By Cynthia Herbert :: 2:44 PM
All Things D and Mashable are both reporting that Apple is planning a secret media-related event that will occur in New York City sometime this month.
The iPad 3 is most likely NOT the focus for the event, nor is any kind of television / AppleTV gadgetry.
All Things D believes that the event will focus on some small-scale advertising or publishing revelation, while Clayton Morris, anchor of Fox and Friends on the Fox News Channel, thinks it is an event originally scheduled in the fall that will focus on iTunes University and Apple in education.
So far, Morris seems to have the most detailed information about the shindig, saying that, “the event will be in New York rather than in the Silicon Valley because New York is more centrally located for textbook[s] and publishing.”
Eddy Cue, Apple’s Vice President of Internet Software and Services is said to be involved with the event. Cue is in charge of many of Apple’s media units, including the iTunes Store, iBookstore, the App Store, iAd and Apple’s iCloud services.
As for a statement from Apple? Well, in traditional Jobsesque fashion, they are mum on any news of an upcoming event or release. Stay tuned!
By Cynthia Herbert :: 5:06 PM
Verizon Wireless has heard the tweets, seen the petitions, and felt the wrath of an angry Internet in the wake of their announcement to levy a $2 surcharge on certain online and telephone payments. In less than a day, the cellular provider has done an about-face and has announced that they will be dropping plans to institute the fee.
The company released the following statement:
Verizon Wireless has decided it will not institute the fee for online or telephone single payments that was announced earlier this week.
The company made the decision in response to customer feedback about the plan, which was designed to improve the efficiency of those transactions. The company continues to encourage customers to take advantage of the numerous simple and convenient payment methods it provides.
“At Verizon, we take great care to listen to our customers. Based on their input, we believe the best path forward is to encourage customers to take advantage of the best and most efficient options, eliminating the need to institute the fee at this time,” said Dan Mead, president and chief executive officer of Verizon Wireless.
Verizon would still prefer that customers use payment methods other than one-time online or phone credit card transactions, including automatic payments that charge cards or debit bank accounts automatically each month, or payment via electronic check transfer. However, they have decided that a fee is not the best way to encourage such changes in bill payment.
The online outcry even captured the attention of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), which issued a statement today saying that it would look into the new fee.
“On behalf of American consumers, we’re concerned about Verizon’s actions and are looking into the matter,” the FCC said in its statement.
By Gilbert Falso :: 9:57 PM
The third coming of Apple’s popular and ground-breaking tablet is almost upon us, if you believe what all the tech pundits and soothsayers have been exclaiming these past few days.
And this time, they just might be right. The tech world is at a perfect point for a rumor like this to actually be true. With two major public events on the horizon in just a few weeks – either one could be the perfect spot for Apple to show iPad 3 to the world.
But will they? Both the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) and MacWorld are scheduled for January, 2012, but it is anyone’s guess whether those will provide the launch platform for the new iPad. And though many signs in Apple’s supply chain point to something big coming soon, it may be a little too early to say January is that time.
Apple hasn’t been at MacWorld since 2009, and while a return would certainly be welcome, it is also possible that the company would skip the event and hold an announcement on their own.
Sifting through all of the leaked reports however, shows that there is an above average chance the the iPad 3 will have a much better display, perhaps even one with a QXGA resolution of 2048 x 1536.
The other big unknown is whether a smaller, 7.85-inch iPad model, will also be unveiled, in the hopes it can compete with Amazon’s Kindle Fire
Stay tuned!
By Gilbert Falso :: 2:35 PM
The U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is looking into Verizon Wireless’s recent announcement of a $2 convenience fee for online and telephone credit card payments.
The commission told the Wall Street Journal that they are “concerned about Verizon’s actions” and will be “looking into the matter.”
A petition, started by Molly Katchpole from Washington D.C. on the online petition site Change.org, has garnered almost 35,000 supporters as of early Friday afternoon.
“It’s not just about the money,” Katchpole writes on the site, “it’s that Verizon thinks it can do anything to its customers, and that we’re powerless to stop it.”
The petition site also allows for signers to vent and comment, like this one from Verizon Wireless customer Alex Shoup:
“I am a Verizon customer but I have not been paying through the website for about a year. I have been using the bill pay feature through my bank. But this is absolutely ridiculous. First they get rid of unlimited data for smartphones, then they remove tethering apps from the Android Market because they want you to use their tethering service ($20/month for 2GB cap), and now THIS?? Sprint is looking real good to me at the moment when my contract is up next year.”
By Gilbert Falso :: 12:31 PM
Verizon Wireless, the nation’s largest cellular service provider, created a wave of controversy yesterday when it announced that it would add a $2 surcharge to one-time payments made via credit card on its website or through its telephone response system.
Customers immediately took to Twitter to denounce the new practice, and set up online petitions, with many vowing to resort to paper checks in hopes that it would cost the company more money to process than it would raise through the new fee on credit cards.
Verizon, it appears, was being sneaky in timing this announcement during the slow week between Christmas and New Years – perhaps hoping that customers weren’t paying attention, and that the online PR nightmare would be subdued.
It seems that much of the outrage is coming from that fact that the new fee isn’t based at all on Verizon’s costs. The company’s announcement says that bills paid through paper checks in the mail, or payments made at Verizon Wireless’s brick-and-mortar stores, won’t be charged a fee. Much like customers could not understand the reasoning behind Bank of America’s failed debit card fee earlier this year, they’re not grasping this one either.
The New York Times has reported that Verizon refuses to divulge how much it costs them to process electronic payments, but it most likely costs less to process a credit card payment than it does to handle checks or in-person payments.
Below is the full text from Verizon on the rollout of the new fee:
Verizon Wireless offers customers numerous free and simple payment options and we encourage customers to use those options. Starting January 15, a new $2 payment convenience fee will be instituted for customers who make single bill payments online or by telephone. There are a couple of exceptions. See below. The fee will help allow us to continue to support these single bill payment options in these channels and is designed to address costs incurred by us for only those customers who choose to make single bill payments in alternate payment channels (online, mobile, telephone). It is waived for those who pay by electronic check or enroll in AutoPay — we encourage customers to use those or other payment options that incur no fees. [See complete list below.] The telephone and online single payment fee, which takes effect January 15, will be disclosed up-front and throughout the transaction.
There are numerous payment options available to our customers where the fee is waived or where no fee applies. They include:
1. Electronic check online (My Verizon Online, My Verizon Mobile/Handset). Fee waived.
2. Electronic check via telephone. Fee waived.
3. Enrollment in AutoPay using credit/debit/ATM card or electronic check; fee does not apply
4. Online from the customer’s home-banking service provider website; fee does not apply.
5. Credit/debit/ATM card, electronic check or cash at a Bill Payment Kiosk, Panel or with a representative at a Verizon Wireless Communications Store; fee does not apply.
6. Use of a Verizon Wireless Gift Card or Verizon Wireless device Rebate Card to pay a bill in-store, online or by telephone; fee does not apply.
7. Paper check or money order mailed to the VZW remit address on customer’s bill; fee does not apply.
Verizon’s largest rival, AT&T, has not yet announced plans to impose fees for electronic payments.