Product and Innovation

��Ƶ Tops EFF Privacy Scorecard

walt.grayson — Tue, 25 Jul 2017 19:00:00 +0000

��Ƶ Tops EFF Privacy Scorecard

walt.grayson Tue, 07/25/2017 - 12:00

Written by Dane Jasper
July 25, 2017 | 2 min read

We put our members first, and that’s especially true when it comes to privacy.

As the industry leader on consumer privacy protection, we guard our customer’s data like no one else because we understand that your use of the Internet is private, and that we must ensure our members feel secure.

Recently the Electronic Frontier Foundation published their annual “Who Has Your Back?” report. It marks another year that ��Ƶ has received a perfect rating, our fifth such achievement in the five years that Internet access providers have been ranked by the EFF. Each year we have been awarded a perfect score because we lead the way in industry best practices, refuse to sell our user’s data, and advocate for our customers and their privacy. For us, it’s not complicated: our members deserve an internet service provider who won’t share or sell their personal data.

Leading the way on privacy.

Since day one, our policies have always taken into account the best interests of our members and these policies are especially relevant now. California is currently considering legislation that would install statewide privacy rules after prior federal protections were repealed. This could mean setting a major precedent in terms of where the limits are when it comes to ISPs and the unique access they have to their users’ personal data.

So, what does this proposed legislation mean for ��Ƶ and for our members?

California legislators will soon consider whether or not to enact new rules governing what internet service providers are allowed to do with customer data. These new laws would require:

ISPs to obtain customer permission before using or selling their personal data, permissions that could also be revoked by the consumer at any time. This would give Internet users a real choice about their privacy.
Prevent ISPs from offering incentives or discounts to customers if they opt out of choosing privacy protections, along with prohibiting ISPs from turning away those who choose to have their data protected. This would mean never having to choose between protecting your personal data and receiving service.

This is legislation that could set an enormous precedent in favor of privacy protections for consumers. It presents an opportunity to make a tangible, significant difference, and ��Ƶ is in full support.

With the recent attacks on net neutrality and now your privacy, we want you to make your voice heard. You can write your local representatives and let them know that you are in favor of restoring broadband privacy rules that restrict your broadband provider’s ability to sell your data without your explicit consent. And we’ll do the same.

But regardless of the outcome of this legislative effort, ��Ƶ’s stance remains constant: we will never sell your personal data. We won’t change our minds or our protective policies, regardless of whether or not this legislation passes. ��Ƶ has got your back, and that’s something you can count on.

Category

Product and Innovation

Fusion Product Changes

walt.grayson — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 20:00:00 +0000

Fusion Product Changes

walt.grayson Thu, 03/01/2012 - 12:00

Written by Dane Jasper
March 1, 2012 | 4 min read

Today we have made changes to our Fusion service in order to further simplify the product, to improve service delivery, and to lower costs.

Previously Fusion was a bit confusing – it’s one product, but was offered four different ways: residential single-line, residential dual-line, business single-line and business dual-line. This meant four different price points, and business users basically paid more for less: a $10 to $20 higher monthly fee, plus a penny a minute for all their calls. (More on this below!)

We have also found that residential dual-line service was rarely purchased, with only one out of twenty customers selecting this product. When it was, there were more delivery challenges due to the household wiring, and more cancellations due to delivered speed concerns.

We often found that these residential customers didn’t actually want the two phone lines, and instead were hoping for more speed, generally seeking 20-40Mbps. While bonded Fusion is double the speed of a single line, it was sometimes being purchased by folks located at longer much longer distances who were desperate for more performance. For a speed-hungry consumer on a very long loop, they frankly might be better served by a cable broadband service at those locations.

On the other hand, even at longer lengths and slower speeds, the single-line service is a compelling value: unlimited and uncapped broadband at the maximum speed that we can deliver plus home phone with unlimited usage for $39.95. It’s a very nice deal. Two lines for seventy dollars plus the applicable voice taxes just isn’t a very good fit, and it shows in the signup and churn numbers.

