Friday, February 10, 2012

Early Bird = Worm

January 7, 2007

CES doesn't officially kick off until tomorrow, but Verizon Communications got a head-start this afternoon by unveiling the next generation of its fiber-optic television service. Bob Ingalls, the company's chief marketing officer, promised his Las Vegas audience that the latest iteration of FiOS is anything but "old-fashioned TV."

The new FiOS pulls together content from broadcast TV, the Internet and users' own music and photo collections. Customers in New Jersey will be the first to receive the expanded service, officials said. By mid-year, all FiOS subscribers in the 10 states where it is currently available should be on board.

Verizon's new president Denny Strigl also raised the curtain on VCast Mobile TV, which the company calls the "first true mobile TV service in the nation." It is expected to be available in the first quarter of 2007. "Don't think of us as a traditional telecommunications provider," Ingalls said. "Think of us as a key to the growth of the entertainment industry."

Update: I had the opportunity to test drive VCast Mobile TV at a swanky Verizon reception on Sunday night. My first impression -- it would make chaotic commutes on the bus and/or subway much, much more manageable.

The picture quality is astonishingly good and the navigational controls are simple and efficient. There are still a few uncertainties -- like the initial seven-channel lineup and the ambiguous price point -- that make me wonder how quickly consumers will embrace the offering.

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Juliana Gruenwald

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Juliana Gruenwald has been covering tech and telecom issues for more than a decade for National Journal, Interactive Week, BNA and Congressional Quarterly. This is her second stint with National Journal. She was recruited by NJ in 1998 to help launch its first tech policy publication, Technology Daily. She left in 2000 to cover international tech and telecom issues for Ziff Davis Media's Interactive Week magazine. She started her career at United Press International as the wire service's first Helen Thomas Intern. She has a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Minnesota. A Minneapolis native, she misses the lakes but not the cold.


Josh Smith

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Josh Smith covers technology policy as a staff reporter for National Journal. He previously interned at National Journal Daily, a Senate press office, and the Deseret News in Salt Lake City where he covered the state legislature, courts, and crime. In 2009 he graduated with honors from Southern Utah University after managing an award-winning student newspaper as editor-in-chief. Josh has received state, regional and national awards for his political and policy reporting, including first place in CapitolBeat’s 2009 Best of Statehouse Reporting college competition. A native of drop-dead-gorgeous Utah, Josh lives in Virginia with his wife, Amber.