The "Hub," a new telephone being introduced today by Verizon Wireless, might be one of those few products that we call "game changers" -- the kinds of products that usher in a whole new way for people to act.

The Hub, unlike other phones from Verizon Wireless is not a cell phone -- it's a home phone with characteristics similar to cell phones, like text messaging, navigation and a true graphics screen.

Although you can carry it around your house without being tethered, you cannot roam too far, because it doesn't communicate by connecting directly to the cell tower. Instead, it connects via your home broadband Internet connection to allow you to make calls and do other cell-like activities. It works with any broadband connection, not just Verizon's broadband.

I guess it should come as no surprise that Verizon Wireless would be looking to provide home service. After all, cell phones have proliferated to the point that in some communities even most middleschoolers have them. Households across the country are dumping traditional landlines in favor of cell phones. While this trend is good for cellular carriers, it doesn't bode well for traditional landline phone service. Verizon, which owns 50 percent of Verizon Wireless as well as an entire huge landline network, can use the Hub to stem the revenue loss from the shift away from landlines.

Ever since text messaging became the most important communications tool for youths, we've been dreaming of getting it on our home phones -- and with the introduction of the Hub, we can finally achieve that dream with the help of a major supplier. (Various small companies have introduced similar services in the past, with mixed results.)

So why would I expect the Hub to be successful? I'm not sure it will be (in part because I haven't yet had the opportunity to test it out). But I am confident that having a major player such as Verizon Wireless get behind the concept is a step in the right direction. The company has the resources; and if it has the resolve, it's likely to be a success -- if not on its first try, then at least over time.

One of the biggest challenges I expect the Hub to face is its premium price. Don't expect it save you money, even if you get rid your landline. The phone is priced at $199 (after rebate) with a two-year service commitment. The service required to connect the phone to all those great cell-like capabilities costs $35 a month -- a bit less than the typical cost of a landline. But it's not a landline; it's better, at least from a features standpoint. I'll report on the quality in the future.

I'm looking forward to the day that I can trade texts with my kids from my home phone, so they can more easily notify me, for instance, if they need to stay out late, even when they're in some noisy room where a plain old telephone call won't work.

The Hub's other features would probably be handy, too, although not as handy in households that always have a computer turned on, because a computer can handle most of the chores, such as choosing and reserving a movie then finding your way to the theater.

Unfortunately, in this recession, it's not likely that you'll see too many Verizon Wireless Hubs in neighboring households -- unless you come from a neighborhood where your the neighbors are willing to pay for the next big thing.