We have also been studying resource usage by our business customers, and we’ve found that from the perspective of voice usage, they actually use less than the average home user! This was a surprise to us, and it created an opportunity: simply eliminate the $0.01 charge that our business customers have been paying for calling. So, that’s in effect from today – Fusion phone service is now very simple: free calling, regardless of location type.

Based upon all of these findings, today we have reduced the Fusion service to two very simple products:

For ��Ƶ customers:
- Unlimited broadband and home phone for $39.95
For Business customers:
- Two phone lines plus double speed broadband for $89.95

Of course both of these products include all of our free features like FaxLine electronic fax, a free domain name with Personal Web Hosting, 15 email accounts, Free International calling, Voicemail and voice features like Caller ID.

For currently users of the two products we have eliminated (residential two-line service, and business one-line service) we will continue to provide the service to these customers at the current price points, so nothing changes for these established customers. (One bonus: for the business customers, they will no longer be billed for their voice usage!) For a new home customer who really wants the two line service, we will deliver the faster business service to a home location.

We are also changing the way that we provide equipment. We found that when customers re-use a modem from another provider, they often spend a lot of time get it set up, and it is always in question if there is trouble with the circuit. Is the problem the modem, or the line? If it’s the modem, who is responsible, and how much time does the customer have to spend with us to get that worked out? With an older ADSL1 modem that lacks ADSL2+ support, the customer’s speed will be limited to 8Mbps, potentially much slower than it would be with a modern unit. Also, does that old modem have a full set of the necessary filters, for all the regular telephone devices in the home?

So, equipment is now provided free for every new customer. The basic kit for residential customers includes everything that’s required, including new phone line filters, a splitter, Ethernet and phone cables and the modem itself. This should make getting set up with Fusion easier than ever, and if there is trouble – our staff know the product well, if there is trouble, we can easily swap or replace it if the modem is at fault. Of course, even things that are free there is a catch: sales tax, and shipping and handling. However, we know that the provided equipment and setup kit will make setup and support much easier for our new customers.

For those who want a device with Wi-Fi, an advanced kit is also available. It includes a modem with four-port Ethernet router and Wi-Fi access point, now offered at a discounted price of $19.95.

For our business customers, we now provide a ZyXel dual-line bonding ADSL2+ modem which has four Ethernet ports and built-in Wi-Fi. It’s a great small office solution, delivering dual-line Fusion speed and convenient Wi-Fi access.

Finally, in an effort to keep monthly recurring costs as low as possible, we are now charging a line activation fee of $35 for the residential service, or $85 for the two-line business service. This keeps most of the one-time costs of circuit ordering and provisioning in a one-time payment, so we don’t have to amortize these one-time expenses into the monthly rate that customers pay forever.

Over the last couple years, we have made many changes to improve our Fusion service, and I’m excited to be continuing the product evolution. Our team is working hard to make the product easier, faster and more useful for you, at the best possible price point.

Category

Product and Innovation

Get a Free Static IP from ��Ƶ

walt.grayson — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 21:00:00 +0000

Get a Free Static IP from ��Ƶ

walt.grayson Tue, 12/13/2011 - 13:00

Written by Dane Jasper
December 13, 2011 | 2 min read

Our Fusion Broadband+Phone service is undergoing continual ongoing improvement, with new features and greater reach as the number of customers rapidly grows.

Our last few new features have been on the voice side, so it’s time for something new on the broadband side of the product.

When we launched Fusion we wanted to keep things simple — and a bit expensive — so we only offered static IPs in one configuration: a big block of eight bridged static IPs, for $20/mo for residential customers and $40/mo for business locations*.

This allowed us to manage our IP blocks in a simplistic way, with little allocation complexity and no fragmentation. It also kept the product easy to understand and sell; if you wanted static IPs, the eight-IP block was the only option to explain.

