This is new to me… Since when can you text, nay, email… from a public phone. I am not kidding. Leaving work today I wanted to head to Alexis Neon to grab a few groceries before heading home… Seeing as it is winder outside I wanted to stick to the tunnels as much as possible. While waiting for the metro at Square-Victoria, I happened to notice a keypad embedded into the front side of the phone… Not just the 0-9 * # keypad… a full-blown alpha numeric keypad (see photo). So i decided to take a close look. The top instructions are in french (Duh, I live in Montreal, 90% of instructions have French Only), and looks like it had some graffiti sticker attached to it previously, so a lot of the instructions are blocked… but it leaves just enough to decider at least some part of the instructions:
Translation:
- Dial **01 , deposit 10¢ to send 1 (text) message, or
Dial **05, deposit 25¢ to send 5 (text) messages
Dial **02, deposit 10¢ to send 1 email- Enter the 10 digit receiving phone number (or email) using the numeric keypad (obviously using the full keyboard for the email)
- Press *9 on the numeric keypad and type your message (rest is blocked by paper residue from possible graffiti sticker)
- Press *9 using the numeric keypad to send your message
- Wait for sent confirmation then hang up to terminate.
I though it was pretty cool, next time I am in the metro tunnel I might actually pup in 10¢ and send myself an email.
Now as an after though… how creepy is this… if you wanted to send an anonymous email, why not use a public phone… It’s not linked to you in any way (unless you use a credit card for payment) and you are gone (half way across town) via the metro before any authorities could investigate what happened… Creepy… Yet so freaking cool.
Update
I had seen these phones earlier on a trip at the onRoute stops… Thought it was for those people who can not hear or talk… Vs using a TT machine… But now I know it’s for text and or email… That is creapy
Maybe it isn’t anonymous… Perhaps it takes your picture with a pinhole cam in the phone when you press send. Eeek! 8^O
That would be a scary thought for sure.