Two carriers now offer broadband WiFi on domestic flights
Following its introduction late last month on Virgin America, Aircell’s Gogo inflight WiFi service debuts today on on one Delta Boeing 757 and on five MD88 planes that fly the popular shuttle routes between New York’s LaGuardia Airport, Boston’s Logan International Airport and Washington's National Airport. Until December 31, access on Delta is free. On both airlines, the regular cost is $9.95 for flights shorter than three hours and $12.95 for flights three hours or longer.
Showing posts with label Gadget. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Gadget. Show all posts
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Sunday, February 13, 2011
More WiFi in Sky
US Airways introduces inflight Internet access -- for free at first
I like wireless access while I'm waiting at the airport and in fact have written any number of posts on this blog from terminals -- and of course, checked E-mail too. And I totally love the growing number of airports that offer free WiFi.
So far, I've not been a flight that offered wireless service -- but when I am, I'll bet I will. This week, US Airways became the latest carrier to offer GOGO Internet access, initially on five Airbus A321 aircraft and with all 51 of the carrier's A321 aircraft WiFi-enabled by June 1. Until that date, they are offering free WiFi access to first-time users. US Airways joins AirTran, Air Canada, Alaska, American , Continental, Delta, United and Virgin America with WiFi on all or some flights.
After June 1, the charge will be $4.95-$12.95 for laptops and netbooks and $4.95-$7.95, for mobile devices, depending on the length of the flight. I don't know whether front-of-the-plane PAX will enjoy free access after June 1. This development is pretty ironic. Use of cell phones in flight is prohibited, but now that there's revenue to be derived, airlines are jumping aboard the GOGO technology train, which that Aircell says, "turns a commercial airplane into a WiFi hotspot." As I write this, a counter that looks like an old-style automobile odometer on Aircell's home page indicates that 791 aircraft are equipped with the service.
So far, I've not been a flight that offered wireless service -- but when I am, I'll bet I will. This week, US Airways became the latest carrier to offer GOGO Internet access, initially on five Airbus A321 aircraft and with all 51 of the carrier's A321 aircraft WiFi-enabled by June 1. Until that date, they are offering free WiFi access to first-time users. US Airways joins AirTran, Air Canada, Alaska, American , Continental, Delta, United and Virgin America with WiFi on all or some flights.
After June 1, the charge will be $4.95-$12.95 for laptops and netbooks and $4.95-$7.95, for mobile devices, depending on the length of the flight. I don't know whether front-of-the-plane PAX will enjoy free access after June 1. This development is pretty ironic. Use of cell phones in flight is prohibited, but now that there's revenue to be derived, airlines are jumping aboard the GOGO technology train, which that Aircell says, "turns a commercial airplane into a WiFi hotspot." As I write this, a counter that looks like an old-style automobile odometer on Aircell's home page indicates that 791 aircraft are equipped with the service.
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
United Brings Paperless Boarding Passes to DIA
A SmartPhone and other smart phone is required
I don't have a SmartPhone or iPhone or PDA. I have a SimplePhone, also known as CheapPhone with a CheapCallingPlan, so this news doesn't apply to me. But for others, United's introduction of paperless boarding passes at Denver International Airport is relevant. United isn't the only airline and DIA isn't the only airport, but DIA is my airport and I fly United a lot.
It works like this: Passengers can check in at an electronic kiosk that rather than spewing out a paper boarding pass, sends a message to the one will be sent to Internet-enabled cell phones. The message includes a bar code that security screeners and gate attendants are able to scan -- in theory anyway, unless or until there's a bug.
This system doesn't get around the Transportation Security Agency requirement of showing an actual government-issued photo ID to the screener. United intentionally introduced this innovation at spring break time, when many young people who live and breathe by their cell phones are traveling. Click here for a list of 43 other US airports (plus Frankfurt, Germany) where paperless boarding passes were being used before they came to DIA; others will surely follow. Alaska Airlines, Continental, Delta and others offer paperless boarding passes too. Some see it as a convenience or at least an inevitable technological advance, but I see it as substituting one impersonal boarding-pass procedure for another. And unless they're working while flying, passengers will probably pull out their Kindlesor other paperless books and do some inflight reading.
