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Free Directory Assistance - Now From Google

Google keeps expanding its franchise on world domination by now offering a free directory assistance service called GOOG 411.  

You don't need a computer, an Internet connection, or even the keypad on your phone or mobile device. GOOG-411 is voice-activated, so you can access it from any phone (mobile or land line), in any location, at any time. For free. (*)

Dial (1-800) GOOG-411. Say where. Say what you're looking for. GOOG-411 will connect you with the business you choose.

If you are calling from a mobile device, GOOG-411 can even send you a text message with more details and a map. Simply say "Text message" or "Map it."

AT&T 's Randall Stephenson Talks to Walt Mossberg at the All Things Digital Conference. Worth Watching

Randall Stephenson, AT&T Chairman talks at the All Things Digital Conference...  he talks about churn, the impact of the iPhone, the use of data and how AT&T is managing the volumes of data that is being used on devices like the iPhone.

 

AT&T Will Continue To Make Special Concessions on Pricing for U-verse. TimeWarner Offers Me $100 to Switch. Here's What I Did

My $99 per month U-verse  plan that gives me the whole enchilada of the U-verse 400 package, 6 MB of Internet and U-verse Voice is expiring in mid-June.  TimeWarner in my market is offering something similar, but not quite as extensive at $99 per month.  Plus TimeWarner will give me a $100 rebate to switch, minus the $40 installation fee, giving me a net rebate of $60 per month.

Having made several calls over the last week, I did manage to negotiate the following:

Everything stays the same, but with the following modifications.

 They offered to keep the plan at $99 if I agreed to go to the U-200 plan.  That meant losing Showtime, HBO and a few other movie channels.  I can do without most of the movie channels, but I really do like HBO.  

The friendly customer service person offered me HBO at $14.95 per month.  I said no.   He countered with $5.00 per month.  I said yes. 

My landline service still costs $25 per month, and I am still on the fence about it.  That's $300 per year for service I hardly use.  I could use that money to buy a Kindle or just save it.  I kept the land line, but am inclined to kill it.  

For now, I have won a small victory.  What was going to go back to costing me $179 per month, will now cost me $104 per month - minus of course a few movie channels I can live with out.

I have a video that I am making the tracks the conversations with AT&T which I will try to post this week.

I still believe that AT&T offers a better and more comprehensive service than TimeWarner does.  I just was not prepared to pay a massive premium.  

Stay tuned.

Time Warner Cable Is Offering Me Triple Play Services for $99 Per Month + $100 Rebate if I Switch From AT&T

I still have until June 11 to make a decision on what to do about my AT&T U-verse service.  

To be clear:  whatever I decide is based on pure economics.   I do believe the AT&T service is superior to Time Warner's, but it's worth close to what could be $1,000 per year more.

Right now, Time Warner is offering me an integrated package with similar HD channels, fast Internet and voice service for $99 per month, plus $9.95 per month for the additional set top box.  There is a $40 installation fee, and there is a $100 rebate if you switch from AT&T.

This week, I will be back on the phones with AT&T to see what they will do to keep me as a triple play customer.

Stay tuned.

My AT&T Triple Play $99 per Month Offer Expires Next Month: And The Phone Company Is Not Budging on Price

Back in late December, I managed to negotiate a pretty dramatic reduction in my triple play AT&T services from $169 to $99 per month.  

This lead to some pretty amazing media coverage with my story being told in The Wall Street Journal, NPR and even an appearance on Good Morning America.  

In telling my story my goal was to help save the American consumer millions of dollars, especially during this economic downturn.

When the nice people at AT&T lowered my bill, they did so only for six months.  

Well now, my contract is getting ready to expire and after a couple of phone calls to AT&T, they don't seem to budging on price.

So, I have made the decision that if they don't negotiate with me, I am going to kill U-verse Voice and possible U-verse TV, and just keep the Internet service so I can get WiFi and use my big screen TV to watch.... YouTube and Hulu.

Don't get me wrong.  I really like AT&T as a company and what they have managed to pull off and execute in bringing a really high quality and reliable service into my home. 

But I'm not prepared to pay they price they want for the services they are offering.  

I'd rather save my money, and either save it or do something with what would be about a $1,000 a year savings.

Stay tuned.... 

Boxee Holds Application Developer Challenge - OK Kids, time to disrupt IPTV again...

announcing the boxee app dev challenge

the new boxee API enables developers to build and publish apps for boxee users. while people are working on a variety of boxee apps, the folks from boxee thought it would be a good idea to provide some extra incentive for the developers.

the boxee dev challenge will have 3 categories: Video, Music and Photos. 
in each category we will have a People’s Choice award and a Judge’s Choice award:

People’s Choice Award: Drobo 
Judge’s Choice Award: Sony Bravia XBR9 46″

the deadline for submitting your application is June 14th at 11:59pm PT, but they encourage you to submit early and often as they'll be talking up cool applications as they come in.
voting will take place between June 15th - June 22nd.

on June 23rd they will have a boxee event in San Francisco (RSVP here) announcing the People’s Choice and our esteemed judges will choose a winner from the 10 most popular apps in each category.

the judges at the event will be:
Veronica Belmont - Tekzilla, Qore
Ryan Block - GDGT, former EIC Engadget
Avner Ronen - boxee founder and CEO
couple more judges (we are interviewing prospects: Obama, Oprah, AplusK)

looking for more info on how to develop boxee apps: check out http://developer.boxee.tv and take a look at the sample app (we will publish additional sample apps). please submit your app to dev_challenge@boxee.tv.

whether you’re a developer or just a boxee fan, they're looking forward to seeing you @ the event. RSVP here.

* the challenge is open to residents of the milky-way galaxy except for employees of boxee, and any other organizations involved in sponsoring the contest, as well as their parent, subsidiary, affiliated and successor companies, and those employees’ immediate family and household members. exceptions extend also to those who think they might become a boxee employee, or an employee of the aforementioned parent, subsidiary, affiliated, or succesor companies in the future. “Immediate family members” of employees shall mean their parents, step-parents, children, step-children, siblings, step-siblings, pets and spouses. “Household members” of employees shall mean people who share the employee’s residence at least three months a year sleeping on a couch or a bed (blow up mattresses do not ap.)