Miss Universe 2012: Service

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Monday, 14 November 2011

New Verizon Home Monitoring and Control Service Will Make the Concept of the 'Connected Home' a Reality

BASKING RIDGE, N.J. – December 29, 2010 –

You're miles away from home when you realize that you've forgotten to lock the front door. With a new, fully integrated and customizable home monitoring and control service developed by Verizon, you won't have to panic and frantically call a friend or neighbor. The service, now in the trial phase and expected to be available in the first half of 2011, will enable customers to lock doors remotely; see what's going on at home via networked cameras; and set, adjust and control lights, smart thermostats and appliances -- all by using a smartphone or a computer or through FiOS TV.

Verizon will showcase the new service, Home Monitoring and Control, and many other new technologies, at the 2011 International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, from Jan. 6-9. Verizon's demo will be available in the press room and blogger lounge, located in the South Hall of the Las Vegas Convention Center and will be among the demonstrations in Verizon's booth (LVCC, South Hall #35215) on the show floor.

(NOTE: To take a video tour of Verizon's home monitoring and control offering, visit http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4UbTbJdXNDA. For more information on Verizon's presence at the 2011 International Consumer Electronics Show, visit http://newscenter.verizon.com/verizon-at-ces-2011/. )

Beginning in January, a pilot program for Home Monitoring and Control will be conducted in New Jersey. The homes selected for the program will be outfitted with an energy reader, smart appliance switches and thermostats, a smart power strip, a smart door and window locks, motion sensors, an advanced pan-and-tilt camera, and a fixed indoor and outdoor camera.

"What we'll be testing in these homes is just the beginning," said Eric Bruno, vice president of product management for Verizon. "We're giving customers a remote control for their homes that they can use to cut CO2 emissions and their energy bills and give them anytime, anywhere access and control of their homes. The concept of the connected home has been discussed for many years, and now Verizon's high-IQ networks are making that concept a reality by converting customers' homes into bandwidth-rich ecosystems that enable a wide variety of customizable options."

High-IQ Networks Like FiOS Are Platforms for Innovation

Since launching FiOS, Verizon has pushed the boundaries of TV and broadband speed by introducing innovations that have spurred the industry's evolution.

Verizon is the only major provider to offer ultra-high-speed symmetrical Internet service to customers, and earlier this year the company began offering 150/35 megabits per second Internet service, the fastest speeds available on a mass scale. Consumers can choose from various FiOS Internet downstream and upstream options including 15/5 Mbps, 25/25 Mbps, 35/35 Mbps and 50/20 Mbps.

Verizon also offers a Media Manager, available to all HD customers, that enables them to access PC-based personal photos, videos and music - as well as search and enjoy online videos from YouTube, blip.tv and Dailymotion. DVR customers can remotely access their DVRs from any broadband connection or Internet-enabled phone. And in November, Verizon launched Flex View, a new feature that allows customers to take their video content with them and purchase, rent or watch videos on TV, online and on select mobile devices.

Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE, NASDAQ:VZ), headquartered in New York, is a global leader in delivering broadband and other wireless and wireline communications services to mass market, business, government and wholesale customers. Verizon Wireless operates America's most reliable wireless network, serving more than 93 million customers nationwide. Verizon also provides converged communications, information and entertainment services over America's most advanced fiber-optic network, and delivers innovative, seamless business solutions to customers around the world. A Dow 30 company, Verizon employs a diverse workforce of more than 195,000 and last year generated consolidated revenues of more than $107 billion. For more information, visit www.verizon.com.

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Verizon Launches Personalized FiOS Service Bundles With More Choices and More Flexibility

NEW YORK – June 6, 2011 –

Recognizing that all digital lifestyles are not the same, Verizon has created new options for customers to personalize their FiOS service bundles to best meet their individual voice, broadband and home-entertainment needs.

Previously, consumers were limited to the Internet speeds and number of TV channels assigned to specific FiOS bundles and price points. With this change, consumers will be able to choose and mix services to customize their bundles -- at a cost of just $5 to $10 a month in additional incremental charges. Discounts are also available to new customers who order triple-play bundles online.

"For some customers, broadband Internet speed is more important than a lot of TV options; for others, robust TV rules the household; and some customers want it all," said Mike Ritter, Verizon chief marketing officer for consumer and business services. "Now, our FiOS customers have more options for personalizing their Internet or TV services to satisfy all their needs."

All the new FiOS-only choices include Verizon's Worry-Free Guarantee of no term contract requirement, a premium installation and in-home demonstration, plus a follow-up satisfaction call. Customers can visit www.verizon.com to see if FiOS service is available to them, and to easily and conveniently build and order their bundles online. Two-year term contracts are required when Verizon Wireless service is added to any bundle.

Verizon's new, flexible service choices give customers the freedom to build a personalized bundle of FiOS Digital Voice, Internet and TV service that fits their individual needs. For example, consumers who are well-established in their lives and have active careers could find social networking and a lot of video and photo uploading more important than top-tier television programming. In this case, consumers can start with a triple-play bundle at $99.99 per month that offers broadband Internet speeds of up to 15 Mbps (megabits per second) downstream/5 Mbps upstream, and for $5 more per month increase their speed to 25 Mbps/25 Mbps.

If they add an additional $5 more per month ($109.99 total per month), they gain access to 35 Mbps/35 Mbps broadband Internet speeds - and can enjoy 233 TV channels including more than 50 in HD.