And, from those who really needed static IPs along with the speed that Fusion delivers, we could collect a bit more money. This was back when Fusion was broadband-only, (phone service was not yet included) and pricing was up to $55 for residential, so a $20 static IP wasn’t quite as disproportionate as it is with the contemporary $39.95 product today.

Times have changed, Fusion has gotten less expensive and loaded with more features. So, our next feature is more varied IP options, including an absolutely free 1-IP static configuration for our residential Fusion customers. (Don’t know what a static IP is and why this is so exciting? See the tech briefing, “What is a static IP?” for background.)

So, the new options for static IPs for Fusion are now as follows.

��Ƶ static IP options:

1 IP: FREE!
4 IP: $10/mo
8 IP: $20/mo

Business static IP options*:

1 IP: $10/mo
4 IP: $20/mo
8 IP: $40/mo

And, IPs can now be set up in real-time, using our self-service Member Tools portal. You’ll find the Fusion IP configuration tool there, under Connectivity -> Fusion. There’s no need to call, and it’s quick and easy. Your new IPs and settings are provided in the tool, and the network provisioning changes are made just a few moments later, allowing you to coordinate this activity for a time most convenient for you.

Once your new IP block is set up, you will need to configure your modem, router or PC to utilize it. If this process is unfamiliar to you, reading and asking questions in the Access Forum is a good start. Please note that our free features are generally unsupported by phone, so please, look before you leap!

I hope you find this expanded set of IP options useful. Please share this article and include a comment about what you will use your new static IP address for!

* Wondering why business IP pricing is higher than residential? Honestly, it’s what the market will bear. There is a dearth of well-priced broadband offerings that incorporate static IP for business customers. Product designed revenues are not always a direct reflection of actual costs, and some things contribute to billing at a higher level than others. That’s just the way things go.

Category

Product and Innovation

New ��Ƶ Fusion Voice features

walt.grayson — Wed, 05 Oct 2011 19:00:00 +0000

New ��Ƶ Fusion Voice features

walt.grayson Wed, 10/05/2011 - 12:00

Written by ��Ƶ Team
October 5, 2011 | 3 min read

As our Fusion customer quantity grows, we are working diligently to improve the service. So, I am very excited to tell you about our next set of free Fusion Phone features:

Call Forwarding:
This has been one of our most requested features. With our new free call forwarding feature, you can now forward your Fusion number anywhere you’d like — to your mobile, or a landline elsewhere. It’s handy when you travel too: forward your home or office Fusion number to your mobile.

You might also use forwarding if mobile service is poor at your home: give callers your Fusion number as your primary number to reach you, then turn on forwarding to your mobile when you depart your home. When you get home, turn off forwarding and take calls on your reliable Fusion landline. Callers only need to know one number to reliability reach you, at home or away.

To turn on call forwarding, just dial *72 (star seven two) and follow the prompts. To turn it off, dial *73. You can also use our new voice portal (news on that below) to manage forwarding from any connected web browser.

Caller ID with Names:
Fusion Phone service has always included caller ID, a feature which traditional phone companies charge as much as ten dollars for. But, while we have always included the basic Caller ID with number, we didn’t provide the caller’s name because there is a per-call cost involved in accessing the unified carrier database that includes this information.

Now, because we have thousands of Fusion subscribers, it has become economical for us to include the name feature too. So, if the data is available, you will now see caller names along with their telephone number, for example your caller ID display would show 415-555-1212 JOHN SMITH. Newer telephones will even read the name out loud while you dash to the phone. Note that you will still see some callers appear as “UNKNOWN” or “WIRELESS CALLER”, but if a name is available in the database, we will provide it.

Hunting:
Also known as “rollover”, hunting with Fusion two-line service allows a small business or busy household to have their primary number ring on the second line if the first one is busy. If both lines are busy, you can send the call to voicemail.

