Don't Be a Scrooge in Choosing a Network for Hot Holiday Gadget Gifts

NEW YORK, Dec. 19, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- It's the network that gives those hot, holiday electronics the speed, high definition and selection for top-rated performance now and down the road.  And Verizon's FiOS network can do it all.

Here's how the FiOS network can provide maximum enjoyment and satisfaction for holiday gadget gifts:

• That sleek new laptop tablet – Connect it to the Internet with FiOS, and download speeds of up to 150 Mbps (megabits per second) turn it into a Formula 1 experience on the information superhighway.
• The newest game console – FiOS Internet's unmatched downstream and upstream speeds provide an exhilarating online gaming experience.  Plus, with FiOS TV, you are now able to watch select, live FiOS HD TV programs with a qualified Xbox 360 game console.
• Super-small HD video cameras or digital SLR cameras – Once you've recorded those digital HD memories, you'll want to post them to the Web to share with friends and families.  FiOS Internet's unmatched 35 Mbps upstream speeds allow you to upload a 1 gigabyte, 20-minute HD home video in 4.3 minutes.*
• The latest big-screen, 3D TV – Tune  to ESPN 3D, the industry's first 3D network, featuring live major sporting events like NCAA basketball and football, Wimbledon, the U.S. Open, the Masters Tournament and the NBA.  FiOS TV Video on Demand also offers the hottest Hollywood blockbusters in 3D, and premium subscribers have access to even more on-demand titles from HBO and Starz.

The FiOS network also brings consumers Flex View and FiOS TV Online, extending TV programming beyond the home to the Internet and a range of mobile devices.  Wrap this all up with a feature-rich, digital voice service – FiOS Digital Voice – and you have a unique gift package.

And unlike that desktop PC now collecting dust in the basement, or the ponderous tube TV taking up garage space, the FiOS network is built for the future.  As a 100 percent fiber-to-the-home network – an advantage cable doesn't offer -- FiOS has the capacity and flexibility to accommodate even more speed, more HD channel selection, and more advanced services and devices.

In November, Verizon announced it is collaborating with Microsoft to provide consumers with access to live FiOS TV channels over the Xbox 360 Entertainment System, including the ability to integrate consumers' TV experience with voice and gesture commands through Kinect.

"Consumers want greater anytime, anywhere control of their many electronic devices, their digital files of photos and videos and their home environment," said Eric Bruno, vice president of consumer and mass business product management for Verizon.  "People want a borderless lifestyle, where everything is just a click away.  This is what drives Verizon's development of new FiOS TV services, and it's why FiOS Internet was built to deliver the best online experiences, both downstream and upstream."

For example, the new My FiOS app provides Verizon FiOS customers with a single point of access to a vast variety of FiOS remote-access services, including FiOS Mobile Remote, which includes DVR manager, and Verizon's Home Monitoring & Control service, as well as personal content with Media Manager, and movies and TV shows with Flex View.  The easy-to-access app also provides users with the ability to manage billing and FiOS Digital Voice service.  In addition, the app reflects Verizon's customer focus by organizing apps according to customer needs, like accessing entertainment on the go, checking in on your home, managing your account and other remote-access benefits.

Additionally, current FiOS bundle offers make signing up for a two-year, triple-play plan the equivalent of a gift within a gift.  Bundles of TV, Internet and Digital Voice start as low as $79.99 a month and include a $300 Visa gift card to qualifying new customers who sign up online, with a two-year agreement, with no startup costs and a 30-day Worry-Free Guarantee.  That Visa gift card becomes a $500 value when new FiOS customers place an online order for a $109.99 a month bundle of FiOS TV Ultimate HD, FiOS Internet 35/35 Mbps and FiOS Digital Voice with unlimited calling in a two-year plan.

All in all, FiOS is a way to make the holidays more rewarding for the entire family.

* Upload and download time estimates based on maximum connection speeds. Actual throughput speeds will vary.

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 consumer, business, government and wholesale customers.  Verizon Wireless operates America's most reliable wireless network, with more than 107 million total connections nationwide.  Verizon also provides converged communications, information and entertainment services over America's most advanced fiber-optic network, and delivers integrated business solutions to customers in more than 150 countries, including all of the Fortune 500.  A Dow 30 company with $106.6 billion in 2010 revenues, Verizon employs a diverse workforce of more than 195,000.  For more information, visit www.verizon.com.

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SOURCE Verizon