Taxi communicator

28 Aug 2007

I had an interesting sight of a taxi driver this evening in Hongkong. I think the term "taxi communicator" suits this driver as he seemed to be really into modern communication technology. A digital workstyle unfolding.

 

At his dashboard was the usual radio network microphone with speakers somewhere below his wheel, where he communicates with the central station and other drivers to get direction, provide advice on directions to other drivers, and also chat on other stuff. He was arranging for a supper session with another driver when I got on board. On the left of his wheel, there was an "O2" mobile phone hooked up to a car stand, and that has a wireless bluetooth link to a bluetooth earphone on his left ear. While he was speaking on the radio network, the O2 phone played a Chinese pop song, which was the ring tone for this phone. He stopped the radio chat and answered the phone on his bluetooth earpiece. A few minutes later, another Chinese song, a duet this time, was played. I then noticed that there was another O2 mini mobile handset hooked up on another car stand on the right of his steering wheel. Interestingly, this phone has another wireless bluetooth link to another bluetooth earpiece on his right ear (which I didn’t notice earlier.) Now he quickly ends his chat on his second conversation on the left ear and pressed the bluetooth earpiece on his right ear and answered the second phone. This was actually a reservation call, and his phone displayed the name of the caller, which he addressed, "Hello, Ms Cheung, how are you doing?" promptly. The booking then went on, and he was taking memory note of the pickup point, and verifying finer details of the road condition there, etc. Meanwhile, he was manuevring the vehicle across small lanes, multiple traffic lights, taking bypass roads, in order to get to my destination in the shortest possible time (it seems to me at least.)

 

Prior to this experience, I have not thought that someone will actually use both ears for two different bluetooth ear pieces to listen and communicate on two separate mobile phones. I was only thinking of a stereo experience for two ears, and how a bluetooth device should be improved to allow the user to use it with multiple devices simultaneously, rather than one-to-one setup. At the same time, I think it is actually very stressful for that driver to do such a stunt. Taking memory notes on multiple phone conversations, including reservation and locations to take care of, and making sure that he is actually taking the current passenger to the right destination and not one that the last caller has asked. I salute him for his ability to manage all this so well, even though I don’t think he should do this in the first place. He is a real adoptor of the new digital workstyle perhaps.