Payphones of the
Future
By Kyle Gilligan
In our
21st century technology world, it is hard to believe that public
payphones still even exist. New York City agrees that these old wired phones
are a thing of the past and they now have plans to replace all but 3 payphones
in the city. The 3 remaining phones will remain as part of the town’s “historic”
scenery.
The replacement
for the payphones will be a tall aluminum pillar that contains several features
from the new world of technology and connectivity. The main feature that will
replace the payphone will be a touchscreen that will enable users to make free
domestic calls and even video chat for free. Another feature will be usb ports
that will allow anyone to charge their mobile devices or tablets for free.
Finally, every tower will have free wifi hotspots with a radius of 150 feet.
This will make New York the largest municipal to ever offer free wifi
throughout a city
A few
people are already throwing doubt on the project saying that the towers will be
covered in graffiti and the touchscreens will be broken often. However the city
is saying that they will be checking every terminal twice a week to ensure that
it is clean and in normal operation.
Do you think this payphone replacement is a good idea?
What features do you see being the most useful with the new
technology?
You can find more information in this Wall Street Journal article.
This is a cool idea, i can see it being pretty popular because the features are beneficial in multiple ways. The free, wi-fi, free charging, free calling and the ability to video chat are all good implementations. As far as being covered in graffiti, i think it would give a futuristic art type of look
ReplyDeleteThis is a great idea! I can see people crowding around to charge their phones. There is concern about the graffiti and vandalism that will happen. I don't know the cost of maintenance and the cost of having people monitoring them. Overall, I think this is a great idea, but there are concerns.
ReplyDeleteIt is a cool idea it would have to have al the implementations santi talked about to be effective but i like the concept.
ReplyDeleteThis idea seems like a little much. The rest their are no pay phones anymore is because everyone has a cell phone. I think the use of free wifi is pretty cool and the ability to charge your phone. I still see these being used a lot, I just feel that they are a little pointless.
ReplyDeleteI dont think this would bre a good idea. Like stated before, people would be crowded around waiting their turn to charge their phone or make a call and i feel like that would cause more problems. The idea of free wifi though it think is great but i dont see the use of these towers with how fast the technology it growing. Everyone basically has a cell phone now so there is no use for pay phones in my opinion, but if we do have them, they should be free of cost.
ReplyDeleteI think this idea is awesome. Rather than eliminating the communication channel altogether, the city is adapting to the revolution of technology. Although I do think it would nice if they left more than just three pay phones. It would be even more sweet if the pay phones still worked (I wonder?).
ReplyDeleteThe city does risk the possibility of the touch screens being damaged, but I doubt it will be a significant or recurring problem. Plus, the idea of adding USB ports and WiFi hotspots will allow tourists to access the Internet and charge their phones. It would lead to a more satisfied overall experience upon visiting the city, as well as potential marketing opportunities for businesses to connect with customers (or tourists) throughout New York City. The city could create agreements with local businesses regarding purchasing ads in the city-wide WiFi hotspots. It opens the door to many new possibilities, and of course--revenue.