When combined with FaxLine, a small business or home office can use one or two numbers, with or without hunting, plus a separate dedicated FaxLine fax number. Two-line Fusion also delivers broadband at twice the speed, so that’s another bonus! If you’d like to upgrade to two-line service, just contact us to get started.

Voice portal:
To manage this growing array of features, we have launched a new Fusion voice management web portal. You can manage features like voicemail, call waiting and forwarding, plus view call details. Here is a complete list of the Fusion voice features and settings which you can manage online today:

Voicemail settings
Call waiting configuration
Caller ID blocking
International call blocking
Call forwarding

To access the Fusion voice portal, visit the voice portal in the Member Tools. Here is a direct link to the voice section: http://j.mp/Voice-Portal

Support & Forum:
Support is super-duper busy setting up new customers, so if you have questions about using these features or about Fusion voice service in general, it would be very helpful if you would visit our voice forum at: http://j.mp/Voice-Forum

Please tell a friend!

As you have probably noticed, your Fusion service gets better as we grow. Subscriber growth is the key, so I am asking for your assistance: please tell a friend or neighbor about Fusion today. Just ask, “Have you heard about Fusion from ��Ƶ.net?” If they haven’t, tell them about us, and encourage them to visit the ��Ƶ.net site to learn more and to switch. If you do, I promise that we will keep giving you more and more groundbreaking capabilities!

The Fusion vision is to build the ideal service: fast unlimited broadband with strong privacy policies, plus unlimited phone service and lots of features included free. Thank you for your support as we continue to work to make our vision a reality.

P.S.: We also really appreciate your shout-outs on Facebook and Twitter! Click the “Like” button and share on Facebook

Are you on Twitter? Tweet to your followers to let them know what you think about ��Ƶ, then “Follow” us too.

Category

Product and Innovation

Review: Western Electric 302 Telephone

walt.grayson — Tue, 03 May 2011 19:00:00 +0000

Review: Western Electric 302 Telephone

walt.grayson Tue, 05/03/2011 - 12:00

Written by Dane Jasper
May 3, 2011 | 2 min read

One of the advantages of ��Ƶ.net’s Fusion Broadband+Phone service is that it’s “POTS”; plain old telephone service. This means that all of the devices that you may have used for years on your voice telephone line should still work.

To illustrate this, I picked up a very special Western Electric 302 telephone, built in 1941, and connected it to my Fusion service at home. The 302 is associated with I Love Lucy, and if you look closely at the video, you may catch this phone’s particular connection to Lucile Ball.

Fusion delivers the best of both worlds: traditional DC line-powered voice service, with it’s inherent reliability and e911 capabilities, alongside modern features such as unlimited nationwide calling for home users, modern voicemail with “unified inbox” (voicemail in your email, as well as via phone) and modern voicemail notifications like SMS text and Twitter.

Building on this solid voice platform, we add uncapped and unlimited full-speed broadband, a killer combination! Please help us spread the word!

As for the WE 302 – it’s got great sound quality, a bit fuller and deep than modern phones. The heft is astounding. The metal base and hefty guts in this version mean you would not want to drop the set on your foot. The bakelite handset is also heavy. It has a triangular profile, so you cannot rest it on your shoulder, the classic “holding a phone with your head” pose that’s possible with the more modern WE 500. That’s probably for the best, this means you really cannot multi-task, so it’s a perfect “standing in the entryway talking on the phone” device. When the party on the other end is using the WE 302, you know they’re not multitasking and ignoring you!

The ringer is loud, as you can hear in the video, but in this version, it has no ringer on/off switch, so it’s tough luck if you want to take a nap. The 305 model added this mod-con. I’ve also been experiencing inconsistent problems with the pulse dialing, I suspect this 70 year old unit needs a tune-up. Short numbers like 411 I’ve been pretty successful, but it is a real challenge to get a full seven digit number to dial. I’ll keep troubleshooting and see if I can resolve that.

