iLoo

(more here)
In time for the summer festival season, MSN is in the process of converting a portable loo to create a unique experience for surfers looking for an alternative to the bog-standard festival loo experience. Users will be able to sit down, undock a wireless keyboard and conveniently access the first ever WWW.C.

A plasma screen will be located directly in front of them which can be adjusted to a desired height level. MSN is also in talks with toilet paper manufacturers to produce special web paper for those in need of URL inspiration.

Tracy Blacher, Marketing Manager at MSN said: “The internet’s so much a part of everyday life now that surfing on the loo was the next natural step. People used to reach for a book or mag when they were on the loo but now they’ll be logging on! It’s exciting to think that the smallest room can now be the gateway to the massive virtual world.”

Cutting edge technology is central to MSN’s plans for the iLoo. The world’s first www.c will be broadband enabled using the most up to date wi-fi technology, meaning no unsightly telephone wires. Users will simply be able to sit down, power up, and start emailing, shopping or searching for information. There will also be a six channel surround sound speaker system under the sink unit for use with listening to music from the Internet

A classic story – they’ve got some minor technology innovation, a lot of marketing push, and the worst understanding of culture imaginable. But they’re ignoring the issues of need/willingness to adopt:
– does anyone really want to spend more time than usual in an outdoor bathroom (which are usually rather ripe)
– would anyone really touch a keyboard with their hands in a public bathroom, assuming it had been used by others
– isn’t this behavior people might adopt in more private relaxed bathroom quarters, where no one is waiting to use the stall?

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