FiOS differs from previous attempts at consumer fiber optic services, because Verizon is delivering fiber connections directly to the residence. Previously, various service providers, including Verizon, offered fiber connections to the curb (FTTC), and the customer still relied on copper wiring from the curb to their residence. Since FiOS is a purely fiber optic service, customers will receive much higher data transmission rates, which will allow high speed internet, telephone, and television transmissions all travel over the same connection simultaneously without degradation.

The major telecommunications providers have been losing enormous market share to cellular, voice over IP (VoIP), and digital phone service packages from the cable companies. For decades, the major telecoms failed to innovate, and there was very little price competition, because the customers had no alternatives. The intense competition in the cellular phone market led to wireless companies lowering their prices while offering a wide array of services to subscribers. With more minutes, long distance, caller id, and call waiting, the average customer no longer needed their copper wire (landline) telephone services. Combine the timing of this with increased competition from residential VoIP services like Vonage and the increasing pressure from the major cable company digital phone offerings, and the telecoms were hemorrhaging subscribers. FiOS services, namely Digital Voice, will help the telecoms reverse that trend, and become substantial players in the digital voice, internet, and telephony markets again. FiOS Digital Voice is the beginning of a new wave of telephone services.

Greater Competition in the Telecom Market
The introduction of residential fiber optic services will lead to intense competition in the telecom market. Right now, in most major American markets, the average customer can choose from several telephone solutions, and multiple providers in their market. Whenever a new provider enters a market with substantial competition, it helps to force the price down for all similar services. When you think about it, your local cellular carriers are constantly trying to undercut each other and provide their services at a lower price. Since the lines between cellular, cable, copper wire, and fiber optic services are blurred, expect lower prices and better bundles across the board. FiOS Digital Voice will compete directly with Digital Telephone services from cable providers, and will be available in bundles from Verizon to compete directly with packages from Time Warner, Cablevision, Comcast, Brighthouse, and the other regional cable companies.

More Features for Less
Since the wireless companies started giving away advanced telephone services, such as caller id, call waiting, three-way calling, voicemail, long distance, and call forwarding, their competition has been forced to offer these services for free as well. Most VoIP customers using Vonage and its competitors also received these services for free, while the cable companies have tried, somewhat unsuccessfully, to provide the same level of services for free. Verizon is offering all of the standard services, but they are also offering the following services, which their competition may not provide:

• Locate Me – This service will search for the call recipient by ringing each of three numbers of their choosing, one by one.
• Simultaneous Ring – This service will ring three numbers of the callers choosing simultaneously.
• Do Not Disturb – This service sends all calls to voicemail, with the exception of calls from specific numbers designated by the recipient. This way, calls from friends, family, or work will still be able to get through.
• Free In-Network Calling – You can call your friends and family that have specific Verizon services for no additional fee.
• Voicemail with Email Notification – When you receive a voicemail, you will also receive an email notification.
• Virtual Numbers – You can have multiple numbers that ring to your home phone without having to pay for additional lines. You can even choose the area codes for the additional numbers.
• Distinctive Ring – You can assign distinctive rings to your virtual numbers to differentiate the incoming calls.
• Schedule Call – You can schedule certain calls to happen automatically so you will not forget them. This is especially useful for recurring conference calls.
• Phonebook with Synchronization/Import/Export to Lotus Notes, Microsoft Outlook, Outlook Express, and Palm – You can manage your Digital Voice phonebook online, and synchronize it with your personal digital addressbook.
• Calendar – Online calendars that will help you keep up with appointments, and schedule your activities.

Regardless of whether or not these services come at additional cost, they will be of great value to customers, because they will have additional control of when, where, and how they receive their phone calls. All of these features can be managed online, so you will be able to access them anywhere you have internet access.

Bundled Services from a Trusted Company
Perhaps the most attractive feature of FiOS Digital Voice is that it can be bundled with internet and television services through Verizon. The customer will get a significant discount by bundling their services, and they will only have one point of contact for service, billing, and technical issues with their voice, internet, and television services. Verizon will take the time during their installation to help the customer choose the best spot to set up their equipment, and train the customer to use it.

