Gothamist: Turning Off The TV in Taxis

guy next door

Tue, 02 Sep 2003 02:49:35 -0500

MAN, do i remember that botox cheerleader in the first 'chelsea' spot. it became nearly impossible to focus on doing bumps of coke in the backseat with that voice tolling the great shopping on 9th ave.

Svejc

Sun, 31 Aug 2003 12:31:00 -0500

Yeah, I got into a cab with one of them and had to fill out a survey. I was in the "indifferent to negative" category. Crappy programming, crappy ads, yes you could turn it off, but it's still an annoyance. "Not wired"? Give me a freakin' break. They sucked, plain and simple.

Vidiot

Thu, 28 Aug 2003 23:21:17 -0500

It could work well -- have an interactive guide to restaurants and bars, stores, attractions and such (some of the "interactive" taxis already have this, but it's not terribly comprehensive, and you have to wait for Windows to boot each time you get in), couple it with a GPS receiver and moving-map display, and you could really have something useful if the UI was right.

U-nanimous

Thu, 28 Aug 2003 13:03:38 -0500

My first experience with TVs in cabs was in Tokyo. But over there, the TVs were installed above the front window so the drivers could watch baseball while they worked. Didn't inspire confidence.

head

Thu, 28 Aug 2003 13:01:44 -0500

the thing i found most annoying was the way that the programming treated anyone riding in a cab as a tourist. there's more chance that local city-dwellers catch cabs, and puhleeze, we don't need to "discover chelsea".

Conrad

Thu, 28 Aug 2003 12:40:20 -0500

remember that hyper happy woman that took us on a trip around "Chelsea!"? Man, would i zone out one the way home at 1AM...

Jen

Thu, 28 Aug 2003 11:25:56 -0500

Right, if there was a gaming console or something, even WebTV, it'd be worthy. But the way it is now? Nope.

Andrew

Thu, 28 Aug 2003 11:23:43 -0500

Those TV's would be cool if you could play Crazy Taxi during the ride...

wordgirl

Thu, 28 Aug 2003 10:45:17 -0500

I don't know...the tv's in cabs made me a little bit queasy and the people talking on them were always WAY too enthusiastic. I always say that a little irony goes a long way.

lorna

Thu, 28 Aug 2003 10:35:11 -0500

I don't know, riding in a taxi to watch television might be cheaper than my cable bill these days.,