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Exclusive: Upcoming Verizon FiOS TV features
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Broadband, Features, HDTV, Home Entertainment, Internet,
As most of you know, we are big fans of Verizon FiOS here at Gear Live. The actual Internet and television services are stellar, and it’s pretty hard to find fault with things, especially since downtime is almost nonexistent. Sure, we’ve had our issues, but those are all fixed, and at this point it is pretty much smooth sailing.
Today we were inviting to a media briefing at the main hub in Everett, WA, to get a look at some of the current and upcoming features of the Verizon FiOS TV service. We were able to sit down with Eric Rabe, Senior VP of Media Relations for Verizon to get the full scoop. Of course, being who we are, we had to make sure we got questions answered about FiOS Internet and phone services as well, just to be thorough. We will just go through these in no particular order - some of this you already know, while other parts are definitely new:
HD Content: FiOS TV is completely uncompressed through Verizon. They get the signal, and pass it straight through to the subscribers box the way they received it from one of two providers (depending on where you are located.) Every market has a minimum of 100 dedicated HD channels. The caveat here (and it’s a small one) is that the cable box does not have a mode that simply passes through the content to your receiver or television the way it comes in. This means you have to set the FiOS TV cable box to display either 1080i or 720p, and it will either up-convert or down-convert depending on what you choose. I let them know it would be nice to have boxes that just passed through the resolution without any conversion taking place. Of course, if you have a TiVo Series3 or TiVo HD with a FiOS CableCARD, you don’t have this issue.
I also asked about 1080p content, since satellite is currently offering HD content in 1080p. Unfortunately, their answer is that they are a couple of software revisions away from being able to offer that, so no timeline there.
Click to continue reading Exclusive: Upcoming Verizon FiOS TV features
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SickCity Tracks Disease
Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Internet, Science,
Not long after we told you 3 ways to help you track the N1H1, we came across SickCity, a disease tracker for hypochondriacs. Not only does it list the ten sickest cities, it covers most countries. A part of the DIY City program, it uses Twitter (and soon Facebook) to collect information and make graphs with the use of algorithms. They are still working on some historical data, but it is still worth a look. Add your city if it is not already listed.
Read More 
| SickCity
Facebook Helps Solve Crimes
Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Internet,
When two of her husband’s work trucks were burgled in Georgia, Mary Chapman went to Facebook instead of the police. She messaged her friend who in turn forwarded it to another who thought she had seen something strange. Within a few hours, they had found the teenage suspect, confronted him and settled the problem by downgrading the charge after he apologized. The police hadn’t even come up with a name.
Others are also using the social network site for crimes. In the UK, a man started “Find the Sale RAPIST,” with images from a security video to help find a man who assaulted his girlfriend and has attracted 7,277 members. And a web designer who found a wallet was contacted by its owner through Facebook.
Read More | ABC News
muveeMix Upgrades to shwup
Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Internet, Movies, Music,
muveeMix is upgrading to shwup. In addition to making videos, you will be able to upload photos and videos in your own album for friends and family and create slide shows. In return, they can do the same. More upload capacity, new styles and music tracks have been added, and you can put your creations on Facebook or other social networking sites. If you have not yet signed up, it is free and a fun way to become a novice muvee maker.
Read More | shwup
Moldavan Rally via Twitter
Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Smartphones, Internet,
This is proof positive that Twitter is more than stuff and nonsense. Moldovans were using the social messaging network to create a rally in response to Sunday’s election result and poor economy. Using Facebook and the tag “#pman,” which stands for Piata Marii Adunari Nationale, a large square in the capital city Chisinau, more than 10,000 gathered. The rally was considered to be “well designed, well thought out, coordinated, planned and paid for.” The protests began quietly on Monday, but escalated into stone throwing and fires until dispersed on Tuesday.
Read More | NY Times
Google To Buy Twitter?
Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Google, Internet, Rumors,
Rumor has it that Google may be buying Twitter. Michael Arrington of TechCrunch reports that he has two unnamed sources who say that they are in the late stages of negotiations. Twitter already turned down an offer from Facebook, although that deal involved overvalued stock. Google plans on paying cash and/or public stock. We guess that this is a win-win for both. Twitter founders Evan Williams and Biz Stone have already sold Blogger to Google and considering that tweeting is more popular all the time, this will involve big profits down the line.
Read More | TechCrunch
Microsoft Adds Partners to Windows Marketplace
Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Corporate News, Internet, Microsoft,
At the CTIA wireless show in Las Vegas this week, Microsoft announced new software partners for its Windows Marketplace. Pandora, Electronic Arts and Facebook have joined the team that already includes Gameloft, Accuweather.com and MySpace. All told, the company expects more of its 20,000 mobile partners to offer software when it launches later this year. Apps will work on phones with Windows Mobile 6.5, also due out towards the end of the year.
Read More | eWeek
Share Your Netflix Data With Facebook Connect
Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Internet, Movies,
Recently launched, Facebook Connect allows users to share Netflix movie selections and ratings by clicking stars that will appear on their wall and friends’ News Feeds. Your friends can comment, add the movie to their queue or connect to Netflix to learn more about the movie. Of course you can configure the amount of titles and ratings shown by the privacy settings. To enroll, head over to Netflix via the link and click the button there.
Read More | Netflix Facebook Connect
Facebook Returns to Original TOS After Complaints
Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Corporate News, Internet,
After an entire Facebook group complained about their new policy change that inferred that the site would have control of their users information “forever” as opposed to until closing an account, founder Mark Zuckerberg said that they would return to their previous terms of use, at least until they work out the semantics. He said that subscribers will continue to own their information unless it has already been given out. Over 100,000 joined the People Against the new Terms of Service (TOS) Group to make their views heard.
Read More | Facebook
Man Murders Wife Over Facebook Status
Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Internet,
It’s a scary Internet world out there. Edward Richardson of Staffordshire, England, checked out his wife’s Facebook page. That by itself is fairly common, we suspect, but when he realized that she had changed her status to single he freaked. She wouldn’t answer any of his text messages at her parents’ house, so he went there, broke a window out of the front door, went in and killed her. He tried to off himself as well but failed. He was given 18 years for the murder and Detective Inspector Andy Wall said that the wife had wanted to end the marriage but that Richardson couldn’t accept her decision.
Read More | Daily Tech
