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Verizon FiOS plans 3-D TV broadcasts by 2010 holiday

April 2nd, 2010, 10:42 am by

It’s been a big week for 3-D TV news, as DirecTV gave the new ESPN 3-D channel a June launch date while several cable providers said they will air the upcoming Masters Tournament in 3-D (Time Warner Cable is joining the effort too, announcement is coming).

Today, Verizon chimes in. The company however, isn’t joining the 3-D trend just yet. It’s too early, says Shawn Strickland, vice president of FiOS product management for Verizon.

Currently, consumers need a 3-D HDTV and special glasses to view 3-D broadcasts. But beyond a handful of Blu-ray Disc movies, there is very little 3-D content available.

“The market for 3-D TV is very, very early in its development. We’re monitoring the early sales of 3-D TVs with interest and expect to announce a 3-D offering well in advance of the holiday TV shopping season, when 3-D television sales will expand,” Strickland said.

But don’t count out Verizon. Strickland goes on to say that its FiOS TV service has become the leader in HD channels and offers the most to consumers who can order the TV service. “Ultimately we expect to provide the same industry leadership with 3-D,” he added.

So, it sounds like Verizon FiOS will offer 3-D broadcasts before the end of the year.  And not just one channel but “our commitment will be to bring the broadest range of 3-D programming,” Strickland said. He adds that Verizon is actively negotiating with “a number of companies in the emerging 3-D value chain.”

Now if only more consumers could order FiOS…

More on 3-D TVs and 3-D viewing:

Posted in: Video & TV • • • | 1 Comment »

April Fools or not, Boingo giving $2 mill worth of Wi-Fi if you get tattooed

April 1st, 2010, 3:58 pm by

It sounded like a unique marketing gimmick — get Boingo Wireless’  logo tattooed permanently on your body and you’ll get 1 million credits to get Internet service at any of the company’s 125,000 hotspots worldwide.

But of course, this being April Fool’s Day, it was all a big joke.

Or was it?

I asked the company what if someone did it anyway? Will they get the 1 million credits? The company’s response: “Yes, they will if somebody actually gets a permanent Boingo logo tattoo,” said Cheryl Cink, with Boingo.

Wait a minute! 1 million credits? One credit gives a user one hour of wireless Internet access. Each credit costs $1.99. If you were to buy 1 million credits, you’ll pay $1,990,000 or nearly $2 million! As my editor John Dunphy points out, 2 million hours of internet access is equivalent to more than 228 years.

That makes a tattoo seem like a good investment.

The credit program launched Monday and gives iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch users Wi-Fi Internet access at any of the company’s wireless hotspots.

Recent Gadgetress stories:

Posted in: Wi-Fi & networking • • • • | 2 Comments »

Verizon reveals where FiOS really is in Orange County (Drumroll please…)

April 1st, 2010, 2:30 pm by

This is not an April Fool’s Day joke. After pestering Verizon for months, I finally got more details today about the availability of Verizon’s FiOS TV and Internet service in Orange County. Apparently, 70,000 households and businesses here can order the alternative TV service powered by fiber-optic lines.

The company offered a zipcode breakdown, which doesn’t necessarily mean you can order service if you live in that zip code. Apartment or condo dwellers need permission from the landlords or homeowner associations before FiOS can offer service.

So, where is Verizon FiOS in Orange County? Drumroll please… Read the rest of this entry »

Posted in: Internet • Video & TV • • • • • • • • • • • • | 50 Comments »

Sprint’s new policy: Play with any phone for 30 days for “free”

March 31st, 2010, 3:58 pm by

If you’ve been curious about one of the new Sprint wireless phones now on the market, Sprint is launching a new policy Thursday (April 1) with a money back guarantee if you’re not “completely satisfied” within 30 days.