Bridging the Digital Divide
Verizon’s FiOS could provide digital television, voice, and internet to places where these services have not been established. If Verizon chooses to bring FiOS services to parts of the U.S. that still do not have any digital infrastructure, this will further help to bridge the digital divide. There are vast areas of the country that do not have digital services right now, and the increased competition in the television, telephone, and internet markets will drive providers to these areas.

Future Integrated Services
As FiOS Digital Voice becomes more widespread, the customers may have greater influence on the development of its feature set. Since the FiOS services are so closely integrated, and Verizon has an enormous Wireless division, you can expect the interconnectivity among the systems to yield more features. At some point in the future, Verizon may choose to integrate more Wireless and Digital Voice functionality, or provide additional advanced features to people who subscribe to multiple services.

There are a multitude of reasons why anyone would want FiOS Digital Voice, but in our current economy, cost and competition will likely be the driving force behind consumer choices. Even if FiOS is not competitively priced when it is first introduced, it will have to prove that it can compete with the existing services. FiOS Digital Voice has enormous potential due to the technology behind it, and Verizon support for it.

Price
Cable companies tend to provide their services at a higher price, especially in markets where there is little or no competition. Comcast Triple Play Packages are priced similarly to comparable packages from AT&T U-Verse. The difference is that Comcast requires a minimum of a 12 month contract to get their best pricing packages. AT&T U-Verse packages have no contracts, and some of them also come with a monetary incentive to switch, so you will not have to renegotiate your prices every 12 months to fend off higher prices. AT&T may also provide incentives to customers who subscribe to their cellular services. Comcast does offer higher internet download speeds with some of their Triple Play packages, but AT&T provides a significantly larger channel lineup than Comcast in some markets.

Customer Service
The customer service experience can make or break your relationship with any service provider. Comcast has an abysmal customer service record for all of their services and their technical support, and there is enormous detailed documentation of it on the internet. Since AT&T U-Verse is a very young service, you can expect AT&T to work harder to recruit and maintain customers. AT&T is still developing, installing, and expanding U-Verse, so you may need to take advantage of AT&T’s customer service and technical support more often as the service goes through growing pains. Comcast is well established, so installations should not be as difficult or time consuming, and you may not require customer service or technical support from them.

Bandwidth Caps and Throttling
Comcast was recently investigated by the FCC for throttling BitTorrent data transmissions on their network, and plans to slow data transmissions from rival VoIP providers. Comcast has also started applying bandwidth caps of up to 250GB/month in certain markets. AT&T is not throttling U-Verse, but they are running bandwidth cap trials in certain markets. Even though bandwidth caps may be imposed on either service, AT&T will remain neutral when it comes to prioritizing data. AT&T also acknowledges that some of their bandwidth intensive services (HD over IP and VoIP) may result in slower data transmission speeds when they are used, but they are not consciously reprioritizing your data.

Should I Choose Comcast or AT&T?
Neither of these services are perfect, and they both have their flaws, but AT&T is less invasive in terms of manipulating data traffic. Since AT&T is eager to recruit new customers, you can expect them to work harder to keep customers happy. Comcast may provide more reliable services, but their exploits in data manipulation are well documented, and they have already been investigated by the FCC. They are known for having poor customer and technical support, but you may not need to rely on them as heavily as you would for a younger service like U-Verse. If you are in a market where both of these services are available, it is in your best interest to take advantage of AT&T’s 30 day money back guarantee and try the U-Verse service before you make a decision either way. This way you will not be locked into a Comcast contract and have to pay a fee to break it. AT&T U-Verse has unlimited potential, but Comcast may be more reliable for you. Take time to thoroughly investigate both services before making a decision.

