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An Internet kiosk is a terminal that provides public Internet access. Internet kiosks sometimes resemble telephone booths, and are typically placed in settings such as hotel lobbies or airports for fast access to e-mail or web pages. Internet kiosks sometimes have a bill acceptor or a credit card swipe, and nearly always have a computer keyboard, a mouse (or a fixed trackball which is more robust), and a monitor.
Integration of technology allows internet kiosks to perform a wide range of functions. For example, kiosks may enable users to enter a utility bill account number in order to perform an online transaction, or collect cash in exchange for merchandise. A kiosk that functions as a digital minilab allows users to insert a memory card to print photographs. Customised components such as coin hoppers, bill acceptors, card readers and thermal printers enable kiosks to meet specialised needs.
Reliability is an important consideration, and as a result many specialised kiosk software applications have been developed for the industry. These applications interface with the bill acceptor and credit card swipe, meter time, prevent users from changing the configuration of software or downloading computer viruses and allow the kiosk owner to see revenue remotely.
Some Internet kiosks are based on a payment model similar to vending machines or Internet cafés, while others are free. A common arrangement with pay-for-use kiosks has the owner of the Internet kiosk enter into a partnership with the owner of its location, paying either a flat rate for rental of the floor space or a percentage of the monthly revenue generated by the machine.
Internet kiosks are used around the world. Several countries have already implemented nation-wide installation of kiosks for various purposes. One example of such large scale installations can be found in the United Kingdom, where thousands of special-purpose kiosks are now available to aid job-seekers in finding employment.
The first self-service, interactive kiosk was developed in 1978 at the University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana. The first successful network of interactive kiosk used for commercial purposes was a project developed by the shoe retailer florsheim. Today internet and interactive kiosks can be found in a multitude of environments and for many purposes including: self-checkout lanes, e-ticketing, information and wayfinding, and vending. An excellent example of a vending kiosk is that of McDonald's Redbox kiosk.http://www.redbox.com
The kiosk industry surpassed $1 billion in worldwide annual revenues in 2004. Groups who use kiosks in their business environment include: Northwest Airlines, JetBlue Airlines, The Home Depot, and Wal-Mart. It is estimated that over 131,000 kiosk terminals exist in the U.S. alone.
Several tradeshows based around kiosk technology exist. The first and largest is KioskCom, which is an annual show typically held in Las Vegas.http://www.kioskcom.com The another tradeshow is The Kiosk & Self-Service Show,http://www.kioskshow.com which is owned and operated by the same group who owns Kioskmarketplace.com and KIOSK Magazine.
The kiosk industry has several annual awards competitions and an industry Hall of Fame. Inductees into the Kiosk & Self-Service Hall of Fame include: Craig Keefner, Dr. Sylvia Berens, Dr. Peter Berens, Lief C. Larson, Lawrence Dvorchik, Francie Mendelsohn, and Alex Richardson. All have been recognized for their pioneering work and lifetime achievements in kiosk technology.
The development and supply of kiosk technology has been dominated by three companies: IBM Corporation, NCR Corporation, and Kiosk Information Systems.
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"Internet kiosk"