I do have a cellphone (i.e. iPhone) like most people. However, every so often I find myself in a situation where I am unable to use my phone. I tend to forget to charge my phone, or forget the charger somewhere; or, like yesterday, I lent it to one of my co-founders to do testing (and I am working remotely today). Anyhow, when any of these happens I usually am stranded phone-wise, but I still have internet service. Like now. So there is something that can be done about it.<p>Now, this doesn't happen every day of the week so I don't need a membership service to use constantly. I just need a one-off, redbox-like transaction to use a phone whenever I find my self in this situation.<p>Does anyone else feels like they need something like that?<p>Does the entire world has cellphones or is there some places that actually still needs payphones?<p>Are there any (non-sketchy) services, like the one I am proposing, out there?
I presume that most payphones (in the US, not sure about elsewhere) have been taken down because real numbers showed that they weren't being used enough to warrant maintaining them.<p>But sure, I think it's reasonable to expect some people, sometimes, will still need to make use of a phone other than their own.<p>Also: what about phone booths? Even if there is no phone in them, sometimes holding a private conversation in public on a mobile phone can be awkward.
Not payphones per say, but "wayfinding" machines on the street that would offer much more: <a href="http://mashable.com/2013/05/08/nyfi-wayfinding/" rel="nofollow">http://mashable.com/2013/05/08/nyfi-wayfinding/</a>