The Ultimate Taxi - Mobile Wi-Fi in Aspen
December 15th, 2005 | Written by Scott StevensI just saw yet another article (in a local magazine) about this man and his taxi. Jon Barnes is a great guy and his entertaining and innovative spin on the old-fashioned taxi ride leaves those who know him, and have experienced his cab ride, with an experience of a lifetime.
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Excerpt from Fast Company article:
What distinguishes the Ultimate Taxi from the standard fare? First, there’s the atmosphere. From the front seat of his 1978 Checker Cab, Barnes orchestrates a sophisticated in-taxi light show, complete with 9 lasers, 14 miniature stage lights, a revolving disco ball, and a $2,000 haze machine that pumps smoke at his passengers’ feet.
Finally, there’s the digital dimension. Using a wireless Internet connection, Barnes runs a Web site from the front seat of his cab. Want to alert him to your impending arrival? Just send him an email. Want a preview of your riding experience? Then listen to audio files of his sax solos, or look at photos of passengers that he’s shot with his digital “taxicam.”
“I like to think of this ride as a nondeletable file,” says Barnes. “It’s an experience that you’re stuck with forever.”
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Yes, you definitely are the Ultimate Taxi. With features like a fog machine, a mirror ball, a drum machine, keyboard, laser projector, black lights, strobe lights, laptop, digital photo printer, and Wi-Fi (and this is just a small fraction of the whole package), the Ultimate Taxi more or less speaks for itself. Congrats Jon on another notable mention!
Next step is to deliver WiMAX and greater mobile broadband connectivity, our plan – 100Mbps… that’s near enough to “beam you down” are you ready?