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AT&T's U-verse finally rolls into South Florida
It took awhile, but the rumor finally proved true. AT&T's U-verse has at long last made it to South Florida. Just days after Verizon announced that its competing FiOS TV service was available to some 800,000 members of the Sunshine State, in soars AT&T to bring its fiber-based programming service to Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties. Currently, consumers in parts of dozens of communities in Miami-Dade and Broward counties can place their order, while folks in Palm Beach county will be forced to wait until July 28th. No word on how soon it'll reach your neck of the woods down there, but the carrier has vowed to "make U-verse services available to more homes throughout South Florida on an ongoing basis."
Verizon's FiOS TV available to nearly 800,000 Floridians
While Miami sits and waits (and waits...) for FiOS to hobble on down from Tampa, Verizon is taking the time to trumpet its current level of service in the Sunshine State. As of now, just south of 800,000 homes and businesses in six West Central Florida counties can tap into FiOS TV should they so choose. Unfortunately, the provider didn't mention any upcoming expansion plans, so it looks as if that 800,000 figure could remain current for some time to come.
AT&T's U-verse ambling down to Miami, Florida?
While AT&T has been making a play for business in the south, the Sunshine State has remained largely untouched by hints of U-verse arrivals. Until now, that is. We're hearing the faintest of whispers that U-verse may actually be on its way to Miami, and better yet, the first service could be flipped on in as early as three weeks. Unfortunately, this will have to be regarded as a rumor for the time being, but we won't be waiting long to find out the truth.
Researchers devise neural implant that learns over time
Brain-machine interfaces have done quite a bit in helping handicapped individuals interact with prosthetic limbs, computers and other humans, but a new neural implant concocted at the University of Florida could make all those past devices look archaic. Put simply, researchers have discovered a method that would enable brain-machine interfaces to "adapt to a person's behavior over time and use the knowledge to help complete a task more efficiently." Until now, the brain was the instrument doing all the talking while the computer simply accepted commands; with this method, "the computer could have a say in that conversation, too." In all seriousness, this type of learning mechanism could be game-changing in the world of physical therapy, but we hesitate to give something mechanical inside of our body too much free will, ya dig?[Via Physorg]
Comcast takes AMC HD / TLC HD south to Jacksonville, FL
AMC HD and TLC HD aren't showing up in the online channel listings for Jacksonville, Florida, but you can rest assured that they're showing up on the tele. Here recently, Comcast has added the two stations on slot 429 and 425, respectively, and we honestly wouldn't be surprised to see the closely held pair move about to even more locales. If you'll recall, this very duo showed up in late April in Atlanta, but we haven't heard anything one way or the other about further expansion.[Thanks, Chris]
Bright House launches 4 new HD channels in Tampa, Florida
Not like you didn't know three of the four were coming, but a tipster down in the Tampa Bay area just informed us that Bright House Networks has launched four new HD channels in Central Florida. As of now, MGM HD (710), Disney HD (735) and Family Channel HD (736) have been flipped on, and the elusive CNN HD has finally shown up on slot 728. Enjoy![Thanks, Jensen]
Caribe Royale Orlando and Buena Vista Hotel renovate, add HDTVs
Thinking of heading to Central Florida? If so, you should probably keep both the Caribe Royale Orlando All-Suites Hotel and the Buena Vista Suites Hotel in mind when traveling on down (or up, we guess). The pair has just announced a $25 million upgrade that will begin on both properties in August, and you can bet the two are getting more than a good spraying of air freshener. Visitors who check in May 2009 / late 2008, respectively, will see all new carpet, drapes, furniture, and best of all, a 42-inch flat-screen HDTV in the living room. Oh, and there's the 37-inch HDTV in the bedroom -- that's pretty appealing, too. Pack your bags!
