Internet Calling - PowerPhone Network Ltd - Brief Article

PowerPhone's ad-supported pay phones let users surf the Web, send e-mail and shop til they drop. By Stephen A. Booth

Despite fears to the contrary, video didn't kill the radio star, and the proliferation of wireless applications on cellular phones doesn't appear to be jeopardizing that institution know as the public telephone. In fact, pay phones are adapting to the world of Internet connections, and if a company named PowerPhone Network has its say, they will earn their keep in public venues from targeted advertising via video billboards and a host of online services.

The PowerPhones, with their can't-miss video displays, are already deployed at J.F.K, La Guardia and Newark airports in the New York area, the latest of nearly 3,000 units already installed, primarily in markets overseas, in China and Hong Kong--which happens to be the headquarters for the five-year-old company (www.powerphonenetwork.com). Its interactive, multimedia pay phones enable users to access the Internet, retrieve and send e-mail, obtain news and other information, make reservations, purchases and, yes, even phone calls, all without connecting a computer.

Instead, PowerPhones perform all the functions of a PC without the complexity, explains Michael Marashlian, director of business development at the Newport Beach, Calif.-based company, formerly named iMagic Infomedia Technology.

"The phones and the interface are very intuitive. They're used all the time by elderly people in Shanghai and Beijing who've never used a computer, and who you'd reasonably expect to be intimidated by computers," Marashlian says.

Physically, the centerpiece of the PowerPhone is its 12-inch liquid crystal display with touchscreen keyboard. Users lift the receiver and enter a PIN number to retrieve e-mail from personal accounts or access Web sites, using the touchscreen keyboard to input URLs or write messages. Other services can be obtained through the touchscreen, such as directories for hotels, restaurants, transportation and retailers. Marashlian explains that because the PowerPhones tend to be installed at transportation hubs, the directories and advertisements are location-specific.

"In an airport, we know what services people want. So the PowerPhone acts as a sophisticated electronic age Yellow Pages. You can touch on a local hotel listing and it will connect you directly to the reservations desk. If you wanted to order flowers or a gift, you can touch the onscreen ad and go directly to the advertiser's Web site."

When the PowerPhone isn't being used for calling or e-mailing, the LCD screen goes into what Marashlian calls "attract loop," displaying ads or other information. These are viewable to the traffic pattern from about 20 feet, he claims, a distance that should increase as PowerPhone upgrades the screens to 15 inches. Because the location of each phone is identified by Global Position System satellites, "mission control" at PowerPhone's service center can change ads by location, time of day, or to coordinate with specific events. "The production team at our center can even create the ads, taking the information from the advertiser's Web site," Marashlian says.

It's even possible for an ad or promotion to follow travelers crunched for time. If the user sees an ad or offer that seems interesting, it can be forwarded to that individual's e-mail for subsequent viewing, Marashlian says. "Although the user is anonymous to us, we can track the ad and tell the advertiser about fulfillment, even the amount of time spent viewing the material," he says. "We think this and the ability to tailor ads for specific locations should be very compelling to an advertiser."

The full-screen "attract loop" ads disappear from sight when a user picks up the PowerPhone receiver--but the matter of what remains in sight raises issues about privacy that PowerPhone anticipated, and says it has resolved.

"Could passers-by see your personal information on the screen? Probably only if someone were looking right over your shoulder," Marashlian says. "Also, depending on the configuration, there are privacy options such as wings, or a closed booth." PowerPhone screens also have a polarizing filter, such as those available for laptop PCs, so that information can't be seen from an angle, but only by a viewer directly on axis in front of the display, according to Marashlian.

These might be moot points as PowerPhone adds new technical capabilities to the hardware, such as audio e-mail. Instead of typing messages for onscreen readout, someone sending e-mail to a PowerPhone user could dictate a message that the PowerPhone user can listen to through the handset.

"This is actual audio streaming through the Internet, not text-to-speech," says Marashlian. "For text-to-speech to work, the message would have to be spoken in clear and perfect English, and there's also the issue of background noise in a public environment. So, this also sets us up to deal with foreign languages. PowerPhone users can speak and hear e-mail in their native tongues. It's like virtual voice-mail."

The audio e-mail will be implemented over the next few months, Marashlian adds. Meanwhile, foreign language assistance already is available. PowerPhones can automatically patch a user through to translation services for 141 different languages. Operating instructions for the phones are displayed in Dutch, English, French, Japanese and Spanish. Besides audio e-mail, video e-mail and conferencing are also in the offing, Marashlian says, and print output (say, for theater ticket purchases) is an option. "We're testing the video right now, to learn what models people like. There are a number of issues to settle, such as the necessary lighting, and how do you control the background. You don't want to videoconference with passersby sticking their tongues out or hamming for the camera."

Other features also in the works for PowerPhones include personalization capabilities. Currently, users are issued a PIN number by the company. In the future, users will be able to store their preferred links and bookmarks for Web sites, and other information such as frequent flyer or guest accounts with airlines and hotels. In the latter cases, PowerPhone customers will be able to use the PINs issued by these businesses.

Although the company wouldn't reveal details or timing, Marashlian confirms that PowerPhone will eventually embark on its first banner ad campaign with undisclosed partners and sponsors. Marashlian did say the ads will be targeted specifically to airport visitors. "We don't want to overwhelm people, but we do know what that customer wants in that venue," he says, giving generic examples such as the ability to send greetings or gifts while in transit. "Yes, you could use your portable PC to order and send an electronic card, but the beauty of PowerPhone is you can do the same thing without having to set up your PC in a strange and busy place."

The Future of Pay phones

AIRPORT

At the airport, Colin notices an ad on a pay phone for a play that night. He's in town for a convention but has no plans for the evening. He stops and purchases a ticket. He also checks his e-mail.

New pay phones in busy public places will soon help travelers and others get quick access to e-mail, the Internet and location-specific information. Here's how they could help a business traveler on the move:

CONVENTION CENTER

At the convention center, Colin notices a pay phone and uses it to call up an interactive map of the expo center as well as Web sites for cookware he finds interesting at the convention.

HOTEL

Back at the hotel Colin realizes he has some time before the play and checks the pay phone in the lobby for listings of local restaurants. Using the videophone feature, he talks to his daughter before she goes to bed.

COPYRIGHT 2000 BPI Communications, Inc.
COPYRIGHT 2000 Gale Group