The new airline says it’s adding WiFi and other cool stuff to its on-board services. (Click on the press release named “Virgin America and AirCell to Take Broadband Internet to the Skies” for details, such as they are.
I’ve been testing the Nokia E90 Communicator, an powerful blend of hardware and software. It combines a number of functions into a portable computer/phone that, despite the inevitable compromises, strikes me as perhaps the best device of its kind so far.
It’s almost precisely what the Apple iPhone is not: a device designed with serious work in mind, where the keypad(s) are the data-entry systems and where multimedia creation carries a higher value than playback. There’s a fold-out keyboard and large, high-resolution screen. It still requires thumb-typing (making me suspect that Nokia could and should create a model of this that’s shorter and no less difficult for typing).
The communications array is astounding, as we’ve come to expect from Nokia lately: 4-band GSM, GPRS, HSDPA 3G, WiFi and more. This makes it a true “world phone” in ways that few competitors have matched.
The 3.2-megapixel camera takes more than good enough pictures, and the video and audio recording are more than acceptable. GPS is built-in (but the radio receiver isn’t very powerful), along with a variety of other excellent features. Web browsing is better than ever with the larger 800×352 inside screen.
Video playback still lags behind the iPhone, but not by much: I ripped a DVD of several TV-series episodes to the device and watched them on a plane. The audio and video were more than good enough to enjoy the programs — and the battery drain wasn’t too awful.
The main drawback, apart from the expected not-so-great battery life, is the size and weight, though it’s svelte compared to older models of the Communicator series. Storage is limited to 2GB with a (extra purchase) micro-SD card. Another, continuing Nokia blind spot — true for all its phones — is the company’s refusal to support the Macintosh except in crude ways.
The N95 has more sophisticated multimedia features, and upcoming 8GB model looks pretty terrific (a touch screen would make it nearly perfect apart from the lack of QWERTY keyboard). I may stick with the N95, but I’m torn, because I love the ability to do more serious work on the E90.
Wow…
The New York Times offers: “Euro Pinchers Chime In With Some Tips,” with some excellent advice.
Bogata’s famous Museo del Oro has an incredible collection from ancient times. It’s a must-see stop for anyone who visits this city.
I confess, however, that the modern age has entirely captured me. When I came across the piece at left, my immediate thought was “audio headset.”
Guess I need to get out more…
Apple’s iPhone is a lovely piece of industrial design. But international travelers should probably steer clear of it, at least for now.
It’s only available in the U.S. at the moment, and only uses AT&T’s relatively slow 2.5G network. There’s no 3G, and the WiFi doesn’t make up for that. Using it in Europe or Asia will incur large roaming fees.
Apple is also blocking most third-party software from working with the device. So this smart phone is stupid, on purpose.
Rumor has it that T-Mobile will sell a version in Germany later this year. But if the phone is locked to that carrier the way it’s locked now to AT&T, and if it still lacks 3G, it’ll be a nice iPod and low-end voice device with a WiFi add-on, not much more.
I’d suggest waiting for version 2.0 of the iPhone, when — we can only hope — Apple decides to sell a true smartphone with 3G and other needed utility. It’s a beautiful device, but not what international travelers need.
The Wall Street Journal reports “Northwest Moves To Reduce Flights, Hire More Pilots“:
The airline began preemptively canceling large numbers — 100 or more a day — of its 1,400 daily mainline flights, or those with big jets, excluding commuter units and affiliates, late last month. From June 22 though Thursday, the carrier said it canceled 12% of its mainline flights. A normal rate would be 1% to 2% for all causes. Passengers fumed, even those who were contacted in advance and rebooked.
This is, in part, due to a pilot union work slowdown, according to the airline and some independent observers. The pilots flatly deny it. Whatever, it’s a pain to travelers.
A few years ago, pilots at United pulled a labor slowdown. They left a permanent bad feeling — furious customers, in particular, not to mention people in other unions who weren’t party to the labor action.
