Hints of Hope for Verizon's Weather Service

I’ve been moaning about the end of Verizon’s free weather service since March 8, 2011 when I first wrote on All Life Is Local about my shock upon hearing the recording that precedes each Verizon weather service: “Effective June 1, 2011, Verizon will no longer provide time of day and weather services.”

Then June 1st came and went, and, as anyone who has called the weather line at 202-936-1212 knows, the announcement is still there…and so is the weather forecast. There’s been no official update from Verizon on the future of the weather line, but Washington Post Metro columnist John Kelly gave us all hope when he reported on May 31 that Verizon was in talks with Keith Allen, the contractor who provides the weather service (a/k/a “the gravelly voiced man”) to keep the service alive. There are various rumors floating around: that the Washington Post might step in to become the sponsor, or that another company might take over, or that Verizon would decide to keep the weather service as is. John Kelly revealed that the service costs Verizon a mere $800 per month.

Now we’re midway into June, and the initial announcement about the June 1st demise of the service is still there, but when the recorded weather forecast plays, you can hear two subtle signs that it’s alive and well and have hope that it will stay that way. Clue #1: The recording now ends with a reminder that Maryland and Virginia callers need to dial the 202 area code before dialing 936-1212. Why bother to add that information if the service is soon to end? Clue #2 is that there was a new weatherman on one morning. He said his name but I didn’t write it down, but I'm feeling a bit of confidence that he wouldn't be hired just for a few weeks.

Neither of these developments is any kind of proof that we can rest assured that the weather line is here to stay. It would still be good for all who love and use the weather line to let Verizon know how you feel. Send an email to Verizonweatherofdc@verizon.net to show your support! 

Verizon Is Canceling Telephone Weather and Time Services

If you call the Verizon weather line, 202-936-1212 today, the first thing you will hear, before the weather report begins, is the announcement that this free service will be discontinued on June 1, 2011. Verizon and its predecessors have been delivering pre-recorded, free weather forecasts by telephone since – get this – 1939. An era is coming to a close. The DC metro area weather line had some very distinctive meteorologists, most notably Neal Pizzano, who always began his morning weather announcement with the bounciest, cheeriest “Good Morning!” you could possibly imagine, and then after the weather, he would tell you about the day’s “holidays”: “It’s National No Socks Day,” or “It’s Rhubarb Pie Day.” Neal Pizzano was so popular that he became something of a local celebrity, the subject of a profile in the Washington Post on April 14, 2009.

The free time announcement (“At the tone the time will be ….”) is similarly being ended.

Want to protest? You can email verizonweatherofdc @ verizon.net.

Looking for a substitute for the morning weather forecast? There's are numerous great weather resources for Washington, DC online including Capital Weather Gang, ABC7 Weather, All Life Is Local, Weather Underground, and NBC4 (to name just a few). You can get weather on your smartphone, by email, and by IM. It's hard to check the weather on your phone or online while you're getting dressed or brushing your teeth, which is how many people used Verizon's weather line. And it’s not the same as having someone with a familiar voice announce the weather over the phone and then end with “Have a really great day!” 

Before You Buy A Verizon iPhone: Something You Need to Know

When it comes to cell phones, there's the world and there's Verizon. Virtually every cell phone service provider in the world uses a technology called GSM; Verizon, standing alone, uses something called CDMA.

Does this matter? Yes, especially if you purchase an iPhone. Because Verizon's technology is incompatible with every other country in the world, your brand new iPhone will not work outside of the United States -- and that includes our neighbors, Canada and Mexico.

But even if you're not planning on traveling to another country with your Verizon iPhone, there's something else you need know: The Verizon iPhone cannot handle data and voice at the same time. This is a big deal. If, for example, you're on the phone and want to make a reservation at a restaurant, you first have to end the call. If you're looking for directions on Google Maps and a call comes in, you'll be bumped off of the Internet. Forget fiddling with Facebook and talking at the same time -- that's out, too.

Verizon's network gives priority to voice, so every call will disconnect your data application.

Verizon's data and voice incompatibility is a technological step backwards, but it's what you'll have to put up with if you get a Verizon iPhone.

You Are a Verizon Winner...NOT!

I won!  I won a free netbook from the Verizon drawing on Cleveland Park Day on October 3rd.  The Verizon store rep called me last week to give me the good news, but I was out of town at the time and so set the appointment for today, and went out in a cold rain to pick up my prize.  It was worth it for a free Samsung netbook valued at $469, wasn’t it?  I felt so lucky.

Here’s what I learned upon arriving at the store: “Free” actually means you get the prize only after you sign an agreement to pay $59.99 a month for broadband service for two full years.  That’s a total of $1439.76 to get something they billed as a “Giveaway.”  Okay, I said, then I’ll take it unactivated, and sell it to someone who wants to buy the contract. But that wasn’t an option. In other words, if I didn’t agree to pay the money, I got nothing at all.  As I opened my mouth to object, the sales rep said, “It said this on the form you filled out when you entered the drawing.”

Good Morning: Wake Up and Smell the iPhones, Verizon Customers

The rumor mill is churning at full steam again: Verizon will be getting the iPhone in 2011. According to a usually reliable source, The Wall Street Journal, Apple is readying the iPhone for early next year. The uncharacteristic leak by Apple may be intentional, reports Techcrunch, because Apple wants to thwart the Android's momentum.

Verizon customers: Can you contain your excitement?  Maybe this tidbit will help you wait: A Zogby poll found twice as many iPhone users prefer the Tea Party than do Blackberry or Android users. I'm not sure why Tea Party supporters prefer iPhones, but I thought you should know.

74, 77, 74 are not good bowling scores, but they are the forecast temperatures for Friday to Sunday.  No rain, no clouds. Just clear skies. So whatever smartphone you have, enjoy it outdoors.