If you’re looking for a classic rotary or touch-tone phone to put on your Fusion line, check eBay’s classic telephones section. YMMV, buyer beware, really old phones may or may not work, etc. I’d suggest something like a Western Electric 500, rotary or touch-tone. They are a great addition to your household as a phone to use when power is out, and unlike a cordless, you will never find yourself rummaging around the couch cushions trying to find your classic corded phone!

Category

Product and Innovation

Fusion Price Drops … Again!

walt.grayson — Mon, 07 Mar 2011 20:00:00 +0000

Fusion Price Drops … Again!

walt.grayson Mon, 03/07/2011 - 12:00

Written by Dane Jasper
March 7, 2011 | 3 min read

We have just reduced the price for many of our Fusion services, again! This is the fourth major price reduction for our Fusion product line. (See related articles at the bottom of this post for previous reductions.)

��Ƶ.net’s innovative Fusion Broadband + Phone service delivers the fastest possible Broadband, plus land line telephone service, all for one low price.

In this round of changes, we dropped our prices by $10 to $30. Here are the new rates:

��Ƶ Fusion Broadband + Phone:

1 phone line, up to 20Mbps: $39.95 (was reduced in December)
2 phone lines, up to 40Mbps: ~~$79.95~~ $69.96

Business Fusion Broadband + Phone:

1 phone line, up to 20Mbps: ~~$60.00~~ $49.95
2 phone lines, up to 40Mbps: ~~$120.00~~ $89.95

I hope you like the new rates. I’m particularly excited about the two line bonded service. It delivers twice the speed by using two lines, and new lower prices make it a much better value than ever.

As before, residential service includes unlimited nationwide calling, and business customers get low 1¢ per minute calling, across town or across the country. All the features you need are included, like caller ID, voicemail, call waiting, and for businesses with two lines, hunting/rollover. If you’re not already a customer, check for service availability and sign up today!

Existing customers will automatically see the new rate reflected in their bill shortly. I really appreciate your selection of Fusion at the previous price, and I know you will like it even more at these new lower prices.

As I’ve previously written, these price changes are part of our commitment to continue to improve our flagship Fusion service. We would certainly appreciate it very much if you’d tell your friends (online and offline), neighbors, blog this, Tweet/Facebook it, post Yelp/DSLReports reviews, etc. Your positive endorsement is the best way for us to grow. As you can see, we’re passing along cost savings as rate reductions to you!

This new rate applies to Fusion Broadband + Phone. If you have an older Fusion “Standalone” service that doesn’t have voice, you can retain that product at your current rate. If you would like to take advantage of the new rates, you will need to activate voice. If you’d like to do this, please call us now to start the process. You can reach our customer service group at 707-547-3400.

We have decided not to add voice automatically for these legacy customers for a number of reasons. First, we can port a number from another carrier for you, or let you choose a new telephone number, and we would like you to make this choice. Second, there are taxes and fees associated with voice, and we’d like to assure you understand them. Estimated voice tax and fee information is available, listed by city. Third, Fusion Broadband + Phone requires a credit, debit or pre-paid debit card for payment, so we need to collect that information if we do not already have it on file. Finally, and most important, we must validate that your physical address is accepted by the 911 system when we activate voice.

I continue to be blown away by the customer reaction to our Fusion products. The great feedback we have received from customers all around the Bay Area has been amazing. Thank you! Please keep spreading the word!

Category

Product and Innovation

Fusion Broadband + Phone Price Drops Again

walt.grayson — Tue, 07 Dec 2010 20:00:00 +0000

Fusion Broadband + Phone Price Drops Again

walt.grayson Tue, 12/07/2010 - 12:00

Written by Dane Jasper
December 7, 2010 | 2 min read

We just dropped the price of our Fusion Broadband + Phone service for residential customers! Previously $50.00, Fusion Broadband + Phone is now priced at just $39.95!

This is an unbeatable deal for Broadband at up to 20Mbps plus land line voice with unlimited nationwide calling. If you’re not already a Fusion Broadband + Phone customer, you can check for service availability here.

