Enlarge (credit: LQD WiFi)

Verizon could soon be making its presence known nearby with beacon-like smart hubs. The company announced it has acquired the NYC-based startup LQD WiFi, which makes a kiosk system called Palo that delivers free Wi-Fi, community and location information, and emergency alerts to city dwellers. Palo renderings appear similar to the Link NYC kiosks that are slowly infiltrating the five boroughs to provide similar kinds of information to New York City residents.

Both Palo and Link NYC have established roots. LQD WiFi’s founder and CEO Randy Ramusack worked at Microsoft Switzerland and Microsoft UK before starting the company, and Link NYC came out of the Intersection project of Google’s Sidewalk Labs. Currently, there are Link NYC kiosks throughout Manhattan and parts of Queens, and more have been planned for the metro area in the coming months. We tested one of the kiosks out a few months ago and it worked pretty well, providing directions via Google Maps and free Wi-Fi. However, Link NYC recently had to disable the Web-browsing feature on its kiosks due to reports of “lewd acts” committed by users.

Palo appears to differ slightly from Link NYC in its design. Link NYC kiosks have a tablet installed on one side where users can search for the information they need. Palo kiosks, on the other hand, have 46-inch LCD touchscreens with interactive transit maps, real-time schedules, public safety information, and more. “We designed Palo, from day one, to be part of the community, offering Wi-Fi, public safety features and a unique, interactive community engagement platform,” Ramusack wrote in the statement. “Palo’s human-scale touch screen lets users explore and connect with the local community creating multiple ways to engage, through an innovative, purposeful and curated experience.”