In its latest effort to try and remain relevant in the home phone industry, Verizon has unveiled the latest version of its Hub phone.
Originally launched by Verizon on Feb. 1, the VoIP phone is available for $199 to purchase with a two-year contract -- after a $50 mail-in-rebate -- with a fee of $34.99 per month, which can be added to a subscriber's Internet connection. The Hub service is very similar to Vonage, and is a bit cheaper than the average $40 to $50 per month phone bill many people pay.
The latest Hub refresh includes additional widgets, games, cooking videos, and a new marketplace store similar to the popular Apple App Store. The app service will be released sometime before the end of 2009, and will feature a number of different applications available for download.
The device has an impressive touchscreen interface, but the price and its actual usefulness is rather unimpressive considering how most users are beginning to go mobile. I've had limited experience testing it, and haven't honestly been overly impressed with the service, especially considering the price.
Expect Verizon to launch a nationwide advertising campaign to promote the service, but it's highly unlikely it's going to take off any time soon.
An increasingly larger amount of users are eliminating their home phone service in favor of mobile phone service only, despite the lowering cost of home phones.