View Current AT&T U-verse Deals

This was, by no means, a switch for me. This would be my fourth Mac, and the last one I owned was a pre-Intel Mac Mini. It has been a few years since I owned one, and I never considered going for the high-end models, because I could not rationalize the cost. After purchasing my MacBook Pro, I can honestly say that it is worth every penny.

Killing Two Birds with One Mac
Many Apple critics like to dismiss the MacBook Pro as pretty and overpriced. Almost every revision of the 17″ MacBook Pro is astoundingly pretty, but the functionality is amazing, and the screen makes the purchase worth the money. My particular MacBook Pro is one of the last of the pre-Unibody line, and I opted for the high-resolution glossy screen. I am not a graphic artist, and I do not edit video, but it is very hard to imagine going back to a smaller screen or a lower resolution. The screen is harder to keep clean than I would like, but the color and the amount of screen real estate make it well worth the extra cleaning. I own a gorgeous 22″ Samsung LCD monitor that I have not turned on since I bought this MacBook Pro, and I do not think I will need to use it for some time to come.

Not only has this laptop replaced my Toshiba, but it has also replaced my monster desktop, which ran Windows 2003 Server. Thanks to Apple’s Boot Camp, I can partition my hard drive multiple times, and install all of the operating systems I need. There are other methods of running Windows and Linux on a Mac, but for now, rebooting to access another OS is not a problem.

Abundance of Good Software
If anyone tells you that the Mac platform lacks software comparable to what’s available for Windows, they’re wrong. There is an enormous software market for OS X, and many useful applications are free. The Open Source community is very involved in Mac software development. I currently use the following free and Open Source applications:

• Firefox
• OpenOffice
• VLC
• Adium
• Carbon Copy Cloner
• Handbrake
• Growl

Your Mac also ships with enough quality software to get you up and running in minutes. Out of the box, your Mac comes with the following useful applications:

• Mail
• iPhoto
• iTunes
• Boot Camp
• iCal
• iChat
• Safari
• iMovie
• GarageBand

Apple also provides an array of applications for both average users and professionals that do everything from office productivity to professional video editing. You can purchase some of that software and have it pre-installed on your Mac.

Operating System Quality and Stability
It should be news to no one that Apple’s OS X is extremely stable. Its UNIX underpinnings allow it to run for long periods with a relatively low overhead (of hardware and software resources). The Mac community has successfully installed some of the newest revisions of OS X on Macs close to 10 years in age. OS X is also very low maintenance compared to the various versions of Windows. It takes a lot less time to install updates, perform backups and maintenance, and keep your Mac running smoothly than it does to maintain Windows XP. I have also been able to leave any of my Macs running for weeks at a time without needing to reboot.

Long Term Investment
A Mac is an excellent investment, because it maintains its value for a longer period than a PC. My three-year-old Toshiba, were it in excellent condition, might only fetch one or two hundred dollars on eBay. Two-year-old 17″ MacBook Pros are selling for around $1,000 on eBay, depending on their configuration and condition. Apple also takes its time to ensure backwards compatibility in most hardware and software. A new release of OS X does not always mean that you will need to upgrade your hardware as it could with every subsequent release of Windows. The Mac user community is robust and very helpful, so finding answers to your questions or solutions to your problems will be easy. When you purchase a Mac, you will get a high-end product that retains its value along with a helpful support community.

AT&T Uverse Voice
AT&T Uverse Voice provides all of the features you would expect from a Voice Over IP (VoIP) telephone service. In addition to supporting number portability, AT&T U-Verse Voice provides the following features:

• Call Waiting
• Call Forwarding
• 3-Way Calling
• Caller ID
• Call Waiting ID
• Selective Call Acceptance
• Exclusive Call Forwarding
• Call Rejection
• Anonymous Call Rejection
• Caller ID Block and Per Call Block
• Voicemail
• 911 Service

ATT Uverse also provides the following advanced features at no additional charge:

• Do Not Disturb
• Locate Me: Rings multiple numbers to find you if you are not at home, and the messaging services also send email and text messages.
• Web Access Call Logs
• Mail
• Click to Call and Call History on TV
• Fax/Modem Support: Supports fax machines
• Safe Call Forwarding: Delivers messages to alternative numbers in the event of a power outage.
• Unified Messaging: Integrates voicemail from both home phone and AT&T Cordless phone
• Battery Backup: Helps to keep the phone service working for a short time during a power outage

There is no installation charge when you install Uverse Voice with the rest of your package, and there is no contract term. AT&T offers an unlimited package at $30/month and a 250 minute package for $25. You can also add a second line to either package for $15/month. This is much more affordable than competitive services, and only costs slightly more than Vonage.

The most interesting feature of AT&T Uverse Voice is its ability to work with home alarm systems like Brinks. Brinks and AT&T have done extensive testing, and they have determined that Uverse Voice can be used as a primary means of transmitting alarm signals. This will save you the trouble of paying for an additional land line just for your security system.

AT&T Uverse Internet
AT&T Uverse is not as fast as Verizon’s FiOS FTTP internet service, but there are packages that are faster than many cable providers. Uverse provides speeds of up to 18Mbps downstream and 1.5Mbps upstream, which is faster in both directions than what the vast majority of cable companies provide to residential customers. There are slower packages, but ultimately you will save money when you bundle the services, so it is still worth the time to investigate purchasing the higher speed tiers.

AT&T Uverse has an enormous amount of potential, and it is priced conservatively compared to the packages from Time Warner and Comcast. Verizon’s FiOS may provide much higher speeds and some additional features, but the price can be prohibitive. For now AT&T Uverse poses a larger threat to the cable companies, because it can roll out services using existing infrastructure, and it can expand more quickly than FiOS for that same reason. By rolling out these services using existing infrastructure, AT&T will be able to help fund their future move to FTTP services, which I think is their ultimate goal. If you are already an AT&T cellular customer, there are obvious benefits for subscribing to Uverse, and it may save you even more money on all of your services. AT&T also had the presence of mind to offer a rebate on some packages, which will help offset the cost of breaking a contract with its competitors. AT&T has ultimately done a very good job of turning up the heat for the competing cable providers, and the consumer will reap the benefits.

If you subscribe to basic cable and premium channels, like HBO or Showtime, many cable companies and telecom carriers will offer free or low cost VOD channels that carry shows that were previously broadcast on the corresponding cable and premium channels. If you miss an episode of your favorite cable show, within a few days of the original airing, that episode will be available via VOD. Please note that not all shows aired on every network will appear on VOD. Cable providers like Time Warner and Comcast are adding new VOD channels constantly, so expect an ever expanding list of VOD offerings.

Due to the popularity of VOD services, some web-based companies like Amazon and Netflix have joined the fray in the VOD market. Amazon allows you to watch video instantly from their web site without waiting for it to download to your PC. The episodes generally cost less than $2/each, and that is great if you only watch the occasional movie or TV show, but it can become quite expensive if you watch a lot of movies or TV episodes. Netflix has added streaming video functionality for existing customers so they can watch movies on their PCs instead of waiting for them to come in the mail. These are excellent VOD options if you like watching a wide range of shows that are not readily available for free online.

Most of the major TV networks have started offering free VOD from their web sites. You can watch the newest episodes of House on Fox, Heroes on NBC , or Supernatural on The CW any time you want to. The major networks may not keep too many past episodes on their web sites, and they will be punctuated by advertisements that you may not be able to fast forward through since the episodes are offered for free. This is a very cost effective method for catching up on your favorite shows quickly, but you may not have access to the shows you want to watch for very long.

There are new VOD services cropping up every day, and there are more and more home entertainment devices, including cable set-top boxes, DVRs, and TiVO that support VOD. As internet based video, including IPTV , becomes more popular, you can expect more TV shows, movies, and sporting events to be delivered to internet connected devices. You should also expect that more classic movies and TV shows will be available via various VOD services as they become available in digital formats. For many people, VOD is already beginning to replace cable programming, so expect it to be a major contender for your home entertainment dollars.

