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Recommended Reading: Twitter's identity crisis
What Everyone's Got Wrong About Twitter (Including Twitter) Ian Schafer, Recode Twitter's earnings dropped this week, followed by a number of theories on the future of the company. Deep Focus founder and chairman Ian Schafer posted an op-ed on the matter to discuss the social network's identity crisis. Is it a media company? Is it a data company? Schafer makes the case that Twitter needs to decide soon, for it's own good.
Build a better payphone: NYC hosts public design challenge to reinvent public telephones
New York City's SmartScreen payphone refits may be revitalizing a handful of its 11,000 public kiosks, but the information scrubbing touchscreens lack a key communication feature: a telephone. With its existing payphone vender agreements due to expire in 2014, the city sees an opportunity to revitalize its communication infrastructure, and is asking the public to help them build the payphone of tomorrow. There's room for hardware innovation -- the city says most payphone locations can be augmented with fiber connections, opening the potential to expand functionality beyond basic voice calls. Designers are challenged to propose solutions that enhance local aesthetics, utilize sustainable power sources, combat vandalism, account for emergency scenarios, ensure accessibility to disabled persons and, of course, generate at least as much revenue for the City of New York as contemporary payphones. Entrants have until February 18th to submit their prototypes and designs, and 15 semi-finalists will have to face down a panel of judges in March. Want to get started? Check out the project's home page at the adjacent source link, and dig in -- the city is offering resources on payphone locations, WiFi service metrics and a Collabfinder page to help prospective designers find a team.
NYC phone booths to get second lives as slate stalls
Believe it or not, but there are still hundreds, nay, thousands of phone booths out there on the streets of New York City. Obviously, in the age of the ubiquitous smartphone, most of them go untouched -- though, usually that has more to do with some mysterious substance covering the handset. The city is preparing to update this urban staple by replacing the touch tone quarter eaters with 32-inch touchscreens. The giant slates will offer a quick connection to 311 for requesting info and filing complaints, as well as interactive guides to the neighborhood. Instead of being a place to prank call 1-800 numbers, the phone booth will now become your one stop shop for restaurant suggestions and local landmark locations. 250 of the devices are being provided free of charge by City24x7 for a pilot program and, if all goes well, the company and the city will split revenue generate from ad sales following an expanded roll out. You can bet we'll be some of the first people on the street to put these through their paces when they make their expected debut in May.
