Community Corner
Old Payphones to Get Upgraded With Web-ready Touch Screens
A pilot program next month will outfit 250 payphones with Internet-connected touch screens providing news and information – but are they necessary?
Next month, the city plans to upgrade 250 existing payphones with Internet-connected 32-inch “smart screens” that would provide news, traffic alerts and information about nearby restaurants and shopping, says the New York Post.
The pilot program is a partnership between the city and tech company City24x7, and if all goes well the new iPad-like touch screens could replace all of the city’s 12,800 outdoor pay phones, says the Post, adding that they will soon be upgraded with Skype capabilities and could serve as Wi-Fi hotspots.
According to the article, the city will pay nothing for the installation of the screens, and after the pilot program is finished, will get 36 percent of ad revenue.
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With payphones increasingly becoming a relic of the pre-cell phone age, do you think these upgrades are necessary? Vote in our poll below, or let us know your thoughts in the comments.
