Time Inc., Hearst Magazines, Navteq, Fandango and On Networks are among the companies providing content and services for the new Verizon Hub.

The Verizon Hub is an intuitive device that puts a communications command center in the home that bridges wireline and wireless connectivity and runs on any broadband connection, whether supplied by Verizon FiOS Internet or DSL or any other high-speed service provider. The Verizon Hub, the first Voice over Internet Protocol home telecommunications system, features fully integrated connectivity with family members' wireless phones and a touch screen with clear icons.

"We're continuing our strategy of extending Fandango brand to achieve ubiquity on all platforms," says Ted Hong, vice president of marketing for Fandango, Los Angeles. "Anywhere people might want to be connected and get movie information, Fandango wants to be there.

"We give Verizon Hub immediate access to information about movie show-times, synopses and they can actually buy tickets with just a few clicks and be ready to go to the movies," he said. "It adds a lot of convenience for consumers, because they don't have to turn on the computer to use the service."

Fandango feels that mobile commerce is poised for continued growth.

"Mobile commerce, as you might imagine, is in its early stages, but it certainly has a lot of potential," Mr. Hong said. "Part of the reason we want to be in these partnerships is that you want to be in on the ground floor, because you know it's going to grow.

"The Verizon partnership is part of our ongoing strategy," he said. "We're already on a variety of different mobile platforms, including Sprint, AT&T, Helio By Virgin Mobile, Palm and TiVo.

"We'll continue to seek out more mobile partnerships in the coming months."

All Verizon Wireless Communications Stores nationwide have live Verizon Hubs available for consumers to test out.

The Verizon Hub provides on-demand access to an array of services and information.

Fandango will power the movie channel for the Verizon Hub, with ticketing, show-times and other movie-related content.

One of the Web's top movie and entertainment destinations, Fandango sells tickets to more than 16,000 screens.

Fandango provides consumers with reviews, commentary and trailers, and offers the ability to quickly select a film, plan where and when to see it, and buy tickets in advance.

Fandango is available via consumers' mobile device at http://mobile.fandango.com.

Fandango is a unit of Comcast Interactive Media.

Time Inc. mobile video content
Time Inc., the country's largest magazine publisher and one of the largest content companies in the world, is partnering with Verizon Wireless to provide mobile video content.

Verizon Hub consumers can now view short-form videos from Time Inc. brands like People.com, Time.com and RealSimple.com by touching the screen on the Verizon Hub.

Now, Verizon customers will also have a weekly selection of more than 50 videos from Time Inc. brands, as the company readies thousands of videos to be viewed on the Verizon Hub.

The participating sites include People.com, Time.com, RealSimple.com, CNNMoney.com, InStyle.com, Health.com and MyRecipes.com, the food portal of Time Inc.'s Lifestyle group, featuring 30,000 kitchen-tested recipes from established brands like Cooking Light, Southern Living and Sunset.

Videos include People.com's "What You Missed over the Weekend," a fast-paced look at celebrity news; personal finance videos from CNNMoney.com; "Dinner Tonight" videos featuring recipe ideas from MyRecipes.com; and special feature stories from Time.com.

Time Inc., a Time Warner company, is one of the largest content companies in the world.

With 23 magazines and 26 Web sites in the U.S., it claims to be the country's largest publisher.

Time Inc.'s brands and franchises extend to online, television, cable VOD, satellite radio, mobile devices, events and branded products.

Hearst's Good Housekeeping mobile video
Hearst Magazines Digital Media, a unit of Hearst Magazines, is providing six new videos a week on the Verizon Hub, starting with content from Good Housekeeping and eventually expanding to include other Hearst publications.

Now Verizon Hub families can access valuable content from Good Housekeeping that will let them cook recipes alongside their favorite chefs or follow along as they are provided with makeup application tips.

Launched in March 2006, Hearst Magazines Digital Media is dedicated to creating and implementing the digital strategy for Hearst's magazine brands and other sites that serve the company's consumer audience.

The unit has launched, re-launched or acquired 25 Web sites and nine mobile sites for brands such as Cosmopolitan, Esquire, Good Housekeeping, Marie Claire and Seventeen.

The publisher's portfolio also includes non-magazine brand sites such as Delish.com, a food site in partnership with MSN; TheDailyGreen.com; and teen sites MisQuinceMag.com and MyPromStyle.com.

To round out its growing portfolio of interests for teens and women, Hearst Digital has acquired Q&A platform Answerology.com; the eCrush Network teen social community, which includes eCRUSH.com and eSPIN.com; social shopping site Kaboodle.com; and RealAge.com, a consumer health site.

Navteq's VZ Navigator
Navteq, a global provider of digital map data for location-based services and vehicle navigation, is providing maps and traffic content and technology to enable interactive mapping and real-time traffic updating on the Verizon Hub through Verizon Wireless' navigation service, VZ Navigator.