It works like this: Passengers can check in at an electronic kiosk that rather than spewing out a paper boarding pass, sends a message to the one will be sent to Internet-enabled cell phones. The message includes a bar code that security screeners and gate attendants are able to scan -- in theory anyway, unless or until there's a bug.
This system doesn't get around the Transportation Security Agency requirement of showing an actual government-issued photo ID to the screener. United intentionally introduced this innovation at spring break time, when many young people who live and breathe by their cell phones are traveling. Click here for a list of 43 other US airports (plus Frankfurt, Germany) where paperless boarding passes were being used before they came to DIA; others will surely follow. Alaska Airlines, Continental, Delta and others offer paperless boarding passes too. Some see it as a convenience or at least an inevitable technological advance, but I see it as substituting one impersonal boarding-pass procedure for another. And unless they're working while flying, passengers will probably pull out their Kindlesor other paperless books and do some inflight reading.
Saturday, December 25, 2010
Travel Gear: The Best and Worst of the Year
Travel writers' evaluations of 2009's winners and losers
Practical Travel Gear published a short list of the best and worst travel items for 2009. There were, of course, good suggestions for tote bags, clothing and miscellaneous accessories, and some on the "worst" list that made me laugh out loud. Contributor John Gordon wrote, "Some things I just don’t understand, like Planesheets for covering airline seats. Besides the dubious claims of cleanliness, I’d just feel a little weird being the only passenger on the plane sitting in a zebra-stripe seat." I've got to agree on that one, though in this age of swine-flu fear, I suppose there are travelers who feel more protected by temporarily slip-covering their airplane seat in washable or disposable covers -- butt-ugly as some of them are.
No one asked me, but I'd include among the best those TSA-approved luggage locks. They're not new, but neither is Ex-Officio travelwear that the site praised. I've always wondered about unlocked bags both as invitations to pilferage and as ways that someone behind the scenes at an airport can make anb innocent traveler an unwitting mule for smuggling contraband. I'd include noise-canceling headphones, not new either but invaluable on a small, noisy airplane or a long flight on any plane at all. And finally, I'd include those not-new-either inflatable neck pillows, which are great now that airlines have become chintzy with little pillows. I like to sleep on planes and appreciate the comfort.
No one asked me, but I'd include among the best those TSA-approved luggage locks. They're not new, but neither is Ex-Officio travelwear that the site praised. I've always wondered about unlocked bags both as invitations to pilferage and as ways that someone behind the scenes at an airport can make anb innocent traveler an unwitting mule for smuggling contraband. I'd include noise-canceling headphones, not new either but invaluable on a small, noisy airplane or a long flight on any plane at all. And finally, I'd include those not-new-either inflatable neck pillows, which are great now that airlines have become chintzy with little pillows. I like to sleep on planes and appreciate the comfort.
Sunday, November 14, 2010
Denver Art Museum's iPods -- Plus
21st century museum adds 21st century audio -- and light meals now are served across the plaza
No museum in the nation made more of a recent splash than the Denver Art Museum did in 2006 with the opening of the radical Daniel Liebeskind-designed Hamilton Building, a dramatic angled structure clad in titanium. During a recent visit, I noticed the addition of iPod stations (with instructions on how to use the device and seats to plunk down on while you are doing so) to provide interpretation in as modern a mode as the building itself.
Several galleries are currently closed for the installation of new exhibits, but the gorgeous Landscapes from the Age of Impressionism continues through September 7, featuring 40 exquisite mid- and late-19th century French and American landscapes from the Brooklyn Museum’s collection.
The last time I wanted a bite to eat at the museum, there was a small snack bar in the North Tower, the older of the DAM's two connected buildings. The snack bar is no more. Kevin Taylor's Palette's Restaurant has now expanded into that space, and anyone who wants something lighter is directed across the plaza to Mad Greens, whose mid-day specialties are soups, salads and panini.
The museum is open daily except major holidays and Mondays -- except Monday, August 25, when it will not only be open but will be free to show off Denver's cultural side and artistic treasures in honor of the Democratic National Convention.
The Denver Art Museum is at 100 West 14th Avenue Parkway, Denver; 720-865-5000.
