Hello:
Information kiosks are definately on the way. They will be used in places
where directories were once used in malls. They will also be used in
bookstores to browse store catalogs or references such as Books In Print.
I would guess that record stores or any other place where you can have stuff ordered
from a catalog will be using these things.
I was in a music store in June of 1993. There was a kiosk called NoteStation.
You could browse a catalog of sheet music and have your favorite selection
printed for you. Some selections would even play on some built in speakers.
Some of the music was encoded so that it could be printed in any key you wanted.
All the informatin for the system was contained on a CD-ROM.
Libraries will be able to use IKs to replace card catalogs and help patrons
use other library services.
I recently saw a form of IK that would vend a personalized greeting card.
You picked from menus and submenus, typed in your greeting and printed out a
card. It was all GUI with a touch screen. The screen was a CRT with a touch
screen surface.
We are also about to have a new type of cable box for cable TV. These new boxes
will be touch sensitive. They also hold the promise of access to the Information
Supperhighway. I refer people to the Jully Issue of Popular Mechanics.
Robert
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