New Life for Phone Booths

In New York, City24x7 is turning old phone booths into Information HotSpots.  Replacing the old landline phone is a large net-connected touchscreen and free Wi-Fi hotspot.  The screen displays real-time information about what's happening nearby - local news, transportation info, reviews of local merchants, bars & restaurants, warnings of weather or environmental hazards and through WiFi, notify authorities of emergencies.  Eventually they want to add Skype functionality

"We’re trying to use technology and new social media to inform, project, and revitalize cities," says City24x7 CEO Tom Touchet.

City24x7 is currently finishing a pilot test in New York, which successfully integrated existing apps social input into a screen that provides information "tailored to your exact location and available in one place."  The pilot also generated a lot of interest from potential advertisers, who can use the displays to send out highly targeted messages.  Soon, the company hopes to install 250 SmartScreens throughout New York, and is already talking about expanding the service to some 20 other cities around the globe.  Once out of pilot status, cities will receive about a third of revenues generated by the screens.

Source -  Turning Old Phone Booths Into Digital Information Hubs, FastCompany Co-Exist