Monday, November 8, 2010
Personal Luggage Scale Saves Money and Check-In Hassles
Draconian checked-bag and overweight-bag fees call for cleverness -- before you leave home
Domestic airlines have seemingly been in a race to see who can impose the most agg
ressive fees for checked bags -- policies that I and other observers have howled over with outrage. It seems that airline passengers are now traveling lighter, only with carry-ons when possible. Southwest, the rare airline that still checks two bags free for domestic flights, seems to have been a beneficiary of these new policies.
But the majority of flyers travelers are booked on other carries, and many of us want to avoid or minimize checked-bag fees whenever and however we can. Balanzza has come up with a simple, hand-held digital luggage scale that you can use to weigh your bag before you leave home (or before you return home with your purchases) to make sure that no single piece of luggage moves into the overweight-bag zone. The scale itself weighs less than a pound and can weigh bags up to 100 pounds.
Strap the device to the handle of your bag, lift it, wait for the beep, put the bag down and read the weight on a digital screen. If you need to repack, you can do so before you get to the airport. Two models are available -- one that designed to be lifted with one hand, the second with two hands. Either one costs $24.95.
Travel Blog Offers Dozens of Packing Tips -- Mostly for Women
Months before airlines put the hammer down by levying baggage charges, a blog called Travel Hacker ran a piece called "The Art of Packing: 44 Tips to Save Space, Time and Keep Your Organized." While it does not specifically address such issues as minimizing the number of bags to be checked or keeping the weight down on those bags, some of this advice does help with packing strategy.
These tips are overwhelmingly geared to fashion-conscious women travelers. Number 6, for instance, reads, "If possible, try to pack only one sweater and/or jacket for your whole trip. Unless you’re going to Paris Fashion Week in the winter, you should be able to get away with sporting the same outerwear for a few days. You can jazz up your outfits with different accessories to keep your look from getting too tired out too quickly. You’ll be saving yourself a ton of extra packing space, so you can stock up on more fun items like shoes and shirts. Even better if you decide to wear or carry your jacket on the plane instead of forcing it into your luggage." But if that describes you, take a look and see anything that might help you pack lighter, smarter and better.
Domestic airlines have seemingly been in a race to see who can impose the most agg
ressive fees for checked bags -- policies that I and other observers have howled over with outrage. It seems that airline passengers are now traveling lighter, only with carry-ons when possible. Southwest, the rare airline that still checks two bags free for domestic flights, seems to have been a beneficiary of these new policies.But the majority of flyers travelers are booked on other carries, and many of us want to avoid or minimize checked-bag fees whenever and however we can. Balanzza has come up with a simple, hand-held digital luggage scale that you can use to weigh your bag before you leave home (or before you return home with your purchases) to make sure that no single piece of luggage moves into the overweight-bag zone. The scale itself weighs less than a pound and can weigh bags up to 100 pounds.
Strap the device to the handle of your bag, lift it, wait for the beep, put the bag down and read the weight on a digital screen. If you need to repack, you can do so before you get to the airport. Two models are available -- one that designed to be lifted with one hand, the second with two hands. Either one costs $24.95.
Travel Blog Offers Dozens of Packing Tips -- Mostly for Women
Months before airlines put the hammer down by levying baggage charges, a blog called Travel Hacker ran a piece called "The Art of Packing: 44 Tips to Save Space, Time and Keep Your Organized." While it does not specifically address such issues as minimizing the number of bags to be checked or keeping the weight down on those bags, some of this advice does help with packing strategy.
These tips are overwhelmingly geared to fashion-conscious women travelers. Number 6, for instance, reads, "If possible, try to pack only one sweater and/or jacket for your whole trip. Unless you’re going to Paris Fashion Week in the winter, you should be able to get away with sporting the same outerwear for a few days. You can jazz up your outfits with different accessories to keep your look from getting too tired out too quickly. You’ll be saving yourself a ton of extra packing space, so you can stock up on more fun items like shoes and shirts. Even better if you decide to wear or carry your jacket on the plane instead of forcing it into your luggage." But if that describes you, take a look and see anything that might help you pack lighter, smarter and better.