Some young families might find that 15 Mbps/5 Mbps speeds are plenty for their Internet needs - but the more TV, the better. In that case, they can select the triple-play bundle at $99.99 per month, and for an extra $10 per month ($109.99 total per month) move up to a FiOS TV service with 324 channels including 80 in HD. For $10 per month more ($119.99 per month), they can enjoy 391 channels with more than 100 in HD.

And for those customers who want it all, Verizon continues to offer a triple-play bundle with 35 Mbps/35 Mbps and 391 TV channels for $129.99 a month*. Customers can also choose combinations of $5 and $10 increments added to the monthly starting price of $99.99 to create a bundle somewhere in between.

New customers who order online can go to Verizon's featured bundles page, click on the Bundle Builder link and, for a limited time, receive a $10 per month online discount on their triple-play bundle. Verizon Wireless customers adding a new FiOS bundle or FiOS customers adding a qualifying Verizon Wireless calling plan can receive up to a $10 per month discount on their bundle. Verizon's One Bill and a two-year contract are also required for the additional discount. Customized FiOS double-play bundles are also available.

Hispanic households can also customize bundles, starting with Verizon's La Conexion and Spanish-language bundles. More information is available at Verizon's new Spanish-language FiOS site, http://enciendetefios.com/.

For more information or to start building a bundle, consumers can also call 1-800-VERIZON (800-837-4966).

* All prices shown are for qualified new customers, represent base bundle pricing and do not include costs for additional set-top boxes, premium channels, other customer preferences, local taxes and fees. Base pricing may vary from market to market as does the total number of HD channels by market.

Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE, NASDAQ:VZ), headquartered in New York, is a global leader in delivering broadband and other wireless and wireline communications services to mass market, business, government and wholesale customers. Verizon Wireless operates America's most reliable wireless network, with more than 104 million total connections nationwide. Verizon also provides converged communications, information and entertainment services over America's most advanced fiber-optic network, and delivers seamless business solutions to customers around the world. A Dow 30 company, Verizon employs a diverse workforce of more than 196,000 and last year generated consolidated revenues of $106.6 billion. For more information, visit www.verizon.com.

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Verizon Positioned as a Leader in 2010 U.S. Telecom Service Providers Magic Quadrant

BASKING RIDGE, N.J. – December 2, 2010 –

Gartner Inc. has positioned Verizon in the Leaders quadrant of the analyst firm's new report, "Magic Quadrant for U.S. Telecommunications Service Providers."¹ Gartner examined 10 U.S.-based telecommunications service providers that offer wired or wireless service, or both.

Companies are positioned in the Leaders quadrant based on ability to execute and completeness of vision.

"Our advanced wireline and wireless networks are the essential platform for the solutions we deliver to enable better business outcomes for enterprises and government agencies worldwide," said Anthony Recine, Verizon vice president of networking and communications solutions. "This world-class foundation is a key Verizon differentiator, especially as we execute our 'everything-as-a-service' strategy, delivering cloud-based infrastructure and software solutions to create new IT delivery models for our customers."

About The Magic Quadrant
The Magic Quadrant is copyrighted 2010 by Gartner, Inc. and is reused with permission. The Magic Quadrant is a graphical representation of a marketplace at and for a specific time period. It depicts Gartner's analysis of how certain vendors measure against criteria for that marketplace, as defined by Gartner. Gartner does not endorse any vendor, product or service depicted in the Magic Quadrant, and does not advise technology users to select only those vendors placed in the "Leaders" quadrant. The Magic Quadrant is intended solely as a research tool, and is not meant to be a specific guide to action. Gartner disclaims all warranties, express or implied, with respect to this research, including any warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose.

About Verizon Communications
Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE, NASDAQ:VZ), headquartered in New York, is a global leader in delivering broadband and other wireless and wireline communications services to mass market, business, government and wholesale customers. Verizon Wireless operates America's most reliable wireless network, serving more than 93 million customers nationwide. Verizon also provides converged communications, information and entertainment services over America's most advanced fiber-optic network, and delivers innovative, seamless business solutions to customers around the world. A Dow 30 company, Verizon employs a diverse workforce of more than 195,000 and last year generated consolidated revenues of more than $107 billion. For more information, visit www.verizon.com.

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¹ Magic Quadrant for U.S. Telecommunications Service Providers, Ted Chamberlin and Phillip Redman, November 3, 2010

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Monday, 11 July 2011

NYC 'Artist' visited by Secret Service - International Business Times

Jul 09, 2011 06:09 PM EDT

A New York City "artist," who installed spyware onto public computers to snap photos of customers in Apple stores was visited by US Secret Service this week.

Kyle McDonald used the built-in cameras on Macbooks and other Apple products to capture images of about 1,000 people as they examined new Apple computers.

His computers, iPod and digital storage devices were confiscated as authorities conduct their investigation.

"@secretservice just stopped by to investigate peoplestaringatcomputers.tumblr.com and took my laptop. please assume they're reading any emails you send me," McDonald said via Twitter Thursday.

Over the course of three days, McDonald installed his homegrown software, which captured photos every minute and sent them to his server.

Reports said that McDonald did this across computers at nearly 100 stores. He said he had the permission of Apple security guards.

In early July, he arranged an unauthorized exhibition at two Apple stores where customers were first shown a picture of themselves and then photos of other Apple store visitors.

"We have this expression on our face [when we use computers] that basically says that we're not interacting with anybody, we're interacting with the machine," McDonald said of the project.

"Even if there are a lot of people in the room at the Apple store, you're not interacting with them. If something weird happens, you don't say, 'Hey, did you see that?'"

Regarding the case itself, McDonald, said that he had been advised not to comment on the case by the online freedom group the Electronic Frontier Foundation.

See a sampling of the photos below, or click here for a slideshow of all the works