Internet Access in Taxicabs

February 7, 2005

It had to happen sooner or later:

The Internet Meets the Taxicab: Hundreds of ''Interactive Taxis'' Hit the Streets in Boston, Chicago and San Francisco

The story here is a partnership between Interactive Taxi and software company PeerDirect, who have created an Internet portal designed for the back seat of a taxi. The press release says that the display will have the feel of a broadband connection but will actually employ data synchronization and database replication to provide fast access to information, even though (if I understand correctly) the connectivity is plain old mobile service.

This bears out one of the predictions I have made: That eventually virtually everyone in the world will become an Internet user. (I hate making predictions, because�usually they are either painfully obvious or wrong.)�My prediction is that the Internet will become so embedded in the world around us that it� will constantly be feeding information and services to�us from devices all around us in the environment. Many (maybe even most)�people will be Internet users without even being aware of it, because the network itself will become so ubiquitous that it is effectively invisible.

I've given myself a lot of wiggle room by not putting a timeframe on this prediction, but I actually think it could happen pretty quickly.

The release says Interactive Taxi plans an initial deployment in 600 cabs in Boston, Chicago and San Francisco by Feb. 21, 2005.

AB -- 2/7/05

Related Tags: internet, Internet, Interactive, interactive, become