In a NOT too surprising, but very quiet move, Verizon has discontinued the ill-fated Verizon Hub. The page on the Verizon website that once touted the proud “Land Line Killer”, has quietly disappeared like a terrorist target taken out by Navy SEALS.
Verizon only had the Kitchen counter top device out in the market for 8 months. The Hub was supposed to be a new touch screen based home phone system designed to replace old-style home phones. It had a souped-up home communications system, bridging wireed and wireless connectivity in one simple service, that would run on any broadband connection. Looking like a smartphone with a touch screen dock, the Hub would allow the user to enjoy such features as:
* Check local traffic and weather in the morning before leaving the house.
* Update your calendar and automatically receive a text when an appointment changes or as a reminder not to be late.
* Get directions to the new site when the location for soccer practice is moved.
* Find the number of the new pizza parlor to order a pie.
* Preview the trailers from an upcoming movie that you might want to take the family to over the weekend, then purchase tickets using the Verizon Hub.
So as cool as this sounded, Verizon was oblivious to the fact that people like me, to whom this product was aimed at, had my wireless home phone right next to my wi-fi enabled laptop that basically did everything the Hub did, and more. Try downloading a bit-torrent and watching a it on the Hub.
Well, like most products that are about 5 years late hitting the market, this just withered up and died, whether from lack of advertising, bad economy, or just being marketed at the wrong time. Had Verizon really looked at the market, I think they would have seen that consumers want better pricing right now, on any product, and when the economy gets better, then bigger and better gadgets. Oh yeah, and the ability to download torrents!
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