Verizon Communications CEO Ivan Seidenberg isn't too upbeat on the future of landlines, telling the audience at a Goldman Sachs investor conference today that the company is just not interested in telephones connected with wires. The chief exec of one of the nation's biggest telecommunications firms continued with his gospel, saying his "thinking has matured" and that trying to predict when the dwindling landline business will plateau is akin to "the dog chasing the bus." He says the new way of thinking is "liberating," but of course, endeavors like the Hub technically don't count as landlines to the company since it'sVoIP, and the coupled with its continued success as the largest cellular provider in terms of subscriber base, yeah, we're sure it's not too tough a pill to swallow. So how abut ramping up FiOS installations just a wee bit faster, eh Ivan?

It isn't an iPhone app, but we're sure plenty of people can appreciate Verizon's new, more widely available Remote DVR Management program. Previously limited to FiOS TV Media Manager subscribers only, accessed by the website or select VZW phones, now any FiOS DVR subscriber can queue up recordings via the website, while Media Manager subs can use http://m.verizon.com/tv from any cellphone, on any carrier for remote DVR programming.

[Thanks, Scott! Via Phone Scoop]

There's surprisingly little synchronicity amongst Verizon's diverse service offerings, of which Verizon Wireless is just a part -- you've also got landline telephones, internet, and television in the mix. The Hub is a small step toward bridging those services (though ironically, the device is offered solely through Wireless, not the landline division), and another step is coming courtesy of FusionOne, which is partnering with Big Red to deliver unified contact synchronization across all of Verizon's services later this year. With cloud services more real than ever before and heavyweights like Google clearly looking to be at the forefront, Verizon's effort seems almost quaint in comparison -- but for folks who subscribe to a number of the company's services and want a dead-simple contact management solution without having to venture outside the Verizon ecosystem, this just might be the answer. FusionOne has previously partnered with Verizon Wireless to deliver Backup Assistant, so the new service really seems like it'll be little more than an extension of that; alas, no word on pricing or availability yet.

We knew Verizon was planning remote scheduling for its Home Media DVR, and its Hub is evidence of its willingness to dabble in whole-home devices, but this... this, is interesting. A tipster over at ZatzNotFunny has pointed out that Verizon already has a mobile portal up for its Home products, and given that it's accessible via mobile web, it's completely platform agnostic. We're also told (and shown, after the break) that the portal works despite its "beta" label, as the user was able to schedule a recording on his FiOS TV set-top-box from his handset. We're not sure when Verizon plans on making this more public than it has already become, but why not fire it up on your cellphone and see how it goes?

[Via ZatzNotFunny]

For you lucky folks in New England who just got access to Verizon's 50Mbps FiOS services, you didn't think those hefty upgrades were sans a cost, did ya? Sure, Verizon's socking it to the high-end customers on that monthly bill, but the huge implementation cost ($18 billion, to be exact) of running all that fiber has persuaded Verizon to "sell the New England landline business as well as lines in several Midwestern states" to get a whopping $1.7 billion in debt wiped from its slate. The purpose of the merger is to free up assets to continue full speed ahead with its extremely costly FiOS rollouts, and since Verizon is intelligently targeting the largest markets (read: most lucrative) first, it's leaving the rural spots for FairPoint to handle. Nearly 3,000 Verizon employees will now be receiving checks from the Charlotte, NC-based FairPoint, with about 600 more expected to switch after the deal is completed. Additionally, shareholders will receive $1 billion of FairPoint common stock in the merger, as both companies attempt to keep everyone smiling throughout the process. If everything goes as planned, which typically never happens in these type deals, the merge will be complete "by year's end," so if you're content with Verizon services up in New England or the Midwest, don't be alarmed if "some FairPoint bill" starts showing up in your mail. [Warning: Read link requires subscription]