-Mobile's HotSpot@Home service. It's not known whether this'll be a WiFi setup (a la HotSpot@Home) or adopt Sprint's CDMA femtocell strategy, but seeing how Verizon and Sprint seem to be endlessly engaged in a game of cat and mouse, we wouldn't be surprised to see 'em go with femtocells. We don't have a date on Hub just yet, but it's targeting the second half of the year at the earliest.Update: Commenters are noting that Verizon's do-all FiOS phone bares the "Verizon Hub" name, though it doesn't go head-to-head with HotSpot@Home -- and the Hub we're referring to is showing up on Verizon Wireless roadmaps. Weird. We'll keep a close eye on this one.