This could come in handy when Sprint finally launches its 4G wireless Internet service here in Orange County later this year. Users will be able to see if the new wireless service is really as fast as it’s touted. The offer is available to all new customers and existing customers who are adding a new line of service. If you’re unhappy with your Sprint service today, you’re out of luck on this one.

Sprint isn’t alone in offering a 30-day money back guarantee. All the wireless companies have a similar return policy here in California (see earlier story, “How any consumer can ‘test’ a cell phone“).

But Sprint’s new guarantee goes  further. It will reimburse customers for the device, activation fee, monthly plan and all associated taxes and surcharges. Other companies’ 30-day return policies still try to get the customer to pay for calls made, taxes and surcharges. Plus there may be a restocking fee.

The fine print of the Sprint Free Guarantee? Customers must pay upfront so you’d better have some cash available. And while there’s no restocking fee for new customers who cancel, existing customers may get charged a $35 restocking fee unless you exchange it for a new device. Customers who return the phone will have to pay for any usage that wasn’t part of their monthly service plan, such as song purchases and digital downloads. You’re also responsible for any international charges and associated taxes, plus third-party billing.

Don’t forget to save the box and all packaging. And, of course, the phone must still work.  Sprint will return your money anywhere from the same day to up to three billing cycles, depending on how you paid for it. If you don’t cancel within 30 days, your contract kicks in and canceling it before it expires could cost you $200.

While these fees sound reasonable, definitely read the fine print before committing to any new contract. Here’s the fine print for the new policy.

Previously on Sprint:

Posted in: Cell phones • • • • • | 17 Comments »

AT&T U-verse TV non-update update for Orange County

March 31st, 2010, 11:30 am by

Readers searching for an alternative TV service have been asking for months: Any updates on the AT&T U-verse roll out?

It’s been 8 months since last summer’s series detailing the company’s decision to stop pursuing 7 Orange County cities, including Cypress, Dana Point, Irvine, Lake Forest, Newport Beach, San Clemente and Tustin. AT&T ran into roadblocks with the city governments to install large utility boxes above ground. The cities wanted underground structures. AT&T decided it wasn’t worth the time or money.

So, what’s happened since? AT&T just got back to me with an answer and you’re probably not going to like it.

“No updates to report on the OC cities,” said Katie Keating, with AT&T.

More on the U-verse impasse

> More on U-verse Impasse<

Keep in mind, U-verse has expanded tremendously in the past year. According to the company’s 2009 earnings report, it doubled the number of U-verse customers to 2.1 million and it still plans to make the service available to 30 million by the end of next year.

AT&T continues to market to new customers in Aliso Viejo, Anaheim, Brea, Buena Park, Costa Mesa, Fountain Valley, Fullerton, Garden Grove, La Habra, La Palma, Laguna Hills, Laguna Niguel, Mission Viejo, Orange, Placentia, Rancho Santa Margarita, San Juan Capistrano, Santa Ana, Stanton, Villa Park, Westminster, and Yorba Linda.

But like the other newish TV service, Verizon FiOS, there have been no expansions into new cities. This week, the Associated Press reported Verizon is winding down FiOS expansion. We already knew this was happening in Orange County last year and the company confirmed as much just a few months ago.  If you can’t get FiOS today, you probably won’t be getting it for a very, very long time. Sounds like the same is true with U-verse, at least for the 7 cities previously mentioned.

There is still some hope that Orange County cities will get fiber Internet, if not TV service. Google’s recent pitch to help out cities build fiber networks did attract some local attention. Fullerton, Mission Viejo and Anaheim all made a bid (read earlier story: “Orange County doesn’t go crazy for Google’s 1 gbps fiber Internet“).

More on U-verse:

Posted in: Video & TV • • • • • • • • • • • | 25 Comments »

Cox getting into 3D; ESPN 3D starts in June

March 30th, 2010, 2:54 pm by

Take a day off, miss some big 3D news. DirecTV offered us an update yesterday on one of its upcoming 3D TV channels. We knew ESPN 3D was coming, but now we know when: June 11. More notably, Cox Communications plans to air the upcoming Masters Tournament for all customers who have an HD receiver. That makes Cox the first cable TV provider in Orange County to make some sort of commitment to 3D.

