MP3s From The Phone Box

An Economist writes "The .com bubble has come and gone, but the great ideas and implementations are starting to come through thick and fast now. The BBC reports on a planned development in the UK - download MP3s (or the like) from the phone box. Walking along the street and fancy a song - just plug in your iPod/MuVo/iRiver/whatever... awesome! Perhaps the lauded benefits of eCommunication are just beginning to be felt - plus it increases the viability of old-tech phone boxes, which are socially beneficial but financially challenged."

Comments

Interesting Thought

[Oculus Habent]

Internet access - presumably high-speed, if you are downloading a song and not expecting to wait 20 minutes - and portable storage connectivity could be good, but it will be interesting to see how the technology works out.

I'm envisioning someone figuring out how to boot off an iPod and using spare hard drive space to trade pirated software.

Hmm... Warezchalking?

See a concert, take it home on your iPod.

[Suburbanpride]

On their recent tour, the Pixies offered CDs of the show recorded and mized live to fans walking out the door. I could see a kiosk at concert venues allowing fans to downlaod the night's show to their iPod. It would proably be faster than burning CDs. A phone both however, is not something I currently associate with music, and I don't thing it would catch on, but i buy most of my CD's at concerts, where I know the money is going to the artist. Apple is going to realse a U2 special edition iPod next week, and is rumored to be working on A sub $200 flash player. How long till digital complete overtakes cd's?

Re:Socially beneficial?

[dukeisgod]

Sometimes when you're traveling you find out that your provider dosen't work in a certain area. That or your phone decides to die. Not everyday happenings, but they sure as hell seem beneficial to you then.

Wrong Target Audience

[dedeman]

This sounds to me as thought they are trying to create a market where one will just not exist. What idealist idea makers need to realize that not every haribrined idea with buzzwords like "MP3" "internet" "wireless" and "download" should be given some sort of press release and targeted at kids/gadget hipsters with too much time and money.

From the product offering it sounds like the idea was given life from a bunch of yes men, and not things like demographic surveys and similar technologies that are currently in place.

I'm not suggesting stifiling innovation, but to me, this sounds like a sales pitch that will prove worthless in the long run, and come to think of it, in the short run. People just don't need instant gradification under every circumstance. Imagine that, Mr. marketer.