UK-based company Renew has developed "smart" recycling bins that detect passing smartphones' Wi-Fi signals as a potential way to serve targeted mobile ads, says an article by Mashable. These bins not only can display ads on their digital screens, but also gather info on mobile users who pass by. While the bins can’t specify the identity of the smartphone owners, they can determine the phone’s manufacturer and model (i.e. Apple or HTC), as well as the direction that the smartphone user is going. The bins can also recognize whether the same mobile user walks by again the next day, or later that month. With these features, advertisers can engage in targeted advertising by showing ads to a targeted group. Examples are displaying ads to only iPhone users or mobile users that are passing by the bins for the first time. And if mobile users want to opt out on the tracking, they can do so on Presence Orb’s website, as the company handles the analytics for the bins.