Let’s start with Cox. The cable company will air the Masters Tournament next week from Augusta National Golf Club beginning Wednesday, April 7 (yes, that’s the event where we will all see Tiger Wood’s return to the sport). There will be two hours a day of live coverage, starting at 1 or 2 p.m, our time. The same coverage will also be available on demand (go to channel 1). If you’re not an eligible Cox subscriber, you can also view the 3D coverage at Masters.com if you have a 3D-compatible computer.

What will you see? “Viewers will be better able to depict the many subtleties and elevation changes of the course’s grounds,” says Cox.

The interesting note is that Cox is a cable company. And cable companies have complained about not having enough space to air more HD channels. Companies are tweaking the technology and playing with available bandwidth in order to squeeze more HD into a customer’s house. Cox, for example, has turned some regular TV channels into on-demand only so that they are not broadcasting 24/7. When a customer wants to view the channel, it starts airing as if it were broadcasting 24/7.

Comcast, the nation’s largest cable provider, is also airing the Masters Tournament in 3D. Here’s a good explanation about how Comcast is doing 3D by Engadget, “Comcast’s 3D Masters broadcast explained.”

Read the rest of this entry »

Posted in: Video & TV • • • • • • • • • • | 19 Comments »

AT&T’s U-verse Internet speeds up 33%

March 30th, 2010, 8:39 am by

AT&T has expanded its faster Max Turbo Internet to all U-verse customers. The Internet plan offers 24 Mbps downstream and 3 Mbps upstream speed.

That’s well above cable Internet speeds in Orange County but below the maximum of Verizon FiOS, another telecom offering an alternative TV and Internet service. FiOS offers download speeds of up to 50 Mbps and upload speeds of up to 20 Mbps.

Max Turbo, which launched in Texas and Missouri in December, is $65 month if bundled with U-verse TV service. It’s $95/month for eligible small business customers. Existing plans, including the previously top speed Max Plus at 18 Mbps, are still available (see chart below).

AT&T is available in limited parts of Orange County. Cities include Aliso Viejo, Anaheim, Brea, Buena Park, Costa Mesa, Fountain Valley, Fullerton, Garden Grove, La Habra, La Palma, Laguna Hills, Laguna Niguel, Mission Viejo, Orange, Placentia, Rancho Santa Margarita, San Juan Capistrano, Santa Ana, Stanton, Villa Park, Westminster, and Yorba Linda.

See the U-verse page at gadgetress.freedomblogging.com/uverse
Recent AT&T U-verse stories:

Posted in: Internet • Video & TV • • • • | 9 Comments »

Everything you always wanted to know about Standby, Sleep and Hibernate

March 27th, 2010, 8:29 am by

Stump the PC Club is a free tech-advice column written by members of the North Orange County Computer Club, which has been in existence since 1976. Visit the club’s site at noccc.org. And don’t forget to stop by the Gadgetress’ home for the PC Club, at ocregister.com/link/pcclub, to find out how to ask a question and read past answers.

QUESTION: Can you please explain the difference between Standby, Sleep and Hibernate and which mode do you recommend? Also, which modes are safer with regard to data loss and which mode conserves the most power?

PC CLUB: This is an interesting and often confusing subject for several reasons. There are differences in performance depending on whether you’re running XP, Vista or Windows 7 plus, the choices are different for desktops than they are for laptops.

Let’s begin with a few definitions. Windows XP uses the term Standby but Vista and Windows 7 use the newer term Sleep. In Addition, Vista introduced another mode called Hybrid Sleep which has been carried forward to Windows 7. The description of these modes is as follows: Read the rest of this entry »

Posted in: Computers • Stump the PC Club • • • • • • • | 1 Comment »

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