Good Riddance Payphones: NYC's Free Gigabit Wi-Fi Kiosks Go Live (networkworld.com)

alphadogg writes: New York City on Thursday officially launched its payphone booth replacements: shiny new 9-foot-plus-high kiosks, dubbed Links, that offer free Gigabit-speed Wi-Fi as well as free domestic VoIP calls via a tablet app. Mayor Bill de Blasio, joined by vendor partners such as Qualcomm and NYC Department of IT and Telecommunications reps, showed off the first operating LinkNYC kiosks, just over a dozen of which are spread across 3rd Avenue for starters. The spacing of the hotspots will enable users to stay connected as they walk down the street. More than 500 of the advertising-supported kiosks are slated to be installed by mid-year, with promises of secure and private connectivity.

Comments

private

[arth1]

with promises of secure and private connectivity.

For values of "private" where you have to register with an e-mail address and every connection you make is linked to this account, and every web page you browse to is logged.

Re:private

[LordWabbit2]

"John Spartan, you are fined five credits for repeated violations of the verbal morality statute."

Re:And how do I make a call?

[BlacKSacrificE]

From TFA.

The kiosks, in addition to supporting encrypted Wi-Fi connectivity for hundreds of HotSpot 2.0-enabled devices within 150 feet of them, will each include two USB charging ports, a red 911 button to contact emergency services

a red 911 button to contact emergency services

Don't you think that just maybe a little detail like that might have been covered..?

Re:Just what the world needs... More advertisement

[Tx]

The ads play on big screens on the sides of the kiosk, as far as I can discern, you wouldn't even see them while making a call. They're just digital billboard space for passing pedestrians.

Durability

[Stoertebeker]

I wonder how long the tablets will last...

Re:Durability

[PPalmgren]

Durability of the tablet isn't the only factor, durability of the whole tower could be problematic. This thing is tall and narrow so its going to need some serious anchoring and heavy duty materials at the base to prevent being damaged long-term. I mean, have you ever looked and how scuffed up and dented phone booths are? Those have flex and size to absorb the body blows. People are going to bang into these things, either accidentally or on purpose (teenagers) on a consistent basis.

It looks nice, and the billboard funding was a good idea to manage cost, but the M&R on these things could end up being insane in the long term. Also, these things have a lot more valuable components than an old phone booth, so they could become targets for commercial theft, similar to copper thieves targets.

Re:Classist (if that's a word)

[As_I_Please]

https://www.link.nyc/

Key Features
        - Use your personal device to connect to LinkNYC’s super fast, free Wi-Fi
        - Browse the web and access city services, maps and directions from the tablet
        - Make free phone calls to anywhere in the U.S. using the Vonage app on the tablet or the tactile keypad and microphone. Plug in your personal headphones for more privacy.
        - Use the dedicated red 911 button in the event of an emergency
        - Charge your device in a power-only USB port
        - Enjoy more room on the sidewalk with Link’s sleek, ADA-compliant design by Antenna
        - View public service announcements and more relevant advertising on two 55” HD displays

Superman

[Eyezen]

There are no doors - they are open to the outside. So where is Clark Kent going to do his thing?

Re:Just what the world needs... More advertisement

[Phreakiture]

Curious, how did the traditional pay-phone work with the deaf

The deaf would use a TDD terminal. You could carry one with you, or some payphones had one built in. If you carried your own, it used acoustic couplers to connect to the phone, and the bitrate was sufficiently low to make it usable with them.

As for now . . . SMS should work well enough, or a video call so you can communicate with sign language.

For other disabilities, I don't have any specific answers.

Re:And how do I make a call?

[kheldan]

Get a "device", you freakin' caveman.

I'm not that guy, but hey asshole, I don't have a gods-be-damned smartphone either, and why the hell should I? Literally every freakin' day I read about this exploit or that vulnerability or something-or-other attack on every freakin' smartphone OS there is out there, and you want me to pay for the privilege of having my entire life splayed open like a frog in a highschool biology class? Screw that. I'll stick with a nice, read-only, non-internet-enabled dumbphone, that's simple enough to be unhackable, or at least not worth hacking, because all it's good for is phone calls and texts. The rest of you suckers: Enjoy your botnet 'phone'. Please do try to pay attention to the road.