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
Philadephia Offers New High-Tech, Self-Guided Tour
With Ben Franklin as a guide, visitors can't go wrong in the cradle of American liberty
July 4, American Independence Day, would seem to have been the perfect da
te for the introduction of a new self-paced GPS Ranger tour of Philadelphia's Independence National Historical Park. But July 14, Bastille Day, isn't a bad choice either, because the French got their uppity ideas about removing themselves from under a royal yoke from the new United States. Also, Benjamin Franklin, portrayed by Philadelphia's Ralph Archibald, who hosts the tour, was a key to striking an alliance between the nascent United States of America and France. But more to the point, the 14th worked better than the Fourth of the mayor of Philadelphia, who is expected at the debut of the new tour.
te for the introduction of a new self-paced GPS Ranger tour of Philadelphia's Independence National Historical Park. But July 14, Bastille Day, isn't a bad choice either, because the French got their uppity ideas about removing themselves from under a royal yoke from the new United States. Also, Benjamin Franklin, portrayed by Philadelphia's Ralph Archibald, who hosts the tour, was a key to striking an alliance between the nascent United States of America and France. But more to the point, the 14th worked better than the Fourth of the mayor of Philadelphia, who is expected at the debut of the new tour. The GPS Ranger is a device that "knows" the user's location based on GPS (Global Positioning System) technology. See what I mean about high-tech? This patent-pending, handheld computer then delivers the tour, including appropriate video, audio, musical soundtrack and historical photographs, to visitors. It is to those museum audio tours what high-def color television is to AM radio. However, everything happens automatically. There are no buttons to push to tell the device the visitor's exact location. I haven't used it myself, but it is said to be both entertaining and educational.
The state-of-the-art Independence Visitor Center rents the device for $15.95, which is a good deal because it can be shared by several visitors and covers the historic highlights around what has been called Philadelphia’s Most Historic Square Mile, including the Liberty Bell, National Constitution Center, Declaration House, Washington Square containing a burial ground of fallen Revolutionary War soldiers, the “Moon Tree” grown from seeds that on board a moon flight in 1971, City Tavern, Christ Church Burial Ground with the graves of five signers of the Declaration of Independence including Franklin and Elfreth’s Alley, the oldest continuously inhabited residential street in the country, dating back to the early 1700s.
Monday, October 11, 2010
Bar Wars
Which cell phone providers offer service where is important for road trippers -- but how can you tell?
While driving through eastern Colorado not long ago, my husband and I occasionally opened our cell phones and compared how many bars we had. Mindful of tedious television commercials that I've seen about coverage, this seemed like an informative diversion. I assumed that a specific number of bars means the same thing on all phones and with all providers.
Not so, reports technology reporter Tom Simonite in a blog posting on New Scientist. He wrote that there are no industry standards for signal bars, and one bar, two bars, three bars, etc. don't always mean the same thing, as we found out. In La Junta, my husband's cell phone showed an impressive array or bars, while mine displayed just one. Yet I received a call -- in a restaurant where we stopped for lunch. Simonite has some ideas on how to improve the system, as do some of the visitors to the New Scientist blog. It makes for an intersting technie read.
While driving through eastern Colorado not long ago, my husband and I occasionally opened our cell phones and compared how many bars we had. Mindful of tedious television commercials that I've seen about coverage, this seemed like an informative diversion. I assumed that a specific number of bars means the same thing on all phones and with all providers.
Not so, reports technology reporter Tom Simonite in a blog posting on New Scientist. He wrote that there are no industry standards for signal bars, and one bar, two bars, three bars, etc. don't always mean the same thing, as we found out. In La Junta, my husband's cell phone showed an impressive array or bars, while mine displayed just one. Yet I received a call -- in a restaurant where we stopped for lunch. Simonite has some ideas on how to improve the system, as do some of the visitors to the New Scientist blog. It makes for an intersting technie read.
Friday, October 8, 2010
Travel Apps for Cell Phones
Free and cheap iPhone applications for travelers
I think I have the most basic cell phone and service plan on earth. With my simple Nokia phone and pay-in-advance T-mobile plan, I prepay $100 for 1,000 minutes. The last recharge lasted me over 11 months. However, if I did spring for a more sophisticated communication device (like an iPhone), I'd install one of the applications for making travel information easier to obtain anywhere, anytime. USA Weekend made five suggestions for iPhone apps that it likes for travelers -- and by the way, they're accesible online too for mobile-phone Luddites like me:
I think I have the most basic cell phone and service plan on earth. With my simple Nokia phone and pay-in-advance T-mobile plan, I prepay $100 for 1,000 minutes. The last recharge lasted me over 11 months. However, if I did spring for a more sophisticated communication device (like an iPhone), I'd install one of the applications for making travel information easier to obtain anywhere, anytime. USA Weekend made five suggestions for iPhone apps that it likes for travelers -- and by the way, they're accesible online too for mobile-phone Luddites like me:
- AroundMe - Free app with localized happenings and resources.
