Pushing the envelope: Verizon FiOS

In the mid-2000s, FTTH providers including Verizon FiOS began pushing the envelope of what interactive guides could do. FiOS' IP-based functionality provided two-way communication from the service center to the customer premise, so the provider could push software updates and features like its Widget Bazaar to the set-top box and the subscriber could quickly request localized weather, traffic and news updates.

In July, Verizon FiOS added a My Account service to its interactive media guide, allowing customers to check their bill from their sofa. The guide has seen a lot of expansion lately, including added offerings on the Widget Bazaar like MLB baseball updates and a Yelp widget that lists local businesses.

Mobile control of FiOS has been available for several months now--viewers with a Motorola Droid or HTC phone running the Android operating system have almost the same functionality available through their handset as their remote control, and can offload pictures from the phone to the DVR.

Another interesting note is Verizon's use of open source software for its Widget Bazaar. Developers can create new applications using Lua, a scripting language used widely in game development and available under the MIT license.