Items tagged with Airplane
Is it possible to take control of an airplane using an infotainment system as a gateway? Chris Roberts, a well-known hacker and security researcher with One World Labs, claims that it is. The FBI, who is investigating Roberts' claims, is taking no chances that he's incorrect.
On April 15, Roberts posted this...
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United Airlines isn't too happy with a savvy 22-year-old who built a website that helps people find cheaper airfare. Neither is Orbitz for that matter. What is it about the website that would prompt United Airlines and Orbitz to file a civil lawsuit against its owner, Aktarer Zaman? It's the fact that it finds cheaper...
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The National Transportation Safety Board has released its findings regarding the investigation it conducted following the events that led to the grounding of 50 long-range Boeing 787s. According to its report, a series of failures have been attributed to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), Boeing Co., and its...
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If flight attendants get their wish, you'll once again be prohibited from using electronic gadgets like your smartphone or handheld gaming system during takeoffs and landings. Why? For one, flight attendants are concerned that many passengers are no longer paying attention to emergency instructions, and secondly...
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There's progress, and then there's going too far. While you won't find too many technology lovers who are opposed to having Wi-Fi below 10,000 feet or being able to leave one's Kindle on from gate-to-gate, there's a fine line here that may soon be crossed. Enabling connectivity in the sky is a godsend for those who fly frequently and need...
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As you're probably well aware by now, Asiana Airlines Flight 214 bound from South Korea crash-landed onto the runway at San Francisco International Airport yesterday, killing two passengers and injuring dozens more. Including the crew, there were over 300 people on board the flight, and had things gone to plan...
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Remember when that 757 aircraft came crashing down midway through takeoff, killing everyone on board all because a passenger's handheld media player interfered with the plane's onboard electronics? You don't remember reading about that or seeing it on the news? That's because it never happened, nor is it likely to...
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San José airport officials are close to striking a multimillion dollar deal to convert an old parking lot into a private airstrip that would be used primarily for Google's fleet of aircraft. Signature Flight support, a global player in FBO and flight support services, won a bid to develop and operate the 29-acre, $82 million facility...
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Ever been on a flight with a TV in the headrest? Sadly, too few planes still have these, but those fortunate enough to see one may have seen some fairly compelling content of late. But evidently, more of that is to come. YouTube has reportedly signed a deal with Virgin America that would see an airline offering YouTube channels for the first...
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One of the more annoying parts of flying, outside of the ridiculous TSA security process and the notoriously packed flights, is the whole "turn your phones off" thing before taking off. While the skeptics would argue that it's just a myth that a phone could wreck a plane's GPS system, the FAA takes the "better safe...
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Aircell today announced it has secured $35 million in private equity funding, proceeds of which will be used to expand the company's Gogo Inflight service for both commercial and business flights. As it stands, Gogo already serves nine of the top 11 U.S. airlines and offers inflight Internet on 6,000 business...
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Microsoft's Zune HD sure has seen a difficult road. No matter how hard the company tried, they never could gain ground on Apple. The iPod has proven too strong for even Microsoft's marketing powers, and now it's rare to hear anything about the player at all. Microsoft is still making them, but they're hardly marketing it; at this point, the...
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In-flight Wi-Fi. When you hear the phrase, what do you think about? Obviously, some people consider Internet in airports and on planes far more important than even food, but unless you fly one of those high demand routes (New York City to San Francisco/LA, for example), you may feel that in-flight Wi-Fi simply isn't available on enough aircraft....
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Australian airline Jetstar's in-flight entertainment is about to get a whole lot more, well, entertaining. No, they're not hiring dancing girls to boogie down the isles, but the airline from down under will start renting out iPads on some of its domestic flights. It will cost $10 to rent an iPad, which will provide some additional in-flight...
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If there's one thing everyone needs on a flight, it's in-flight Wi-Fi. That's something we can all agree on, right? While the business and casual travelers debate, Aircell is announcing yet another partner in their efforts to blanket the sky with Internet: US Airways. The company has managed to land deals with nearly...
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In-flight Wi-Fi has been around for a few years now, but only in limited circumstances. Just a few airlines have bought in, and even then, in-flight Wi-Fi is only available on select routes. It's definitely a fledgling technology, and we can certainly see it expanding rapidly in the coming years and more and more passengers make clear that...
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There's little doubt that having Wi-Fi on planes is one of the greatest inventions of all time (or at least this decade), but actually finding a flight that's Wi-Fi enabled can be tough. Darn near impossible, even. American Airlines is looking to make the process or making your day or breaking your heart just a bit...
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Scared of flying? Would you rather drive 20 hours than hop in the sky for 3? You're obviously not alone, and now it looks like Virgin Atlantic is hoping to help those of you out who can't quite come to grips with soaring in the friendly skies. But we're not talking about fear training or something like that, we're...
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Gogo Inflight Internet service may be looking forward to big expansion plans in the future, but there’s one airline that’s missing from its growth list: Southwest Airlines. That’s because Southwest Airlines and Row 44 have their own plans to roll out Wi-Fi beginning in the first quarter of 2010. This fall, Southwest will move to the next step...
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Has it already been a year? Aircell, the company responsible for the now-heralded Gogo Inflight Internet service that's in far too few planes (though that's changing for the better on a month-by-month basis it seems), is this week celebrating the service's first birthday. Aw, ain't that just so sweet? As the service...
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We've heard of crazy recommendations and pointless surveys, but man, this is just world-class comedy here. Though, to be fair, most everything recommended is legitimate, but it's mostly common knowledge. Inflight Wi-Fi is expected to soar in popularity of the next few years--that's a well known fact at this point--but debates are still raging...
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For the business traveler (and the traveler in general, really), Wi-Fi is important -- crucial, even. But more important than sustenance? That's exactly what was found in a recent survey by American Airlines and HP, where some 47% of business travelers responded that Wi-Fi was the "most important airport amenity, outscoring basic travels needs...
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