Two line residential Fusion (up to 40Mbps and two phone lines) has also dropped, from $100.00 to $79.95. ��Ƶ.net has reduced Fusion prices twice before, opposing the trend of annual price increases by other carriers.

Existing customers will automatically see the new rate reflected in their bill shortly. We appreciate your selection of Fusion at the $50.00 rate, and I know you’ll like it even more at $39.95.

This is part of our commitment to continue to improve our flagship Fusion service. We would certainly appreciate it very much if you’d tell your friends (online and offline), neighbors, blog readers, Yelp/DSLReports reviews, etc. Your positive endorsement is the best way for us to grow. As you can see, we’re passing along cost savings as rate reductions to you!

This new rate applies to Fusion Broadband + Phone. If you have a Fusion “Standalone” service that doesn’t have voice, you can retain that product at your current rate. If you would like to take advantage of the new rate, you will need to activate voice. If you’d like to do this, please call us now to start the process. You can reach our customer service group at 707-547-3400.

We have decided not to add voice automatically for all customers for a number of reasons. First, we can port a number from another carrier for you, or let you choose a new telephone number, and we would like you to make this choice. Second, there are taxes and fees associated with voice, and we’d like to assure you understand them. Estimated voice tax and fee information is available, listed by city. Third, Fusion Broadband + Phone requires a credit, debit or pre-paid debit card for payment, so we need to collect that information if we do not already have it. Finally, and most important, we must validate that your physical address is accepted by the 911 system when we activate voice.

I’m very happy to see the customer excitement about our Fusion product. I really appreciate everyone’s positive feedback and the great reception we have had for the service. Thank you! Please spread the word.

Category

Product and Innovation

Review: Sezmi Delivers OTA Plus OTT

walt.grayson — Wed, 01 Dec 2010 20:00:00 +0000

Review: Sezmi Delivers OTA Plus OTT

walt.grayson Wed, 12/01/2010 - 12:00

Written by Dane Jasper
December 1, 2010 | 4 min read

Customers are doing more than ever with their fast ��Ƶ.net Fusion service, with video being a primary application.

I’ve written previously about OTT, or “over the top”, which is the delivery of video entertainment via, or over the top of, an Internet connection. More and more consumers and adding over the top solutions to their living room, or simply replacing pay TV with a box that delivers content OTT.

I’ve been testing a number of OTT solutions, and this review of the Sezmi OTA+OTT solution is the first of a couple articles to come on this topic. (Disclaimer: I mentioned Sezmi in passing on Twitter a couple months ago, and won a free unit. I purchased a Roku and Boxee, and will be posting reviews of each here shortly.)

The part many of us miss after “cutting the cord” on pay TV is local real time TV channels. On demand content is great, but there is a ton of content on the local channels, plus news and sports that you can’t easily duplicate “over the top”.

Sezmi brings these back, using an old technology: OTA, or “off the air” – meaning an antenna. This arcane antenna thing is like magic – it plucks television signals out of the air! It’s an amazing technology that my entire generation has simply forgotten ever existed.

That box you see looming in the background in this image is the Sezmi phased array digital TV antenna. Sezmi elegantly merges off the air local digital TV signals with a well equipped digital video recorder, and stirs in a mix of OTT on-demand content too.

This is the best of both worlds in many ways, and it’s a tidy solution. You could cobble together something similar: a good quality HD antenna, plus a TiVo, plus perhaps a Samsung or Sony TV that connects to YouTube. But building that configuration wouldn’t be easy, and the TiVo costs $19.99/mo, and requires a two year commitment (or, $299 for a larger unit, $19.99/mo for a minimum of one year.) Either way, it’s not a complete solution (no included antenna, and no OTT), and it’s expensive.

