"home" service

Order a plumber like you would an Uber car with ClubLocal

ClubLocal, a company that contracts with merchants of home services like plumbing or handyman work, wants to make sure customers waiting to have their homes fixed know exactly when the repair guy (or gal) is showing up.

The company, which expands to the San Francisco Bay Area on Thursday after testing its service in Dallas, lets customers schedule a service through its site or mobile app. When the pre-screened technician heads out for the job, users can see a photo and the credentials of the technician, and track his or her progress toward their homes. It's similar to ordering … Read more

Verizon service to let home phones use cell minutes

Verizon is testing a new service that could eliminate the need for a dedicated landline account.

Known as Home Phone Connect, the service would let Verizon Wireless subscribers make calls from their landline phones using Verizon's cellular network, allowing them to share minutes between their cell phones and home phones.

Customers would be able to keep their existing landline phones through the use of a base station that taps into Verizon's wireless network and then connects calls to the home phone handset, according to Network World. A battery backup would provide power to the base should the electricity … Read more

Sony delays launch of PlayStation 'Home' service

Sony Computer Entertainment announced Tuesday that it is again delaying the launch of its 3D social-networking gaming service, "Home," for the PlayStation 3.

The PlayStation Home Open Beta service is expected to begin in the fall, nearly a year after its expected launch date. Sony unveiled the concept of its Home service more than 12 months ago and had anticipated at the time a full launch of the service at the end of last year.

Sony, in delaying the service launch, noted it wanted to expand its closed beta program to more PS3 users. The pending Home service … Read more