RE: IT has landed!
Okay, I've just seen the Segway HT being demoed on Good Morning America. To see how deftly Diane Sawyer and her anchor used it after just being introduced to it is amazing.
The only thing that bothers me about it is the price. I can imagine that Wall Street and other business districts would be full of them... people wizzing around, drinking their lattes, half-caf double-defaf with a twist of lemon. But the average and poorer people won't be able to afford these things. A new 21st century divide.
But, let me think about this in an optimistic way... this thing is about $3000. For someone living downtown or near all amenities, this is really all they'd need for daily commuting, especially if they work from home. $3000 is a lot cheaper than a $15000+ car. It doesn't require a parking space, or gas. You could finance one for maybe $125 a month over 3 years. The cost of a car doesn't compare.
Just watch the insurance industries start to lobby the government to make sure you have to buy insurance to legally operate one of these things. :-(
Another observation. One ABCNews person said something to the effect of "I looked at it and it was so 21st century, so futuristic. Then I remembered we live in the 21st century, we're here!". Technology is moving so fast that we've been thrust into a future we're not prepared for. Cool, but scary at the same time.