Nice Call of the Day

In the wake of its taxi upgrade, NYC will upgrade 250 old phone booths across the city with 32-inch touchscreens that provide access to local neighborhood information -- and the "smartscreens" will eventually be wired to make Skype calls, log into email, and serve as WiFi hotspots. "The goal is to pilot it and see what the response is," said city spokesman Nicholas Sbordone. Perhaps most important to the 8 million New Yorkers who won't go near current pay phones: "They're built to be cleaned with a jet hose," said Tom Touchet, CEO of City24x7, which will install the screens. "They're waterproof and dust-proof." [pcmag]