Cox adds 8 fresh HD channels in Pensacola, FL
Hope you're ready for a new load of high-def options down in the Florida panhandle, because that's exactly what you're going to get. Starting this week, Cox subscribers in the Pensacola / Fort Walton Beach area will be blessed with 8 new ones, and we have to say, it's a pretty good bunch. We're talking Bravo HD (749), The Weather Channel HD (738), CNBC HD (736), SciFi HD (727), USA HD (722), Lifetime Movie Network HD (771), Lifetime HD (729) and Golf / Versus HD (742). Supposedly, these newcomers are already live and just begging to be viewed, so give us a shout and let us know how they're treating you.[Thanks, Rama]
Florida requests 10 years disbarment for Jack Thompson
The Florida Bar this week requested that embattled attorney Jack Thompson be disbarred for ten years based on the 27 misconduct charges he was found guilty of last month. Thompson was reportedly not there to hear said request, as he had walked out during the trial. According to a GamePolitics report, the attorney (acting as in propria persona) was not allowed by Judge Tunis to read aloud a lengthy objection that he had prepared. Thompson then questioned Judge Tunis' status as a judge and left the court room. Just to clarify: a request for disbarment is not an official punishment – the final decision is left up to Judge Tunis to decide.In other news, a federal lawsuit filed by Thompson against the Florida Supreme Court has been dismissed with prejudice, meaning that he cannot file it again. Thompson still has two other lawsuits pending related to his ongoing Bar trial.
Bright House bringing ABC Family / Disney / MGM HD to Central Florida
It said that it would be adding 50 new HD channels by mid- to late-2009, and while three newcomers isn't the hugest of deals, we suppose it has to start somewhere. Bright House Networks has just announced that it will be delivering a new trio to Central Florida: ABC Family HD (1337), Disney HD (1335) and MGM Channel HD (1306). It should be noted that the latter station will only be available to those who subscribe to its $6 / month High Definition Pack, which also includes MOJO HD, HDNet, HDNet Movies, Universal HD and HD Showcase. Nice gesture, BHN, but we're still not totally over that whole CableCARD fiasco.
DISH Network flips on HD locals in Ft. Myers / Naples, Florida
Considering that Ft. Meyers, Florida was scheduled to have its HD locals flipped on via DISH Network back in April, we can imagine that residents are slightly perturbed about the wait. Nevertheless, folks looking for any possible reason to sneak inside and escape the record-setting heat can finally celebrate the addition of high-def locals in Naples and Ft. Myers. There's no word on which channels are being added, so we'll go ahead and assume that FOX, CBS, ABC and NBC stations are all showing now in beautiful high-definition. Let us know if anything changes, though.
Judge: Jack Thompson is guilty on 27 of 31 misconduct charges
We're not going to make jokes on this one and save the snark until the final ruling, but the judge presiding over self-proclaimed anti-games activist Jack Thompson's Florida Bar trial has recommended the attorney be found guilty on 27 of the 31 misconduct charges – 21 from the Devin Moore case, 4 when in 2006 he tried to declare Bully a public nuisance, and 2 unrelated to video games.Game Politics has the full story and a list of some of the charges, including "Engaging in conduct involving dishonesty, fraud, deceit or misrepresentation" and "Making statements that the lawyer knows to be false or with reckless disregard as to the truth or falsity concerning the qualifications or integrity of a judge." A disciplinary hearing is being held June 4. The full report to the Florida Supreme Court is due September 2.[Thanks to everyone who sent this in!]
Verizon facing fines for poor phone service, FiOS TV expansion partly to blame
Ruh roh. Seems that perpetual gripes down in Tampa Bay, Florida have finally amounted to something substantial. Just months after hearing a chorus of complaints about Verizon's lackluster customer service, we're now seeing that the carrier could face upwards of $6.5 million in fines for "willful and repeated lapses in Verizon's telephone service." Interestingly, it's reported that Verizon actually has fessed up to some service lapses, and it made a point to explain that it has been "simply overwhelmed with demand for the FiOS service." More specifically, it "acknowledged hiccups in repair service amid strong demand for its FiOS services," but has promised to bring things back up to par hastily. Tap the read link for more on the mess.
