The next step in in-flight Wi-Fi — video on demand in the skies

by Scott Carmichael on

When I was at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, I had the chance to sit down with one of the executives from Aircell, the company behind the Gogo Inflight Internet service (amongst other things).

Aircell was not at CES to demonstrate anything new, and they had not rented a booth, but they were still interested in letting Gadling in on a couple of new developments. The developments all revolve around video in the skies. I had already heard that “video would be important” when I visited their headquarters last year, but things are really getting serious now.

Here is what their development means for us travelers:

On board the plane, you’ll be able to open up your laptop, connect to Wi-Fi, and purchase/rent a movie or TV show. I was given a glimpse of the interface, and while I can’t share exactly what it looks like, think Hulu meets iTunes. Exact pricing has not been set just yet.

The assortment will vary from blockbuster movies, to TV shows, along with some oldies. Like many video services, movies are rented for 30 days, and once you press “play”, you have 24 hours to finish watching the show (and yes – you can order the movie on the plane, then watch it at your destination on the ground). The programming will be stored on a server on the plane – and according to Aircell, deployment of their video solution involves little more than some minor modifications to existing equipment.

Of course, since the inflight video market is currently non-existent, rolling out this service will be done slowly – mainly to see how the technology holds up, and to determine how users feel about renting a movie on a plane. Personally, I can see this being a fantastic way to kill some time. With so many airlines simply removing inflight entertainment, you are on your own to stay entertained. It isn’t too hard to gather up some content when on the ground, but if the price is the same, I’d have no problem ordering a movie on a plane. As more computers finally come with batteries that last beyond 2 hours, you’ll no longer have to count on the airline to provide something to watch.

Expect the Gogo inflight video system to appear later this year. The airline and exact date have not yet been announced.

Halle Berry gets police escort at airport security line

by Tom Johansmeyer on

Who knew that Halle Berry was big in Canada? Well, maybe it was her boyfriend, a Canadian model, who was able to inspire the local police to provide special treatment.

At a Montreal airport last week, Berry, her boyfriend (Gabriel Aubry) and their kid were led to the front of the security line … while other passengers were stuck there for more than an hour. Marieve Paradis, a Quebec journalist, saw the cop make way for Berry and her family, and detailed it on her blog Friday.

According to Police Inspector Jimmy Cacchione, the star-struck officer acted alone, and his actions weren’t supported by the department. He won’t be punished, Cacchione said, but the police unit working the airport will be putting tighter rules in place for the future.

[Photo by dan paluska via Flickr]

Prepare for an overnight – Packing tip

by Gadling Staff on

No one wants to sleep in an airport, but it may be unavoidable if your plane is grounded. Pack the following items in your carry-on to improve an emergency overnight airport stay:

  1. a tightly folded fleece blanket and inflatable pillow will provide comfort and warmth;
  2. snacks (granola bars, 100-calorie packs) are essential since some airport restaurants close at night;
  3. prescriptions, as well as some cough drops and aspirin, should be in a carry-on because checked bags may not be accessible;
  4. include a cell phone charger and spare change for pay phones;
  5. bring something to do such as a crossword, laptop or book.

It’s unlikely that you’ll be stranded in an airport overnight, but it’s better to be safe than sorry.

Is the body scanner hysteria getting a little out of hand?

by Grant Martin on

With terrorists now hiding bomb components in all corners of their bodies, we now find ourselves at a difficult impasse between more advanced, 3D scanning and passengers’ privacy. Pit the ACLU and the TSA against one another and one is guaranteed a lifetime of bureaucracy, litigation and name calling, nothing of which puts the traveler’s mind at ease.

Inflaming the situation are the mainstream media, left and right howling that these new generations of scanners can see right through you, with great erotic detail — and maybe even into your soul. And that’s when things start to go haywire. It’s true that there are a few different technologies available for 3D scanning, but will anything really show your buck-naked body to a nefarious TSA worker? Drudge Report and bild.de seem to suggest so, showing an attractive woman in full 3D detail on both of their sites.

Further complicating the matter is the buzz on the internet purporting that the negative of the exact same image reveals the person unclothed. The image above on the right was taken from Drudge this morning, while that below is the negative image as processed by Photoshop.

But is the above image real collected data? Not one other picture on the web from an x-ray or microwave scanner yields the same result, and most of them are so muddled and blurry (as a 3D microwave/x-ray scan should be) that it’s impossible to pick out fine details. Gadling’s friend and Photoshop expert proffered this alternative mechanism, suggesting the image is fake:

The girl was backlit, then they take the color out and blur the edges, and then invert the color. Either her top is skintight, or she wasn’t wearing clothes at all, and those were added in a separate layer.

Whether or not the image is manufactured or not, this whole concept of 3D scanning just needs to be accepted. More and more airports are installing the devices, which means at some point in your travel career, some sad TSA worker is probably going to see what’s going on under your sweater. Better start toning up with your Shake Weight now.

Are airport x-ray machines bad for your health?

by Annie Scott on

We all know from wearing those iron aprons at the dentist that x-rays are not good for you. Radiation is dangerous, and radiation poisoning can lead to very serious health problems and even death.

Radiation poisoning usually occurs when someone is exposed to a heavy amount of radiation for a short period of time, but in rarer cases, long term exposure to small doses can also be damaging. So, should frequent fliers be worried? What about pilots and cabin crew?

Millimeter-wave imaging-technology units, which are currently operating in 19 airports, don’t produce the kind of radiation we get from x-rays, but backscatter units like this do. Following the terrorism attempt on Christmas, the US has just ordered 150 backscatter screening systems (like the above).

Is it dangerous? Probably not. Rodale reports: “According to TSA, the amount of radiation you’re exposed to during a two-second millimeter-wave scan exposes you to radio-wave radiation that is 10,000 times less powerful than radiation levels that pulse from a cellphone.” They also note that the National Council on Radiation Protection and Measurement “found that a traveler subjected to at least 2,500 backscatter scans per year would barely reach the Negligible Individual Dose.”

Wait. Barely? That’s not really what we wanted to hear, but 2,500 would come to seven scans per day, every day. At that point, you’re not a traveler, you just have a weird hobby.

The concern that no one can shake (besides that of privacy) is that of machine stability and maintenance. Backscatter scanners do have the capability of doing harm; they just won’t if they’re functioning properly. Rodale adds, “If you feel uncomfortable going through advanced-imaging airport body-scan machines, know that you do have the right to an alternative search, although it may be in the form of a more invasive pat-down-type search by a security worker.”

For more information on radiation poisoning and radiation sickness, visit MayoClinic.com.

[via Rodale]