• Dual Tuners: You can watch one show while you record another. You can also record two shows while watching a show you’ve previously recorded, or watching shows available through Video on Demand.
• Search for Shows: You can use the DVR menu guide to search for the shows you’d like to record, or you can search for shows by name using the on-screen keyboard.
• Record the Season: You can record an entire season of a show including new episodes and reruns.
• Resolve Conflicts: If three or more shows are scheduled to be recorded during the same time slot, the DVR will recognize this, and categorize the shows as conflicts. You can review them manually and choose which show you would prefer to record.
• Prioritize Recordings: You can set the priority of your recordings, so if there are conflicts, the show with the higher recording priority will get recorded.
• Automatically Delete Shows or Protect Recordings: You can adjust the DVR’s recording settings to automatically delete a show you’ve recorded after seven days or when your DVR is full. Alternatively, you can adjust the settings to protect certain shows from being deleted, regardless of whether or not the DVR Is full.
• Pause Live TV: You can pause and replay live TV at any time. You can also use the menu to record a show that is already in progress.

TiVO – Not Just a DVR
TiVO started off as a DVR, but has evolved into a premium quality home entertainment device. Not only does TiVO perform all of the functions of a cable company owned DVR listed above, but it acts as a home multimedia hub, connects to the internet to download additional media, and allows you to port your video and other media to various devices including your laptop or desktop, and your iPod, iPhone, or DVD player.

TiVO can now replace your cable box without additional third-party equipment. Once you purchase your TiVO, your cable company can install CableCARDS in your TiVO, which will allow it to connect directly to your cable service.

Powerful Menus and Amazing Service
TiVO’s monthly service gives you access to amazing programming, and gives you the power to find exactly what you want to watch. While your cable company’s DVR will allow you to search for programming by title, TiVO will allow you to search by Title, Subject, and Actor. This gives you more control over your search results. You can also choose to record shows based on your searches. For instance, if you were a fan of Hugh Laurie, you could search for, and record, every show he is listed to appear in. You can create a WishList based on these preferences, and use it to automatically record anything within your search parameters.

Internet-connected TiVO units can take the search functionality to a whole new level. You can search for content on internet sites like YouTube based on your search parameters and play it directly on your TV.

Leveraging the Power of the Internet
The cable companies have done a very poor job of leveraging internet connectivity through their DVRs. Even though your cable company may be your high-speed internet provider, you still have limited-to-no control over your DVR via the internet, and it is unlikely that your cable company DVR can take advantage of the internet it is connected to. TiVO, on the other hand, takes enormous advantage of the internet. With TiVO you can:

• Download videos from Amazon Video on Demand
• Download movies from Netflix
• Connect to other TiVO units on your local area network to share videos
• Rent Disney CinemaNow videos
• Download YouTube videos
• Download music directly from Rhapsody
• Download pictures from Photobucket or Picasa
• Control your TiVO recording schedule via the internet from your PC or your smartphone

TiVO Replaces Your Cable Box and Subscription
As our economy continues to crumble, saving money on monthly bills is paramount. By purchasing a TiVO, you will no longer have to pay a monthly fee for your DVR service or cable box. TiVO HD will allow you to take advantage of FREE over-the-air HD channels and eliminate your cable bills entirely. Combine that with the ability to download content over the internet, and you will never need cable service again.

Take Your Content With You
Cable company DVRs box your content in. There is no easy way to extract the video you have recorded to your PC, iPod, smartphone or to DVDs. The cable company would rather exert complete control of where you get your content, and how you use your content. TiVO allows you to break your content out of the box. Not only can you transfer content from TiVO to TiVO, but you can download video directly to your PC, iPod, or smartphone, and you can even burn it to DVD. TiVO gives you much more control over your content, and allows you to take it with you.

