Tag Archives: Verizon

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Verizon Introduces a Free Version of Their Call Filter

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More and more people are looking at different cell phone companies just based off whether or not there will be a system for blocking out robocalls, which reached record highs in the past couple of years.

Verizon is releasing their features for free to customers after telling their customers of the features earlier in the week. They would fulfill that promise with Call Filter, which previously cost $2.99 per month per line.

The free version, which has the same name as the paid service, will be available to Verizon customers on the App Store and Google Play.

Some of the features that will be available on the free version of Call Filter include a spam detection, spam filter, and the ability to report numbers. Users will also get an alert if the incoming call is likely to be spam. Verizon will also let you determine your level of risk, which in return will help the network be able to block calls for you automatically, sending them to voicemail.

The free version has been released already, but Verizon did state that it will take about three weeks before all of its customers will have use of it. You won’t need to sign up for an unlimited plan to get the service, but Call Filter will not be available to prepaid users.

The service won’t be limited to just Android and Apple phones, as it will work with basic phones along with BlackBerrys and the discontinued Windows Phone. The setup will vary with each phone as users with those phones will have to call Verizon, head to a store, or log in to their accounts online.

Now, there will be some features that will not be available on the free version of Call Filter, which is why Verizon will be still offering the $2.99 version of Call Filter. Those who opt to pay for it will also gain Caller ID to identify the names of unknown callers, plus the ability to create personal spam and block lists.

Those who have the paid version will also get a “robocall risk meter,” a scale on your screen based on the fraud risk, ranging from low to medium, to high. The paid version will also provide users the ability to research and look up spam numbers.

It was also announced on Thursday that Verizon has successfully designed a “verified calls” feature on its network that helps you determine whether a caller is legit, showing you a notification that it is verified alongside the full ten digit number. This will be a function under the premium Call Filter services.

The company has started deploying verification across its network and will continue doing so over the next few months.

Verizon is not the first company to be entering the race to fight back against spammers as AT&T and Comcast made the announcement last week that they have completed their first verified call between their respective networks.

T-Mobile was the first to launch a  call verification on its mobile network, which took place earlier this year. However, it was only doing so for calls between T-Mobile customers and on a limited amount of devices as it waits for other carriers and networks to roll out the feature.

 

Photo from Forbes

Featured, Opinion

Boy Scouts consider changing ban on homosexuality

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Last semester I wrote an article about a young man named Ryan Andresen who was denied his Eagle Scout Award after he came forward about his homosexuality. The Boy Scouts of America have a long standing policy of excluding openly homosexual boys and male leaders from participating in scouting.

That policy may now be changing. After six months of public pressure from inside and outside the organization, the national office is meeting to discuss abandoning its exclusionary policy toward homosexuality. It seems the conclusion is foregone and the official announcement is expected soon. It’s expected that the national office will be abandoning the explicit exclusion of gay boys and leaders from troops. Continue reading Boy Scouts consider changing ban on homosexuality →

Featured, Science, Tech, & Health

iPad to hit Verizon shelves

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Graphic by: Alex Morgan

Once more, the gears of the rumor mill were running as news of Apple allowing one of its devices onto the Verizon network begin to circulate. The rumor surrounded the Apple iPad. With this news though, more and more speculation is going into a possible Verizon iPhone release–something many technology news outlets have been expecting and reporting for some time.

Unlike the much anticipated, and to some extent at this point fabled, iPhone release for Verizon, the iPad rumors turned out to be true with an actual release date catching many in the technology world a bit off guard. The release date for the Verizon version of the iPad is Oct. 27. It was expected that the iPhone would be released for Verizon prior to the iPad. The reason for the delay in the eventual Verizon iPhone is its inability to connect to the Verizon network: a Verizon-specific phone was rumored to be in development, but there hasn’t been much evidence to support it.

Though many expect to see the iPhone on the Verizon network soon, those hopeful souls should take into account that the iPad does not actually interface with the Verizon network. Instead, to be able to access the Verizon network, users will have to have a MiFi device, allowing them to have local wifi for their device. MiFi is a service provided Verizon it is a small device that creates a mobile hotspot for up to five devices. This is not a hopeful sign for those Verizon users hoping to get their hands on a Verizon iPhone. Though many reports seem to indicate that a Verizon iPhone may be out as early as Jan. 11, there are still more questions than answers on that front.

The one person who truly benefits from this release of iPods on the Verizon network is Apple. With the sales of their tablet stalling out a bit in the past few months, this is certainly a bonus for them. It will open their tablet up to a brand new market which previously did not have the access to the device. The lack of integrated network access may scare some users away since, in the addition to the cost of the iPad, users will have to be willing to fork over some extra money, not only for the MiFi service, but the hardware that goes with it.

Along with the announcement of the Apple iPad making a jump to Verizon, there were rumors that Apple has already begun development on the second version of the popular tablet. The rumors were spurred by reports that a new smaller seven inch tablet was already in production with Apple to sit beside its larger and more costly brother. The seven inch iPad would cost much less while still having many of the bells and whistles that its larger brother enjoys. Apple fans will have to wait and see on this since there has been very little hard evidence and a lot of speculation.