- Yelp - Also free and also localized info on restaurants, shops, events and more.
- WorldMate - Free travel planner, including flight alert, maps, weather and much more.
- Packing - There's all sorts of free packing information on the web, but for some reason, USA Weekend likes this 99-cent app.
- FlightTrack (right) - Again, there are lots of free flight-trackers services out there, but USA Weekend picked this $4.99 version, which offers real-time status for flights from around the world, live weather radar updates, route maps and other information.
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
Innovative Service for Internet Addicts Like Me
Service offers combination of connectivity and mobility for travelers
Shortly before I left for Britain, I learned about RoVair, a service that offers wireless mobile broadband (WMB) access. I have no idea just what aircards, datacards and evdo cards are, but as one who now drags her laptop around the globe, I do know what a hassle and/or expense it can be to find WiFi or Ethernet connections while traveling. I have struggled with Internet access at sea, because many cruise ships seem to have Internet centers with painfully slowly service via satellite at dial-up speed. I have paid through the nose in fancy hotels, where you would think that WiFi would be as much an included amenity as it is in many mid-range properties. My laptop and I have camped in hotel lobbies where that was the only place with WiFi service. I have driven for miles and paid usurious per-hour WiFi fees and otherwise sacrificed time and comfort to check E-mails or do some timely blog posting.
Therefore, RoVair's explanation that it is available anywhere there is a cellular signal seemed like a traveler's dream innovation ("hundreds of thousands if not millions of hotspots," the company says). As I understand it, you get a datacard and then use a "day pass" that is activated all the time -- or maybe the datacard and the day pass are the same thing. There are all sorts of other bells and whistles (including a price break for multiple cards and the ability to "light up" other devices elsewhere, which I probably don't need but might be useful for people traveling on company business).
Currently, you order your day pass for a certain number of days with a three-day minimum and return it to the company in provided packaging when the time is up -- sort of like NetFlix. "Soon," RovAir says, "day passes will be available from handy kiosks at airports, hotels, train terminals, shopping malls and other convenient locations."
In any case, card rental starts at $5.95 a day with a multi-day purchase, which made RoVair sound really, really, REALLY good. I was ready to sign up. Unfortunately for me this time, the service is currently available only in the US and perhaps Canada, but not in Europe or Asia.
To read about our trip, see my postings between April 26 and May 7. If RoVair had been in Britain, I could have dealt more easily or inexpensively with these specific situations:
Shortly before I left for Britain, I learned about RoVair, a service that offers wireless mobile broadband (WMB) access. I have no idea just what aircards, datacards and evdo cards are, but as one who now drags her laptop around the globe, I do know what a hassle and/or expense it can be to find WiFi or Ethernet connections while traveling. I have struggled with Internet access at sea, because many cruise ships seem to have Internet centers with painfully slowly service via satellite at dial-up speed. I have paid through the nose in fancy hotels, where you would think that WiFi would be as much an included amenity as it is in many mid-range properties. My laptop and I have camped in hotel lobbies where that was the only place with WiFi service. I have driven for miles and paid usurious per-hour WiFi fees and otherwise sacrificed time and comfort to check E-mails or do some timely blog posting.
Therefore, RoVair's explanation that it is available anywhere there is a cellular signal seemed like a traveler's dream innovation ("hundreds of thousands if not millions of hotspots," the company says). As I understand it, you get a datacard and then use a "day pass" that is activated all the time -- or maybe the datacard and the day pass are the same thing. There are all sorts of other bells and whistles (including a price break for multiple cards and the ability to "light up" other devices elsewhere, which I probably don't need but might be useful for people traveling on company business).
Currently, you order your day pass for a certain number of days with a three-day minimum and return it to the company in provided packaging when the time is up -- sort of like NetFlix. "Soon," RovAir says, "day passes will be available from handy kiosks at airports, hotels, train terminals, shopping malls and other convenient locations."
