Verizon users can expect an expansion in 5G services starting today. Including both 5G home internet and Verizon 5G for Business, the carrier announced starting today both 5G options are now available in Birmingham, Alabama, Fort Wayne, Indiana, and Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Similarly, remote work residents can rejoice with these new cities added to their lineup, 5G Home will now be available in 60 cities across the United States.
According to an announcement by Verizon, 5G Home’s download speeds have increased to up to 1Gbps with typical download speeds of 300Mbps. To attract customers, Verizon is also offering up to $500 to cover early termination fees for those who wish to leave their current internet provider and switch to the 5G home internet.
5G Business Internet is being marketed as an alternative to cable internet. Verizon plans to include professional installation, multiple package pricing and service options, and unlimited data as part of its package to attract customers. More importantly, professional business users can get a 10-year price lock — a new long-term contract required — and are willing to provide a credit of up to $1,500 to off the early termination fees.
If neither of those options works for you, Verizon has also announced more 5G expansion options, including their 5G Ultra Wideband mobile data lines. 5G Ultra Wideband will be expanded, allowing users to download and stream movies and TV shows and seconds, and have a faster gaming experience on the go. For those business customers that need their business line on the go, customers can also tack on a mobile hotspot for $30 a month to ensure a speedy connection while working in transit.
Plans for 5G Home will begin at $50 per month with a qualifying plan, while 5G for Business will start at $45 per month and are available beginning today.
Two new highly requested iCloud plugins just got added to ChatGPT, giving people who rely on Apple’s Mail and Calendar services a way to search emails, check appointments, and manage their schedules directly through the chatbot.
The integration is rolling out to all ChatGPT plans, including the free tier. You can access it on the web, desktop, and iOS.
Google Play is borrowing one of the Nintendo Switch’s most useful little tricks. A new Sidekick tool called Playbacks captures a short clip after something interesting has already happened, sparing players from running a screen recorder throughout an entire game.
Playbacks is part of Google Play Store v53.8 and keeps saved clips on the phone. Google first announced it earlier this month, but the new Play Store update marks its arrival for players. Anyone who has watched a perfect win vanish because the record button came too late already understands the appeal.
Samsung’s scandal over its Game Optimizing Service, or GOS, has returned with a bill attached. South Korea’s Fair Trade Commission has tentatively fined the company 20.1 billion won, or about $15.1 million, over gaming claims made for the Galaxy S21, Galaxy S22, and Tab S8.
The regulator says Samsung promoted the devices as gaming powerhouses without disclosing that GOS placed preset CPU and GPU limits on certain demanding games. Samsung disputes that conclusion, calling GOS a legitimate way to manage heat.