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Pay Phones in New York to be Replaced with Smart Screens
250 pay phones in New York City will be replaced with “smart screens” that will be connected to the internet sometime next month. This project which is viewed as a pilot project will be implemented throughout the city if it is successful. The 32-inch screens that will replace the pay phones will display information about the local neighborhood which includes a list of restaurants, stores, traffic updates, landmarks and safety alerts.
And also to cater for the cornucopia of residents and visitors of New York, the screens will be able to feature its perks in multiple languages. With time, it is reported that the machines will be able to serve as Wifi Hot-spots as well as a little port to check your email or make a call on Skype. For now, the City will not have to pay anything for the units and if the initial program does become a success, 36% of the ad revenue will go to the City.
There are critics about this plan who say that these are waste of money since everyone now has a smartphone and that these screens will be a waste of money. They add that there are people who get their entertainment from destroying property who will eventually turn to these smart screens as well. On the other hand there are also people who support the idea and say that not everybody has a smart phone so it will be interesting to see how the program runs in New York over the next few months at least.
When is a phone not a phone? I suppose that seemingly paradoxical question is easily answered with the presence of the NoPhone. The NoPhone happens to be a successfully funded Kickstarter project, where it intends to be a smartphone substitute for folks who are unable to live without a smartphone.
It sports a similar form factor to the average smartphone out there today, but what it lacks would be that of a display, and everything else that makes a smartphone, well, a smartphone. In other words, this is but a slab of plastic, but it has its uses – such as letting thieves relieve you of your NoPhone as they think that this could be a newfangled device, where it is actually priced at at $12 a pop. The NoPhone has seen more than 2,000 units sold in time for the holidays, where orders placed by December 7th is tipped to arrive by December 25th.
We have awesome but expensive news for you on the Samsung Galaxy S3 front. If you’re looking for an unlocked version of the phone, you can apparently now purchase either the Pebble Blue or Marble White version of the phone from either Amazon or Expansys for $799 and $700 respectively. Prior to this article, we’ve seen a leaked image of the phone being sold on Amazon, but now apparently its official here in the States.
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Star Micronics has come up with another option to provide mobile users with a portable method of printing services. The funky-colored portable printer with the model number SM-T300 can be used outdoors for mobile purposes with most smartphones or tablets. While you might be having thoughts that it could allow you to print photos on the go, we unfortunately have to bring you back to earth by telling you what it is actually for. The company’s statement reads, “Basically, this product is for printing receipts and delivery slips. The battery lasts up to 11 hours, so you can use this printer for a long time.
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