DERELICT NYC PHONE BOOTHS GET SMART MAKEOVER

I would say it's common knowledge that phonebooths in New York functional almost entirely for the purpose of advertising these days. Cell phones have become the defacto way of contacting someone outside of the home, if not entirely, rendering the pay phone obsolete. In an effort to re imagine the pay phones relevance in the digital age, City 24x7, in conjunction with the City of New York, will soon pilot a digital kiosk pay phone format at 100 locations around the city. While the functions of these kiosks sound pretty run of the mill, included in the package is a bit of big brother Im not so sure Im comfortable with. Pay phones which house the new digital kiosks will also be fitted with cameras and recording devices to take note of any suspicious activity. hmmmm…

VIA Discovery News

If cell phones have rendered public phone booths obsolete, adding smartphone-like capabilities to the booths may bring them back. New York City-based media company City 24x7 is starting a pilot program in May that will install sophisticated Internet-enabled touch-screen machines in existing phone booths. [MORE]