verizon

Go figure.

All those smart and savvy managers and nobody at Verizon Wireless was able to prevent the brass from stepping into a very avoidable public relations mess.

The source of the kerfuffle: a letter informing customers that Verizon planned to "begin sharing information from their calling records with its affiliates, agents and parent companies."

The official explanation offered up is that the company only seeks to share the information between corporate divisions, the idea being to better sell new products to the install base.

No doubt Verizon is keen on upselling its existing customers. The telco types … Read more

Last week, George Harrison--who created the best post-Beatles solo album, the gorgeous All Things Must Pass--became the fourth of the Fab Four to go online. His full solo catalog is available on iTunes and other music stores now. Today, Led Zeppelin confirmed that its entire catalog will be released online Nov. 13, not just the songs on the new greatest hits compilation, Mothership. Zeppelin will also follow AC/DC and sell its songs as ringtones on Verizon Wireless.

Surely, the full Beatles must be next?

Vonage has asked a federal appeals court to revisit its recent decision to uphold most of a patent infringement ruling in a case it lost to Verizon Communications.

The Internet phone company characterized the request for a rehearing as the "next logical step" in the litigation process and in "moving our business forward."

The struggling firm also continues to "explore all legal options available to put the Verizon litigation to rest," Chief Legal Officer Sharon O'Leary said in a statement Wednesday.

Could that mean another out-of-court settlement is on the horizon? Earlier this … Read more

This week marks Verizon's first attempt at enforcing its "Worry Free Guarantee," a new policy that will allow Verizon customers to change plans without having to extend their contracts. The guarantee also includes a test-drive offer that will let customers try out the Verizon service for 30 days risk-free. Customers can also receive a free phone every two years if they sign up for a calling plan of at least $34.99 plus a two-year contract renewal. It's about time Verizon got hip to this, as other carriers like T-Mobile and Alltel have allowed this for … Read more

It's been a busy week for Verizon Wireless. Just days after it released four sparkling new phones, the carrier today announced yet another model, the Samsung Gleam SC-U700. We suppose the "Gleam" name comes from the phone's silver-and-black skin. Yes, we know that black won't exactly gleam in the sunlight, but the handset also has a silver keypad. Otherwise the flip phone has a pretty standard design with a thin (0.55-inch) profile.

Inside you'll find the usual range of Verizon multimedia features. The support for EV-DO networks brings compatibility with the carrier's … Read more

I'm sitting in a tent at 4,000 feet, surrounded on all sides by national forest. And I'm online.

It's astounding.

This is where my in-laws live, on top of a mountain, a 45 minute drive to the nearest town. I've never been able to get online here before. In fact, when I was first coming here, in 2000 or so, we could barely get a cell signal.

But here I am, connected--albeit, certainly not at high-speed--via Verizon's EV-DO network. Doing Google searches. I even got into Second Life for a moment.

I mean, I'… Read more

The Wall Street Journal reported late Wednesday that Verizon Communications is being sued by a TV advertiser for overstating the number of customers the company has signed up for its Fios TV service.

Digital Art Services, a media and advertising buying company based in Great River, N.Y., said in its lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, that Verizon fraudulently inflated the number of people signed up for the Fios TV service.

Specifically, the lawsuit alleges that Verizon included pending customers when it reported total number of subscribers in the New … Read more