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Next generation bikeshare system teams with AT&T

The only thing that is new here is that the charging (ie. debit) system is via a smartphone instead of a registration scheme or credit card. The other things described here are all in action in existing schemes, mostly the Paris Velib system. They reward riders who return bikes to stations that tend to get depleted, eg. on top of hills or at certain train stations at certain times of day. The reward is usually in the form of a 15 minute credit allowing you to exceed your own rental by more than the 30 minute free period in the future.
Otherwise I cannot see how the smartphone system is going to solve the problems inherent in bikehire schemes. When it is claimed to be scalable, the physical infrastructure (bikes and stations) still need to be there.

Velib's "smart-dock" approach is way too expensive to be sustainable long term. It is also inflexible.

The advantage of SoBi's (and viaCycle's) "smart-bike" approach is a fraction of the cost of the older "smart-dock" approach. The "smart-bike" approach is also much more flexible, which in turn will reduce certain operating expenses (aka opex).

However, the "smart-lock" approach of NextBike may give clues to the future (it hasnt been perfected yet).

Velib, Barclays, Bixi are all Palm Pilots....SoBi, viaCycle and NextBike are all Androids and iPhones....its just a matter of time.