In the wake of Hurricane Sandy, the humble phone booth took on renewed importance as cut-off New Yorkers used pay phones to connect with each other in an emergency. Now, this quaint but reliable form of public technology is getting a major facelift. Starting Tuesday, New York City is officially launching a plan to transform pay phones into giant touch screens that provide city information, emergency broadcasts and local business deals. The platforms are run as a partnership between New York City and two companies, Cisco and City 24/7. Read the full story at Giga OM.