In any case, card rental starts at $5.95 a day with a multi-day purchase, which made RoVair sound really, really, REALLY good. I was ready to sign up. Unfortunately for me this time, the service is currently available only in the US and perhaps Canada, but not in Europe or Asia.
To read about our trip, see my postings between April 26 and May 7. If RoVair had been in Britain, I could have dealt more easily or inexpensively with these specific situations:
- Lack of Internet access on trains, which was a bit frustrating, because there was an outlet and a table a each seat, which would have made good use of travel time
- The Famous Wild Boar Hotel in the Lake District has no Internet service. We didn't have a car, so took a taxi (£6 each way) to Bowness, where I found a cafe with Internet access at £3 for 30 minutes. We took advantage of being there to wander around Bowness and stay for dinner, but we did have to lug the laptop around.
- In Carlisle, one of the two hotels we stayed at had WiFi only in the lobby at a cost of £5 per hour. The second hotel had no Internet service at all.
- In Edinburgh, we lucked out at a B&B that had free WiFi in the rooms -- the only one of the five places we stayed with such an amenity.
- At the Sheraton Skyline near Heathrow Airport, Internet service was available in the rooms for £5 per hour or £15 for 24 hours. Gulp!
Therefore, I cheer: Go RoVair! I look forward to trying it in the US next time I am on the road, but more significantly, I hope the service is available in Europe next time I go overseas -- which, come to think of it, might be a long time coming given the state of the dollar.
And for anyone who has not yet navigated the rocky shoals of traveling with a laptop but wants to, the Independent Traveler website recently published a primer of what's out there, what you can expect and what you should take with you.
Monday, September 13, 2010
Overpackaged Travel Accessory -- on Earth Day
Bad enough to be in the air, leaving a carbon control, but extra waste galls
We're leaving soon for England and Scotland, feeling a twinge of guilt for flying and probably a pinch in the purse because of the dollar-to-pound exchange rate. To make the long Denver-London nonstop a tad more bearable, I just got new Sony MDR-NC40 noise-cancelling headphones that plug into a plane's sound system.
I can't swim or row to England, but because it's Earth Day, I'm particularly aware of the un-green packaging for these lightweight, made-in-China headphones. The cardboard box encasing the product and its protective plastic cocoon is about 10 by 6 1/2 by 4 inches. The black background means that in many places, the box cannot be recycled, and it appears not to have been made from recycled material either.
Inside, the headphones are encased in a plastic clamshell box secured with with one transparent plastic tape, with another compartmented plastic tray inside. Four strips of adhesive foam are on these plastic parts. I do not see a recycling code on anything. The bilingual instructions were printed and warranty -- seemingly not on recycled paper -- in Malaysia. I realize that an electronic gadget needs to be protected.
It might seem hypocritical or hair-splitting, given that they are designed for use on airplanes, but I do wish that my new headphones had left a smaller carbon footprint. Now, I'm going to have to toss all that packing material that could have been made from recycled materials and itself be recyclable.
We're leaving soon for England and Scotland, feeling a twinge of guilt for flying and probably a pinch in the purse because of the dollar-to-pound exchange rate. To make the long Denver-London nonstop a tad more bearable, I just got new Sony MDR-NC40 noise-cancelling headphones that plug into a plane's sound system.
I can't swim or row to England, but because it's Earth Day, I'm particularly aware of the un-green packaging for these lightweight, made-in-China headphones. The cardboard box encasing the product and its protective plastic cocoon is about 10 by 6 1/2 by 4 inches. The black background means that in many places, the box cannot be recycled, and it appears not to have been made from recycled material either.
Inside, the headphones are encased in a plastic clamshell box secured with with one transparent plastic tape, with another compartmented plastic tray inside. Four strips of adhesive foam are on these plastic parts. I do not see a recycling code on anything. The bilingual instructions were printed and warranty -- seemingly not on recycled paper -- in Malaysia. I realize that an electronic gadget needs to be protected.
It might seem hypocritical or hair-splitting, given that they are designed for use on airplanes, but I do wish that my new headphones had left a smaller carbon footprint. Now, I'm going to have to toss all that packing material that could have been made from recycled materials and itself be recyclable.
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