Man kills neighbor over missing PS3
Edward Keith Stoddard Jr. really likes his PlayStation 3. So much, in fact, that if you were to touch his PS3, he may just kill you. Such was the fate of his neighbor, Douglas F. Abrams, who Stoddard believed had taken his console. During an argument over the missing system, police say Stoddard shot Abrams, fatally wounding him. When cops showed up on the scene, Stoddard surrendered and was taken to Land O'Lakes jail (no, really) in Dade County, Florida. It's okay to love your console, people -- just don't get jealous if it drops by the neighbor's house for some tea.[Via PS3Fanboy]
Science, Disney and ABC Family HD head to Jacksonville, FL on Comcast
Another week, another report of Comcast's favorite trio popping up elsewhere in the country. This go 'round, Science HD, Disney HD and ABC Family HD have shown up to delight subscribers in Jacksonville, Florida, but considering that they just arrived in Atlanta, we suppose the drive down wasn't all that hectic, anyway. You know the drill -- keep your eyes peeled, your EPG may be the next to get infiltrated.[Thanks, Matthew]
Comcast getting busy in Panama City, FL: 13 HD channels on the way
After unloaded a nice serving of new HD channels in Jacksonville and along the Treasure Coast (not to mention way down south), we're thrilled to see Comcast showing a little affection for the panhandle. According to a resident who scanned over The News Herald this morning, Panama City, Florida will be getting an impressive 13 new high-def options over the next two months. Although specific go-live dates weren't mentioned, you folks can count on seeing quite the boost in your lineup remarkably soon. Head on past the jump for the full list of newcomers (spoiler: SciFi HD is included!).
CompUSA rises from dead, attacks Florida
CompUSA died a sputtering, inglorious death, but Ohio-based Systemax (which owns TigerDirect) didn't shell out $30M to pick up the pieces for nothing: it's just announced that it's re-opening 15 US stores and opening a new one, 13 of which are in Florida. We're not sure why the Sunshine State faces the brunt of CompUSA's angry zombie wrath -- do retirees enjoy being ripped off?* -- but Texans and Puerto Ricans can join in the fun with four stores of their very own. These are all apparently open now -- anyone brave enough to check out the scene? *Rejected asides: "Is this punishment for that Pitbull record?" "Guess you don't need braiiiiiins to pay these prices!" "Screw you, Mickey!"[Thanks, Steven]
HDTV-stocked aloft hotel coming to Jacksonville, Florida
Not planning on heading to the Windy City just to check out one of those fanciful new aloft hotels? How's about Jacksonville, Florida? Sure enough, one of the aforementioned hotels is heading to the Sunshine State, and it's slated to include 136 HDTV-equipped guest rooms when it welcomes guests in next January. Aimed at "youthful-minded travelers," the building is being constructed with a number of "intuitive technologies and atmospheric public spaces." aloft Jacksonville Airport, as it'll properly be known, will be located just minutes away from JAX and under a half-hour from the downtown area. No word on HDTV programming that'll be available nor nightly rates, but it won't be long now before you can find out in person.
Comcast gets around to adding five newcomers in South Florida
Comcast hooked up much of the Treasure Coast just a few months ago, but now it seems those infrastructure upgrades in South Florida are paying dividends to subscribers in the area. Judging by the above pictured splash screen, five new ones are now available for viewing, but Science HD (446) had interestingly already been available. Nevertheless, AMC HD (429), ABC Family HD (444) and CNN HD (423) are all ready to be seen, so don't make 'em wait much longer, okay?
DISH Network launching HD locals in four more markets
After the onslaught of rapid-fire HD locals launches in March, all has been quiet on the DISH Network front -- until now. Four more markets can gleefully celebrate the homecoming of HD locals via DISH: Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Tampa, Florida, Cleveland, Ohio and Richmond, Virginia. Each of the aforementioned locales will be receiving their respective local ABC, NBC, CBS and FOX stations save for Milwaukee, which will sadly miss out on CBS. You're all giddy, aren't you? The HD locals go live for these four regions on April 10th at 6:00AM ET -- yeah, tomorrow!
