Gizmorama: Life in the Tech Age

THE FUTURE? WIFI IT?

We've seen advertisements lately touting Internet kiosks as the wave of the future and seeking investors to purchase them in groups of a dozen units as franchises.

Well, not so fast. There might be a few things to consider before plunking down a big chunk of cold hard cash -- WiFi networks, for one.

Wireless fidelity networks operate at moderate distances, so they're like multiplexed kiosks, to use a retro term in a new way. Instead of queuing up at kiosks waiting to use the workstations one by one, everyone nearby with a WiFi-equipped laptop simply can plop down in a chair or on a bench and establish a wireless connection -- no waiting.

Because of this WiFi network terminals are hot, hot, hot and growing more ubiquitous by the day. So all those kiosks in the airports probably will end up gathering dust someday because WiFi-equipped laptops can do a better job and cheaper. The kiosk promoter boasts "an inexpensive 25-cents per minute," but that rate is huge compared to the typical WiFi connection.

WiFi networks are just part of the wireless communications explosions, which are getting more versatile by the day and offer just about everything the kiosks do in terms of service at a fraction of the cost. What's more, the laptop and phone solutions are more private. You can only hope strangers will stay "ATM-distance" away while you are typing in passwords (sure, the characters don't appear on the screen, but the motion of your fingers across a keyboard can be memorized), reading your e-mail or trying to do some banking at a kiosk.

Another WiFi advantage: the terminals don't need to withstand daily public hands-on use. Therefore, there's less maintenance and less chance of vandalism. The public is hard on public facilities. Just remember that the next time you use the restroom.

(Comments? Questions? Send them to ideas@gizmorama.org)