TiVO Designed with Consumers In Mind
There is really no comparison between a TiVO and your cable company’s DVR. The services and features that TiVO provides you are far superior, and the savings can be astounding if you choose to discontinue your cable in favor of free programming. Ultimately, TiVO was designed with the best interests of the consumer in mind, while your cable company’s DVR was designed with their best interests in mind.

DirecTV bid for, and won, the rights to be the exclusive provider of this extensive NFL broadcast package until 2010. Before DirecTV obtained exclusive rights to broadcast games, other cable and satellite providers were able to sell Sunday Ticket subscriptions. The only requirement was that they also carry the NFL Network. Since DirecTV is the only provider to carry this package, it has resulted in a large influx of new DirecTV subscribers, while the other satellite and cable companies are not able to legally produce a competitive package.

Right now, the only way for customers to see games out of their area is to try to view a FOX or CBS affiliate via antenna. If the game they are trying to watch is blacked out, they will not be able to watch the game without a subscription to Sunday Ticket.

The NFL Commissioner, Roger Goodell, claims that the two largest cable networks, Time Warner and Comcast, use their size and power to discriminate against independent broadcasters , like his NFL Network. Goodell would like the House Telecommunications and Internet Subcommittee to investigate the anticompetitive behavior exercised by Comcast and Time Warner.

The CEO of Time Warner, Glenn Britt argued that it was “disingenuous” for Goodell to compel any cable or satellite carrier to carry the lower valued NFL Network in broad distribution and simultaneously limit access to the higher valued NFL Sunday Ticket.

Ultimately, the fans who cannot, or will not, switch to DirecTV to pay a very high cost for NFL’s Sunday Ticket package, and get tethered to a contract are the ones who lose. The bidding, exclusivity, blackouts, and partnerships among the networks and the cable and satellite companies are struck in the best interests of those companies. This particular deal has disappointed thousands of NFL fans, and if the broadcasts are not more widely distributed after the DirecTV deal expires next year, the fans will ultimately lose again.

Update: NFL Sunday Ticket Will Remain DirecTV Exclusive Until 2014

DVD Recorder
If you have a standalone DVD Recorder, it is relatively easy to record directly to DVDs from live FiOS TV programming, or from Verizon’s Digital Video Recorder (DVR). If you are recording live TV directly to the DVR, simply connect your DVD Recorder to the S-video and stereo jacks on the back of the FiOS Set-top Box (STB). You will be able to record directly from the live TV feed through the STB to the DVD Recorder.

If you have subscribed to Verizon’s FiOS DVR, you can record either live TV or previously recorded materials. Once you’ve connected the DVD Recorder to the DVR using the S-video and stereo jacks on the back of the DVR, you can play previously recorded material on the DVR and record it directly to the DVD Recorder.

If you have a High Definition (HD) STB, or a HD DVR, you must have a Blu-Ray DVD Recorder to capture the video in full HD. Otherwise, your video will be converted to a lower resolution by your DVD Recorder.

TiVO Browser
If you are a TiVO owner and subscribe to FiOS, creating DVDs from material you have recorded is much easier than with the other methods. TiVO allows you to browse your saved content over your local network via your web browser. You can download recordings directly to your PC from your network-connected TiVO, and burn them to DVDs using your favorite DVD burning utility. You can also edit the video using video editing software before you burn it to DVD.

FireWire to PC or Mac
Verizon’s FiOS DVRs come with a FireWire port. If this FireWire port is not active, you can request that Verizon activate the port, or replace your DVR with one that has an active FireWire port. Once you have determined that your FireWire port is active, you can connect your Mac or PC to the port, and use video capture software to copy the video that is currently playing to your computer. Once you are done, you can edit the video and burn it to DVD.

Recording Limitations
Recording video via FireWire is limited to channels without copy protection that you can “copy freely” from. The local channels and non-pay channels are usually free from copy protection. You will not be able to copy video from pay channels, or video from channels that are copy protected. Some DVD Recorders may also have difficulty recording from certain channels for the same reason. If you have a DVD Recorder, you should do research to find out what you can and cannot record to DVD from FiOS.