Sezmi includes a huge 1TB video recorder and a nice looking bookshelf OTA antenna, designed to look like a speaker, wrapped in black cloth. It delivers on-demand OTT content (much of it free), YouTube, movie rentals and more. To make it easy to use, Sezmi includes an interface that gives each member of the household a button on the remote that leads to their own view of their entertainment. It learns what each person likes to watch, then Sezmi records content based upon your tastes.

Sezmi is cheaper than a TiVo, now $149 for the hardware, and the service which draws it all together is $4.99/mo. (Customers in LA can opt to add a small stack of cable channels, delivered over the Internet, for $15 additional.)

Sezmi isn’t perfect – it had some trouble during setup recognizing the IP it had obtained from my DHCP server. (I spent ten minutes troubleshooting before I worked out that a reboot fixed; duh.) Sezmi also doesn’t play Netflix or Hulu Plus at this time. It would be nice to see these integrated into their all-in-one interface. If cable channels like ESPN, TBS, TNT, CNN and Discovery are critical for you, an all OTT/OTA solution probably won’t have all of the content you want. (If you want all this, you aren’t a candidate for “cutting the cord”, you need pay TV. If that’s you, we’ll be happy to help you get set up with ��Ƶ.net DirecTV.)

For Sezmi to work, you need to be in a location where you can receive an off the air signal with enough channels that it is worthwhile. Here in Santa Rosa, Sezmi only picks up one channel, KRCB/PBS, and as a result, it isn’t much use. But for customers in the Bay Area, it’s far better. All the major networks like ABC, NBC, CBS and Fox are all broadcast from Sutro Tower in San Francisco, and can be received in a broad area. Sezmi’s website will help you determine which channels you can receive at your address.

If you live in the Bay Area, and if broadcast network content is as important as OTT, the Sezmi is an elegant and cost effective solution that could help keep your entertainment costs in check. Pair it up with ��Ƶ.net Fusion for a great broadband+phone+TV solution.

Category

Product and Innovation

Review: Roku is the Perfect Streamer

walt.grayson — Fri, 01 Oct 2010 19:00:00 +0000

Review: Roku is the Perfect Streamer

walt.grayson Fri, 10/01/2010 - 12:00

Written by Dane Jasper
December 1, 2010 | 2 min read

Continuing my reviews of “over the top” (OTT) solutions, the Roku deserves a special place in the list of options.

Roku started out with music streaming devices, then moved on to video a couple years ago. Their equipment and software is mature and feature rich, showing the polish of consistent updates. It’s interface is smooth and simple, making it easy to use for any member of the household.

Unlike the Sezmi, the Roku is OTT content only, and unlike the Boxee, it’s isn’t for playing local media like your photos or videos you download to your PC.

What the Roku does best is stream high quality content like Netflix, Hulu Plus, Pandora, MLB.TV, NHL and many more. Some are free, but Roku’s strength is that it has the best array of commercial streams of any player that I have tried.

Roku also offers the most mature interface for Netflix. If you are a Netflix subscriber, Roku offers the best playback experience, and includes capabilities like search, queue management and browsing. Fast forward & rewind are also much better on the Roku than other Netflix playback devices.

These are important points — Netflix is currently the dominant OTT content provider, so a great Netflix interface is a big win. Many households have more than one device today that play Netflix today, but because the Roku does it so well, this has made it a favorite in our home.

For fans of sports like baseball, hockey and UFC, the Roku may also be a fit because of it’s available subscription sports services. They are not inexpensive (MLB.TV is $100 for the season), but they can provide more sports content (every baseball game, every hockey game) than pay TV options today. Notably, NFL is missing – NFL doesn’t do OTT, instead NFL is the domain of DirecTV, which we’ll happily sell you if you do decide that you want a traditional pay TV option.

The other great selling point of the Roku is price: it’s $60 (HD 720p), $80 (HD 1080p for full HD resolution) or $100 (w/dual band 802.11n and a few other less used features. Just buy the $80 version.)

