Just when we thought the payphone was a silly, useless antiquity, the City of New York has introduced a sleek new communication game-changer. New Yorkers, meet NYFi, the winner of the Reinvent Payphone Design Challenge. Chosen by Facebook voters from a number of space-agey design proposals, the NYFi is not just a public phone, but an “interactive portal to public information, goods, and services, a hub for free wireless internet access and an open infrastructure for future applications.”
The touch-screen activated device will adjust to your height, and will supposedly minimize sidewalk clutter by replacing single-function street apps like Muni Meters, MetroCard machines, bicycle share stations, and assistance kiosks. But wait, there’s more!
Porn, internet poker and Silk Road sidewalk access!
Just kidding. Ads. There’s going to be ads.
Check out the rest of #ReinventPayphones’ pretty finalists here.
