Skype Gets A Public “Phone Booth”

July 6, 2012 by Dave Haynes

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The advertising model side of this is, I would say, mostly wishful thinking, but nonetheless this thing is kinda clever and has some possibilities in the right setting.

As reported in Digital Signage Today, this is a beta test of a kiosk-like product, almost like a phone booth, but using Skype. The Skype Station is running in Tallinn International Airport in Estonia, and allows people to walk up, log in to their Skype accounts, and make a free video call … anywhere … as long as the recipient has Skype as well, and is online.

The station is a product of the Estonian company Adtech, which does LED and touch screen technology.

It is intended for a wide variety of public applications. Because airports tend to have wifi and travellers tend to have laptops and even smartphones with cameras and Skype on them, I am not entirely convinced this is a killer app for that environment. This is a nice, private way to check in with family, but in most cases the existing tools at hand are probably fine.

However, the Skype booth is nicely designed and I could see it fitting in specialty retail and places like trade shows, where subject matter experts might not be at hand but could be a Skype call away.