the one at DLR seems t be a homegrown system using regular lockers, this is an off the shelf product, that is self contained and basically can be bolted to any wall with an electrical outlet
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Magic Kingdom to test mobile phone charging lockers for guest use
- Thread starter wdwmagic
- Start date
the one at DLR seems t be a homegrown system using regular lockers, this is an off the shelf product, that is self contained and basically can be bolted to any wall with an electrical outlet
flynnibus
Premium Member
Just seems to be a different vendor... the vendor operating the normal electronic lockers at DLR with some sort of retrofit product... vs a ground-up product like this one.
willtravel
Well-Known Member
Because they charge for lockers so why not this?
its a test, the lockers can indeed be set to charge you a small fee, which is how they are normally marketed to bars, restaurants etc.
So nothing says they can't come back and add a fee later.
rct247
Well-Known Member
These charging stations are great! I tried it out yesterday to see how it works. The Tomorrowland arcade has one with six slots. Cosmic Ray's has two each also with six for a combo of twelve. All you do is swipe your credit card which only stores your name and last four digits. It then prompts you to pick one of three charger types and it pops open a chamber. If a chamber is available is is blue. If it is charging is is a pinkish-red and if it is almost done charging it turns green. They are not rapid chargers, but the chambers are secure. There is no time limit on them so you can technically leave them there all day if you wish. To retrieve them, swipe the same credit card again and the chamber will open. It is completely free.
I talked to cast member and they said that it has been very busy on the first official day with people using them. Eventually they plan to coordinate it to use your MagicBand or park ticket rather than a credit card. My bet is that you will see more and more of these pop up all over the place.
I talked to cast member and they said that it has been very busy on the first official day with people using them. Eventually they plan to coordinate it to use your MagicBand or park ticket rather than a credit card. My bet is that you will see more and more of these pop up all over the place.
JohnD
Well-Known Member
Just read your post. What I don't get is why it asks what type of phone you have if the connectors are inside. Is it just to say, "Yep! We have that!" or "Sorry, we don't have that." My parents, for example, wouldn't have a clue what to answer anyway, even looking at the picture. They would just swipe a card and find a cord that fits.
StarWarsGirl
Well-Known Member
- In the Parks
- No
Probably to keep people from forcing their phone onto the cable and breaking multiple cables.
StarWarsGirl
Well-Known Member
- In the Parks
- No
I really like this idea. The only thing I'm not crazy about is using your credit card as a key. I'd rather use a MB, or a pass if you don't have a MB. I think that option should be available
sshindel
The Epcot Manifesto
I'm looking forward to when they roll this out further, seeing how they theme them to fit into Fronteirland. Make them look like they are hollowed out of an old tree stump? A barrel?
Ha, who am I kidding, they wont theme them! They'll just shove them in the store unthemed like anything else!
Ha, who am I kidding, they wont theme them! They'll just shove them in the store unthemed like anything else!
JohnD
Well-Known Member
Yeah. But a CM is going to have to be nearby for guests who have a mobile phone but don't know what kind. They know they have an iPhone 5, for example, but unless you're a tech geek do you really know that you have lightning? They're just going to want to show their phone to a CM and ask "Does your locker charge this?"
Kman101
Well-Known Member
If people want to use their phones, great. But the society as a whole is way too 'connected'. There's never any separation. To each their own though. I always found it rude when I'm hanging out with someone and they're too busy texting other people "what, I'm sorry? What did you say?". Just a personal example.
JohnD
Well-Known Member
I think a programmable code like the various regular lockers around the park is better. You make it up right there. You know what the code is. Unlike storing credit card number (or even MBs attached to an account). Who knows what's done with those credit card numbers?
StarWarsGirl
Well-Known Member
- In the Parks
- No
If you had to buy a replacement charger for your phone, then yes, you would need to know. Besides, pretty simple. Most Androids are micro USB, iPhone 5 and above is lightning, 30 pin is below iPhone 5. All they have to do is put that in parenthesis in the instructions and they should be good.
These are wicked cool! What a great idea!
StarWarsGirl
Well-Known Member
- In the Parks
- No
The thing with passcodes is that someone nearby could look and see what you've punched in. Plus you could forget it. I'd be fine with MBs or park tickets. Disney already has all of that information.
For one thing, it shows the user what chargers are available. So if someone has a device that is not listed, they will know before they start looking around for their connector. It may also be the case that certain lockers have certain connectors. It would make sense that in a large scale deployment, they would possibly have more iPhone connectors for example.
Can you imagine the problems that would occur with people forgetting the code, then being upset that their phone is locked inside, and then the whole issue of how the CM would then determine if the user really owned the phone. I think the credit card, or ultimately the MagicBand is by the far the best way of going.
Credit cards go through so many scanners these days, does another one really matter?
flynnibus
Premium Member
There is a picture on the screen... and charging your phone is something everyone has to do on a daily basis. If they can't ID the picture, ask your grandkid you have with you. I think this is a non-issue.