Before their morning commutes, weekend errands or leisure road trips, drivers can find out what lies on the road ahead and get where they're going faster with Navteq content that they can look up on the Verizon Hub and send to their VZ Navigator-enabled mobile phones.

Navteq maps offer the ability to search for and find locations and get door-to-door driving directions throughout the United States.

Navteq's Traffic.com JamCast updates give Verizon Hub owners streaming, live traffic audio and video reports for local hotspots with advanced mapping for pinpointing of traffic hotspots for city areas nationwide.

Once a consumer looks up a location, the connectivity between the Verizon Hub and VZ Navigator allows for audible turn-by-turn directions and traffic updates for that location to be available on the mobile phone.

With Navteq's interactive mapping, directions and real-time traffic, the Verizon Hub helps today's busy commuters and families navigate their hectic schedules.

For example, let's say the big soccer game this weekend is taking place at a new location.

Before leaving the house, consumers can use Navteq maps to find the school and check real-time area traffic with Navteq's Traffic.com JamCast -- all with a few taps on the Verizon Hub screen.

Consumers can send the school's location from the Verizon Hub to their Verizon Wireless phone, and with VZ Navigator, they can follow audible turn-by-turn directions, also powered by Navteq.

Verizon Wireless' VZ Navigator is available for $2.99 for 24-hour use, or $9.99 monthly access.

Navteq is a provider of digital map information for automotive navigation systems, mobile navigation devices, Internet-based mapping applications and government and business services.

Navteq creates the digital maps and map content that power navigation and location-based services worldwide.

The Chicago-based company was founded in 1985 and has approximately 4,000 employees located in 196 offices and in 43 countries.

Digital TV from On Networks
Several original TV shows from On Networks, a digital media company bringing original programming to all screens, can now be watched on the Verizon Hub.

The original HD programming available from ON Networks on the Verizon Hub includes Budget Health Nut, Golf Tips, Food Science, Stump the Chef, Zen Living and more.

"In late 2007 ON Networks partnered with Verizon to bring our HD content to the FIOS VOD service," said Jen Grogono, cofounder and chief content officer of On Networks, Austin, TX. "When programming content for The Hub device, Verizon approached On about leveraging our original programming with the launch of the product.

"In addition, we worked closely with their technical team in testing digital formats," he said. "As we are committed to strong relationships with our customers, we were happy to support Verizon's launch of this exciting new device.

"Verizon told us they were targeting the household manager, so the content we provided is really ideal for that audience, such as Budget Health Nut, Food Science, Golf Tips, Stump The Chef, and Zen Living among others."

On works with a number of mobile content aggregators, such as Buzzwire and ZooVision, but the company also formats its content to make it play well on mobile devices such as the iPhone.

"We are starting to see a reasonable number of views on mobile devices but, compared to online and television, mobile video viewership is still developing," Mr. Scholz said.

Over the last two years, On Networks has become one of the largest independent distributors and producers of original HD programming for digital platforms.

On Networks claims that its AllScreen network is the largest one-stop video distribution platform reaching viewers on any device, including TVs, PCs and mobile devices. It is a privately-held company backed by Accel Partners, Austin Ventures and S3 Ventures.

Hub-ba Hub-ba
Customers need a wireless line of service with Verizon Wireless in order to purchase the communications command center, since all billing for the Verizon Hub will be consolidated onto customers' Verizon Wireless bills.

In addition, customers need a Verizon Digital Voice plan for the Verizon Hub, which is $34.99 a month and offers unlimited calling in the U.S., Canada, and U.S. territories, including Puerto Rico, as well as unlimited messaging to and from Verizon Wireless phones.

The Verizon Hub is available in Verizon Wireless Communications Stores across the country for $199.99 after a $50 mail-in rebate with a two-year agreement; additional cordless handsets, which can be placed throughout the home, are available for $79.99 each.

For customers who do not own a wireless router, Verizon Wireless also offers a router to work with the Verizon Hub for $69.99.

The new Verizon Hub includes visual voice messaging services from uReach Technologies, a provider of converged communications services for wireless, wireline and broadband carriers.

The health video catalog of HealthiNation, a leading independent producer of health and wellness videos, can be viewed on the Verizon Hub.

HealthiNation's health and wellness videos are available as a resource for the public to gain information on health, food choices and other lifestyle topics to help live healthier lives.

Verizon Wireless operates a wireless voice and data network serving more than 80 million customers, making it the No. 1 carrier in the U.S.

Headquartered in Basking Ridge, N.J., with more than 85,000 employees nationwide, Verizon Wireless is a joint venture of Verizon Communications and Vodafone.

"We're targeting the Veirzon Hub to busy families and others who want to simplify their life," said Debra Lewis, spokeswoman for Verizon Wireless, Basking Ridge, NJ.

"It's intended to sit in the kitchen or the hub of the home, and provide easy, on-demand access to lots of different information -- and be a home phone, too," she said.

"We're excited to work with so many different partners to bring the content and technology to our customers."