We’ve been FiOS Internet customers for years. In my opinion, it is the fastest Internet service available! This really hit me when I was in Texas last month, visiting my mom. My brother, sister, and I were all sitting at the kitchen table with our laptops in front of us, frustrated that we couldn’t, respectively, open a webpage, watch a YouTube video, or send an email. My connection was so weak!
“The Internet is really slow when we’re all using our computers at the same time,” my sister said. Seriously? That never happens at my house, and we have so many devices connected at once. Two desktop computers, a laptop, a netbook, iPad, Wii, Xbox, cellphones, etc.
Unfortunately for them, FiOS isn’t available where they live. Yet. Once it is, you know I’ll be making my mom switch over right away. Why? It’s reliable. That’s probably an understatement, actually. I don’t think our Internet has ever gone out (other than when we had no power for a week, but that’s a whole ‘nother story!) Videos and photos upload like a flash, and we stream movies daily without a hitch.
Speaking of switching, in mid-April, we finally decided to switch our cable to FiOS as well. A couple of salespeople were walking around the neighborhood taking orders, and talked me into it. What can I say? I can’t say no to a pair of cute guys LOL. All jokes aside, they caught me at a good time. I’d been taking a look at our expenses, and our Internet, phone, and cable bills were not pretty. We ended up combining all three into one package and are now saving more than $40 a month! That’s amazing, isn’t it? Plus, our FiOS Internet was upgraded so it’s even faster now, and we have several hundred more channels than we had with our previous cable provider. Like I said, amazing. Honestly, I’m not sure what took us so long to get FiOS TV! I think it was mostly laziness on my part.
Now that I’ve raved about FiOS Internet, what appeals most to me about FiOS TV? My answer probably changes from day to day.
- Kid’s programming. I’m not ashamed to admit that I plop my kids in front of the TV for half an hour (okay, an hour) after dinner so I can check email, catch up on work stuff, make a phone call or two, and go to the bathroom… alone. FiOS TV’s children’s programming is wonderful. I’ve discovered new channels like The Hub and Vme that we didn’t have before! Combined with what I can find On Demand, there is always something good for the girls to watch.
- Widgets. The other day I figured out that you can tweet directly from the TV while you’re watching a show. Cool, huh? It just pops a Twitter window right next to the video so you don’t miss anything. I need to get a little faster at using the remote to type, but it’s a neat feature. You can use Facebook, too.
On Demand movies. We can do a Movie Night any night! There are so many movies available to rent from the comfort (and convenience) of our living room. There’s a feature called Flex View which I just learned about that allows you to rent or even buy the movies, which you can then watch on any of your FiOS-connected TVs, your computer, and your cellphone!- Apps. Did you know that Verizon created FiOS Mobile apps for the iPhone, iPad, and Android phones? I can control my DVR from anywhere now, which is particularly helpful when I’m traveling, as I hate to have to re-program it all when I get home. The app also lets you use your mobile device as a remote, as you can see to the left, although I haven’t actually tried this yet.
So… these are just a few FiOS features that I love at the moment. I see us being loyal customers for years to come, especially with all the new stuff they’re always rolling out. Verizon knows that moms have hectic schedules, and with Verizon FiOS TV and Internet service they’re trying to make our lives just a little bit easier!
