Boston taxi tops get an upgrade

Bostonians have seen electronic mini-billboards on top of local taxi cabs for several years, but thanks to technical advances, some ads featured on those displays could soon be as clear and bright as a picture on a fancy flat-screen TV.

Clear Channel Taxi Media said it has begun installing the next generation of LCD Digital Smart Tops on local cabs, making Boston the first city in the country to have them.

By January, 100 cabs should be equipped with Smart Tops developed by Vert Inc. of Boston, said Mike MacDonald, regional vice president of Clear Channel Taxi Media, which has a website devoted to the Boston launch of the new product.

"Today's technology allows us to have a single 32-inch LCD digital screen," he said.

MacDonald's office is a division of Clear Channel Outdoor, which is part of Clear Channel Communications Inc., a Texas-based radio station giant.
(By Chris Reidy, Globe staff)

Coming to a cab near you: an LCD top