Verizon

Verizon Fios TV is the latest company to do away with [some*] hardware TV box requirements on a wider variety of devices with Apple TV and Amazon Fire TV. Instead of requiring a Verizon Fios TV box on every TV with which a user would want said TV functionality, Verizon released apps for Fios TV for Apple TV 4K, Apple TV HD, and Amazon Fire TV devices [that allows a user to reduce the number of boxes they use to one*]. These are only the latest platforms on which the Verizon Fios TV app is available. Switching from Verizon Fios TV hardware boxes to Fios TV apps on smart TV devices could potentially reduce a Fios TV user's monthly bill by a substantial amount.

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Verizon has revealed its own Smart Display, an Alexa-powered screen that packs its own LTE connection as well as WiFi. Built in collaboration with Amazon, it's the first example of a smart home product made with the Amazon Custom Assistant, meaning Verizon Fios customers will be able to ask for specific account details and get service support.

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All three major mobile carriers in the United States now have RCS ready to roll with Messages by Google by default for Android phones. Rich Communications Service (RCS) amplifies the abilities of text messaging - by default - for all Android users from this point forward. Google has been working for years to make RCS the default baseline experience for messaging between smartphones and tablets of all sorts - now, with Verizon onboard, that goal is basically a reality (in the USA, anyway).

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Spam callers are always using every trick at their disposal to get you to answer their phone calls. Often, spam phone calls, such as the dreaded extended warranty call, come across the caller ID on mobile devices with your local area code making it more likely that you will answer. Verizon has new filters in place to prevent scammers from tricking you into answering a call by using your area code and prefix, a tactic known as neighbor or neighborhood spoofing.

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Verizon just added the Motorola one 5G UW ace to their collection as their most affordable entry point into 5G connectivity. This device is made to be the least expensive way for any Verizon user to drop in on 5G (with Ultra Wideband connectivity) and Verizon Adaptive Sound. It's also a pretty decent phone for $300 (or around $12.50 a month for two years).

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Verizon has unveiled a first-of-its-kind vehicle called Tactical Humanitarian Operations Response (THOR). The massive vehicle was revealed at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar as part of an ongoing partnership between Verizon Public Sector and the Department of Defense. THOR is a mobile private Verizon 5G Ultra Wideband and mobile high-performance compute rapid-response command center vehicle. It's described as a prototype capable of deploying Verizon Frontline technology, such as Verizon 5G Ultra Wideband, along with additional applications and computing solutions for partners.

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For most of us, the name BLACK+DECKER is probably most closely associated with various power tools. The company has announced a new initiative called BLACK+DECKER Health, launching in the direct-to-consumer market, sliding into the health and wellness solutions category. BLACK+DECKER Health is bringing to market a new collection of personal emergency response systems called goVia.

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It looks like Verizon will soon hop on the smart display bandwagon. The company is apparently creating its own smart display based on Amazon's Alexa voice assistant, and while it sounds like this new smart display will share a lot of its features with its competitors, there is one feature that might give it an edge in the smart display space.

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It seems that Verizon's purchase of several media properties was doomed from the start. Expensive and ultimately unprofitable, the network operator ended up selling that Media Group that included AOL and Yahoo's many products. The latter includes not just search and email but also a mobile virtual network operator called, what else, Yahoo Mobile. The latter has just announced that it will be closing up shop and ceasing operation after being in the market for less than two years.

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Verizon's 5G Home Internet service is expanding, with more cities lighting up the cable-replacement and the carrier promising to help cover early-termination fees to get out of your old contract if you switch. Seven new places are getting the option of 5G for their home internet connection, with Verizon promising up to 1 Gbps downloads.

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Verizon is promising free 5G phones and borrowing T-Mobile's strategy of covering network switching costs, as it tries to lure new subscribers to its unlimited cellular plans. The promotion also covers existing Verizon subscribers who may not have a 5G phone, and allows for trade-ins of even broken handsets or those with cracked screens.

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Verizon is throwing an Apple Arcade or Google Play Pass subscription in with its cellphone plans, with 6-12 months of mobile gaming service being added as a perk for new and existing subscribers. Just how long a free subscription you get will depend on which plan you're signed up to.

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