Verizon Shuts Down Wireless Hub VOIP Phone Services
Verizon Communications Inc has eventually announced the closing down
Wireless Hub VOIP Phone Service and it is very unfortunate for them
that this service never took off as a residential phone service. The
Hub was an interesting concept in home VoIP service that fell victim
to a silly monthly fee structure of $34.95 per month, up front cost of
hundreds of dollars, and a requirement that users have a Verizon
Wireless cell phone.
The hub is primarily a VoIP phone, with a wireless DECT handset that
snaps into the device.Among what impressed is the 8-inch color
touchscreen that brings the following features to the device; 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, and a host of other
features that users have so far found very enjoyable.
Despite demoing a second iteration of the product at CTIA with
additional widget functions and other features, Verizon did not have
enough sales of the product to justify continued production. It pulled
the phone from retail outlets months ago, and will cease online sales
of the device immediately. The phone carrier has already stopped
selling the Verizon Hub product via retail outlets and now they
stopped selling via online service. The device was pulled from stores
several months ago, remained available via online sales for a while
before being formally discontinued.
Critics of the device cited its price – $200 for the phone and $35 per
month for service – as well as some of its application limits, such as
lack of email service or Web browser, mandatory VoIP and an
application approach that remained strictly under Verizon’s control
versus a more open app store. Perhaps just as damning was the fact
that Verizon Wireless was pitching the device. The mobile operator
obviously has bigger fish to fry and it is unlikely consumers went to
a Verizon retail location or online looking for an in-home device.
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