Verizon: No Need for Facebook, Twitter Fans to Leave Couch

Written by Steve Donohue

Tuesday, August 4. 2009 at 04:15 PM EDT Post a comment

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Instead of banging out updates on a computer keyboard or mobile phone, Facebook and Twitter users that subscribe to FiOS TV can now kick back on the couch and send posts to their social-networking accounts with a remote control, Verizon (NYSE: VZ) said today.

FiOS TV subscribers still can't upload photos to Twitter or Facebook -- a basic function that they can perform on a computer or with smartphones like Apple Inc.'s (Nasdaq: AAPL) iPhone. But Verizon says they can use their FiOS TV remote controls to post updates through a keyboard displayed on the TV screen.

When Verizon launched the Twitter and Facebook applications on FiOS TV three weeks ago, Twitter users could only read posts related to the TV program they were watching, follow popular topics and trends, and search for specific tweets. Facebook users were only able to view photo albums.

FiOS TV subscribers weren't able to post updates to Facebook and Twitter until today. Subscribers can use their remote controls to navigate an on-screen keyboard that allows them to generate posts. It's similar to the on-screen keyboards that Comcast Corp. (Nasdaq: CMCSA, CMCSK), Cablevision Systems Corp. (NYSE: CVC), and other pay-TV providers use for their interactive program guides.

It may take Twitter and Facebook users some time to adjust to the on-screen keyboard. Verizon said it isn't considering deploying wireless QWERTY keyboards to FiOS TV subscribers -- a device that would be easier to use for many subscribers, but also more expensive.

"While we recognize that some people may have a strong desire for keyboards, our customer feedback has pointed out that keyboards are not a top feature request for FiOS TV users. We don’t want to turn the TV experience into a PC experience," Verizon spokeswoman Deidre Mulcahy Hart writes in an email.

Verizon counts about 2.5 million FiOS TV subscribers nationwide, increasing its subscriber base by about 300,000 during the second quarter. Verizon wouldn't disclose how many FiOS TV customers have used the Twitter or Facebook applications since they debuted last month, other than noting that "hundreds of thousands" of subscribers have used the applications and viewed "millions" of tweets and Facebook photos.

Look for Verizon to soon add the ability for subscribers to upload photos to Twitter, Facebook, and other Websites. "In the coming months, we'll add additional applications from Verizon and others. We expect photo sharing applications to be among them," Mulcahy Hart writes.

Verizon offers FiOS TV subscribers access to Facebook and Twitter through its new Widget Bazaar, which subscribers can access by pressing the A button on their remotes. The telephone company is looking to expand the Widget Bazaar with free and paid applications that will be developed by both the company and outside developers.

Verizon said it will soon release a software development kit and application programming interface that will allow programmers to create apps that can be distributed through the Widget Bazaar. Once apps are written and tested on its platform emulator, they'll be "reviewed for appropriateness and value" before being made available to FiOS TV subscribers, Verizon said.