Launched yesterday at Schiphol Airport, Fuel for Travel lets consumers download travel guides, music, audio books, tv shows and movies to their MP3 players and other digital devices.
Located in Schiphol's Departure Lounges 1 and 2, the Fuel for Travel features listening and viewing stations for travellers to browse digital content. Once they've found what they want, they can dock their device, pay by credit or debit card, and download the material. Pricing is similar to that of online music and video downloads.
A wide range of devices is supported, including MP3 and MP4 players, phones, and PDAs. Unfortunately, iPod owners are out of luck: due to Apple's DRM protection, video content can't be downloaded to the ubiquitous players.
Fuel for Travel is a partnership between Talpa (a Dutch multimedia content provider), Samsung Electronics, and Amsterdam Airport Schiphol. Samsung provided technological know-how, and also sells players and phones at the Fuel for Travel shop. Content providers include Red Bull, MTV/Nickelodeon, Radio 538, Audiocitytours, and Commodore. According to an airport spokesperson, members of test groups were especially interested in destination travel guides. Schiphol, which is managing the project, hopes that offering digital content will add to a more enjoyable travel experience for passengers.
Letting customers create their own in-flight entertainment package makes perfect sense for travel hubs. One to partner with and set up at an airport or train station near you? Just try and get Apple on board ;-)
Website: http://www.fuelfortravel.com
Contact: development@fuelfortravel.com
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This docking and fuelling station very much replaces the role of an Internet Cafe, in relation to the content that can be download. This similar concept is visible at Nordiska Kompaniet's food hall [iFood, available in this weeks newsletter]
I work for a local Musica Retailer, on the E-Commerce team, and this concept would be ideal for our offline Download Users. For those that frequent the store can approach the station, browse our catalogue, dock their player, purchase and download...then walk out listening to their new tunes while continuing to shop in the Mall.
usually the best answer is *silence*
dazzdoggie | August 2, 2006 9:53 AM