Buzz in Brief

■ Comcast — looking to give customers
two new reasons to keep their
landlines — is offering Xfinity
Voice Unlimited Nationwide plan
subscribers free, unlimited text
messaging from mobile apps plus
the ability to receive transcribed
voicemail messages via email.

â–  Flat-panel TV shipments in the U.S. may have
peaked in 2011. Shipments in the category are
projected to dip this year for the first time on
an annual basis, to 37.1 million units, down
5% from last year, according to research firm
IHS iSuppli. The firm forecasts steady declines
of flat-panel TVs through 2015, when it expects
34.2 million units to ship.