If you subscribe to Netflix today and don’t already have one of the many Netflix playback devices, or if you want more capabilities like Hulu Plus, MLB, etc, give the Roku a look. It’s a low cost way to get started with a simple and high quality OTT experience.

Category

Product and Innovation

Why include phone?

walt.grayson — Thu, 09 Sep 2010 19:00:00 +0000

Why include phone?

walt.grayson Thu, 09/09/2010 - 12:00

Written by Dane Jasper
September 9, 2010 | 3 min read

Recent news (SFGate) on landline phone service isn’t what most in the telecommunications industry would call good; nearly 30% of households no longer have landline home phone service. This is up from around 25% of homes that had cut the cord a year ago. Disconnections are accelerating, with 1% of consumers dropping their landline home phone service each quarter.

In addition, the National Center for Health Statistics, a division of the US Centers for Disease Control reports that roughly 15% of those who do have home phone service make little or no use of it! (The NCHS/CDC tracks these stats so they can better understand telephone polling results for public health studies.)

So against this clear trend, why does our newest product, Fusion, include landline phone service?

There are a number of reasons, and I hope the sum of them is enough to make the case.

In designing Fusion, we hope to reset your expectations about both broadband and voice telephone service.

At the core, Americans are fed up with overinflated, complex phone bills. I don’t think customers want to drop home phone service, but everyone clearly wants to stop spending money on overpriced phone service that they make very little use of. In our customer surveys, we have found typical home phone bills in the $25 to $55 range. These bills are ridiculous, and not well justified by actual costs.

Costs are the key to the Fusion equation. ��Ƶ.net uses copper “phone” lines to connect your home or business to our equipment in the central office for Fusion broadband. These lines themselves have the same cost whether they carry data only, or voice and data. This makes the incremental cost of delivering landline voice alongside the broadband data very low.

Second, we don’t use home phones the same way we used to. Most of us take the majority of our incoming calls on our mobile phones. (Note that CDC statistic above!) This makes landline phone service a prime target to terminate, particularly if it’s expensive.

But at the same time, this reduction in minutes of voice calling usage means a reduction in the usage related costs for carriers like us. The fact is that people use landline voice less than ever before, while per-minute usage costs are dropping for carriers. These complimentary trends allow for aggressive new thinking about what voice “should cost”.

These trends let us deliver voice with a difference; Fusion simply includes voice with unlimited nationwide calling for residential users, and for businesses, a simple $0.01 a minute for calls made nationwide.

At the right price, landline phone service is a convenient and useful tool. Landlines don’t drop calls like mobile phones often do, and the voice quality is better so you can really understand the person you are talking to. Landline service is also useful for fire and burglar alarm systems, medical alert systems, gates and call boxes and more. But I wouldn’t pay $35 for landline voice. Heck, I wouldn’t pay $15 for it, and nor should you!

Having a reliable landline at home also offers peace of mind. Reliable 911 service which provides physical address information to emergency responders is a key lifeline, and it’s awful that so many households do without because it has been overpriced. And because landline voice service is DC (direct current) powered from the central office, it works even when your household power is out.

If what I was trying to sell was the same old $25+ landline, I wouldn’t bother, it just doesn’t make any sense anymore. But fast and inexpensive Fusion Broadband+Phone delivers the fastest broadband plus included landline phone. I hope Fusion will help reverse the disconnection trend.

Category

Product and Innovation

Product and Innovation

������Ƶ Tops EFF Privacy Scorecard

������Ƶ Tops EFF Privacy Scorecard

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Fusion Product Changes

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Get a Free Static IP from ������Ƶ

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New ������Ƶ Fusion Voice features

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Review: Western Electric 302 Telephone

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��Ƶ Tops EFF Privacy Scorecard

��Ƶ Tops EFF Privacy Scorecard

Get a Free Static IP from ��Ƶ

Get a Free Static IP from ��Ƶ

New ��Ƶ Fusion Voice features

New ��Ƶ Fusion Voice features