The latest attempt comes from Verizon Wireless, which recently began offering the Hub. Although the Hub wont go so far as to replace your computer, the Hub can make your home phone into a bulletin board, entertainment center – even a child tracker.

But all this will cost you – the device itself is $200 after a $50 rebate, and it requires a two-year, $35 monthly contract that includes unlimited calling in the U.S. and Canada and unlimited texts.

In recent months Ive tested the Hub and the HomeManager, which is AT&T Inc.s version of a smarter home phone. The HomeManager retails for $349, but it can be had for $149 if you have AT&T home service and a two-year contract for DSL service.

I liked the Hub better – it offers many more options. Its also for sale nationwide, while the HomeManager is available in select markets.

Both these phones would have been more compelling before the rise of “smart” mobile phones, which already offer many of the same features as the Hub or the HomeManager. But unlike smaller smart phones, these new devices present a large touch screen for manipulating calling functions and Internet content.

The Hub starts with a simple setup: Once you have a Verizon Wireless account, plug the phone into an electrical outlet and connect it to your home Internet service over Wi-Fi or with an Ethernet cable. It took me less than 10 minutes.

I wasnt blown away by the quality and clarity of the phone calls, which use voice-over-Internet technology. I picked up a static undercurrent a few times.

But the draw of the Hub is by far the Internet-infused range of options.

From the touch-screen home page, its a quick leap to a menu with telephone directories and features that let you watch movie previews and order tickets, check the traffic in your town and catch news, sports and recipe tips on Verizon Wireless VCast service (although some of the news offerings were days old).

For people with kids – or the suspicious-minded – the Hub offers the Chaperone, which (rather slowly) lets you track the location of family members carrying Verizon Wireless phones by displaying their locations on map.

One of the most innovative offerings was the Hubs “Relay,” a bulletin board that aims to dethrone your refrigerator as the households new catchall display center. It allows people with Verizon Wireless phones connected to the system to leave text messages, videos and pictures for household consumption.

That tight integration with Verizon cell phones means the Hub provides some cool perks. For instance, you can use the Hub to quickly set a “do not disturb” option, to forward all your home and cell calls to voice mail. Or you can have your calls ring your cell phone and home phone simultaneously. Or you can program your voice mail to send you e-mail alerts.

Plenty can be righted with a software update eventually. Theres still a long way to go, but Verizon has managed to breathe new life into the landline.

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On the Net:

http://www.verizonwireless.com/hub

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