China Telecom Multimedia Telephone

Bill Wayne, traveling in China, sends this shot of China Telecom’s take on the “payphone of the future”. This particular phone accepts no coins, although it is equipped with a coin return slot, suggesting that other installations of this model allow for coin intake. What stands out to me about this device versus the LinkNYC kiosks replacing all payphones in New York City is the presence of a handset. That is something the LinkNYC kiosks desperately need for the purpose of restoring dignity to the act of making a call from a public telephone.