I got a mysterious email invitation this afternoon from the City of Raleigh. It reads:
The City of Raleigh invites you to enjoy your coffee break Tuesday, April 14, celebrating a local partnership that is producing a significant “FIRST IN THE U.S.A.”
10 A.M., Tuesday, April 14
Raleigh Convention Center
Salisbury Street and Lenoir Street
I understand a different invite went to the city councilors that read:
The City of Raleigh and the Transit Authority invite you to enjoy your coffee break Tuesday, April 14 celebrating a local partnership that is producing a technological “FIRST IN THE USA!”
Please join us at 10 a.m., Tuesday, April 14 at the Raleigh Convention Center’s Salisbury Street and Lenoir Street plaza.
As you can see, the second one mentions the “Transit Authority” and “technological first.” I wonder what this means.
- A GPS bus locator? No, that’s old hat. Been done already.
- WiFi on city buses? Certainly possible, but what’s the local partnership angle?.
- Mobile digital TV on city buses? This one makes more sense.
Capitol Broadcasting (home of WRAL) has been tinkering with mobile digital TV and has some devices built.
Capitol’s new mobile technology spinoff company is called News Over Wireless and is certainly local. But would transit passengers be forced to watch all-WRAL, all the time, or would other stations also be available?
On the other hand, it could have nothing to do with TV and could be some sort of other transit innovation. A Prius-branded bus? Electric vehicle recharging stations? Again, what would be the local partnership angle, and what about this would be worthy of such subterfuge?
This is all speculation at this point, as I haven’t gleaned any more insights. I do hope to be around for Tuesday’s unveiling of Whatever It Is.