Comcast launching "HomePoint" technology; welcome to 2001

HomePointComcast is preparing to launch their new service, Homepoint, which will provide a VoIP handset with integration to email, news, weather, and other services. Wait, doesn’t my mobile already do that?

Honestly, this technology seems a bit outdated to me. You’ve got a VoIP handset that works with a wireless router to provide easy access to your email, weather, news, and contacts. Most mobile phones already do this, so why is Comcast doing this now? Admittedly the service will only cost $39.95 a month, but still, what’s the point? I mean, most mobile phones have this functionality by default, so it doesn’t really make much sense to offer it on a handset that’s tethered in your home. On top of that, it only works with one phone number, and requires that you also have broadband in order to get the full functionality out of the device.

Rumor is that there will be a $5/month charge for the hardware, and then access to the service will cost you $39.95 a month. I’d be hard pressed to find someone who this would appeal to, even if they do bundle it with other services. Of course, Verizon tried something much like this before, and we all know how that turned out.