As noted, this is going to be a long, hot summer for those of us stuck flying U.S.-based airlines. The system is undergoing a slow-motion collapse, and nobody who can do anything about it seems to be doing much to deal with it.
In any event, fly Northwest if you have lots of spare time on your hands.
After an overnight flight I’m in Frankfurt’s not-much-fun airport. But here’s high praise for the shower facilities at the Lufthansa Senator lounge in the B-Gates area, which leave me much refreshed for my onward journey.
The showers at United’s Red Carpet lounge in Tokyo are also excellent, come to think of it…
International Herald Tribune: Europe opens the door to in-flight phoning. European regulators have cleared use of mobile phones and BlackBerry devices for passengers while flying, Airbus announced Tuesday. Approval by the European Aviation Safety Agency means that, from September, passengers aboard Airbus aircraft outfitted with the OnAir system will be able to send and receive phone calls, SMS messages and e-mail messages while flying at altitudes above 3,000 meters, or 9,840 feet.
I’m one of the people who finds it incredibly annoying to be in immediate proximity with someone who’s having a loud conversation on his or her mobile phone. Something about this grates at my nerves, and I’m not alone.
A polite caller will cup his hand over his mouth (the Japanese often do this) or turn his head away so that he’s not being bothersome. But too many people just blab away as if they were the only ones on the planet.
I’ve found a solution to this annoyance when it gets bad enough: I make a point of listening, and make it clear to the talker that I’m listening. Once, when a guy at an airline frequent flier club was being especially loud — oblivious to the fact that people were shooting nasty looks in his direction — I escalated my response by pulling out a reporter’s notebook and ostentatiously taking notes. He finally got the point, giving me a dirty look but also removing himself and his conversation to a hallway where he wasn’t bothering anyone else.
Now, I’m not against mobile phones. I rely on mine. But if we’re going to be using them in super-enclosed spaces like airline cabins, we’ll need some updates of basic civility.
It’s always risky to use anecdotes to suggest a trend, but delays due to mechanical failures seem to be happening more often these days. On both legs of a trip to London last week, flights on United were delayed several hours or more because of equipment problems — and in one case the plane we were scheduled to use was exchanged for another one. (On the return, the passenger next to me shrugged and said he’d just switched back to United because of a series of mechanical delays on American Airlines.)
A related story: A few days earlier, a friend on a United flight to Japan said her plane was four hours into the trip when it was diverted to Seattle overnight for repairs.
Now, international flights are usually the most reliable in my experience, because the hassles for passengers and airlines alike multiply when a carrier has one or at most two flights a day to a given destination — and with planes so full these days you might get stuck for several days or, if you’re lucky, in a middle seat in the back of coach on an alternative flight.
Some journalist who covers the airline industry should take a look at the U.S. carriers’ Department of Transportation reports, which give pretty detailed statistics on delays and cancelations. I’m wondering if I was experiencing trend, not just a coincidence.
So, at San Francisco airport, they’re back to doing luggage screening at the gate on some flights, not just at the security maze as you enter the terminal. (It’s not happening on all flights, just some, and I’m unsure of which ones or why.)
This led to some, um, intriguing logic the other day as I was getting on a flight to New York. A security person looked in my smaller carry-on bag (the one where I keep my computer, etc.) and noticed a small bottle — yes, under 3 ounces — of disinfectant gel that I wipe my hands with before meals aboard flights. The gel had been in the plastic bag with other toiletries, and after clearing the initial security line I’d put the toiletries into my larger roller-board carry-on bag while transferring the disinfectant to the small one.
The security person instructed me to put the disinfectant gel back into the clear plastic bag that was in the bigger carry-on. It almost never does any good to argue with people who have no imagination but (at least in their minds) clear instructions, so I did what she asked. Of course, when I got onto the plane, I put the gel back in the smaller carry-on bag.
My tax dollars at work…