Petition to Keep Flights Mobile-Free

by Neil Woodburn on

Like it or not, mobile phones will probably be allowed on airplanes sometime in the near future.

Unless, of course, you do something about it.

And that’s exactly what the editors of the Telegraph travel section have decided to do.

Like myself, they have probably closed their eyes and imagined a plane full of people yapping on their cell phones and cringed in pain at the thought of enduring this as a captive audience.

And so, the editors have launched a petition to Keep Flights Mobile-Free.

The only problem is that the Telegraph is a UK based newspaper and their petition will be aimed at the British government only. But that’s not to say our faithful Gadling readers can spearhead their own drive in their own countries to help the cause.

The word in Britain is that the campaign is gaining steam and already has support from a number of MPs. As you might imagine, this has become a rather passionate debate pitting businessmen and others who want to make the most efficient use of their time against those who want less noise pollution on the plane.

Leave the Cell Phone at Home: How disconnecting on your Vacation is the Right and Healthy Thing to do

by Neil Woodburn on

When I recently traveled to Alaska, I made the mistake of bringing my cell phone with me. And thus, my escape from Los Angeles was routinely interrupted with calls that never let me totally disconnect and fully lose myself in my vacation.

It was the first exotic trip I’ve taken with cell phone in tow, but in the last five years I’ve also failed to sever that connection by visiting Internet bars and checking my email. One trip, in fact, was partially ruined when I found out through email that my company had canceled raises for the year –- not something you want to hear while on an expensive vacation!

Leaving your communication gadgets at home and disconnecting from the stress and worries which led you to vacation in the first place is the theme of a recent article by Susan Brink. Not surprisingly, I found it in the Health section of the LA Times instead of the Travel section.

Brink confirms what I’ve known now for the last five years; staying in constant contact with work and home while at the same time trying to escape from this very thing by going on vacation can undermine the very rest and relaxation which motivated you to go on vacation in the first place. In fact, it might even increase your amount of stress.

Brink sums it up nicely; “a large body of research shows that chronic stress is bad, that multi-tasking on interconnected gizmos can increase stress and that vacations are stress relievers.” She then refers to a study that reveals 39% of people on vacation check their work emails.

If you’re one of these unlucky souls, check out the article and discover the disservice you are doing yourself. If, on the other hand, the thought of being disconnected from work and out of the loop strikes job-security fear in your heart, you just might be screwed either way you slice it.

Emirates Airlines to Allow Cell Phone Talk on Flights

by Adrienne Wilson on

Here is a story that leaves me middle of the road. As much as I enjoy my own cell phone bicker-babble to my home girl Becky about last night’s victory in Taboo over cheese and wine I can honestly say if some stranger on the street were having a similar chat with their loved ones for an extended period of time in my presence I’d probably get a little annoyed. Since cell phones have become an extension of man’s ear time, place, and usage etiquette have been of large discussion.

Starting January 2007 Emirates Airlines will be the first carrier to allow cell phone chatter while 35,000 ft. in flight. Calls made in-flight with Emirates will fall right in line with international roaming rates which vary by mobile carrier. Australian airline, Quantas, hopes to have the technology to allow in-flight cell phone talk by early next year, but it looks like it will be a while before the U.S. follows suit. CNN also notes that 61 percent of business travelers oppose the idea of being able to use their cell phones while flying. I can certainly OVERstand that. As if jetting to and fro for your big corporate American hot-shot boss isn’t enough now they’ll have the opportunity to ring your ears out while coping with turbulence and the nasty recycled air blowing from above your head. If you’re traveling for leisure and wish to have a quick word with your friend of family member about your flight time or groceries to pick up from the store that could be just fine and dandy so long as it doesn’t last the full length of the flight. There isn’t enough cabin space if you ask me, but who am I to make up the rules?

How do you feel about in-flight cell-phone use? Should the U.S. get with it or keep away?

Mobycards

by Erik Olsen on

A rather interesting concept. You can use your mobile phone to take a picture while you’re out on an adventure and then send that photo to Mobycards, who will print it up and send the photo as a postcard to anyone of your choosing. I have to say I think that’s fine, but that it probably is not ready for prime time since most people don’t have phones well enough equipped to take a decent photo. But this is a UK-base company and my guess is since Europe is so much further along on the cell phone front, the quality is probably better.

Cell Phones on Planes: Baaaad!

by Erik Olsen on

It
was just a short time ago that we blogged
about the imminent possibility of using your cell phone while you fly. I was mixed on the idea. On the one hand, if
you’ve got an important call to make: say, you forgot to turn off the oven at home…or maybe you just remembered
that you forgot to hit “send” for that most important business email. Call your assistant and ask her to do
it. But if riding on public transportation with babbling cell phone talkers (you know who you are!) provides any insight
into the matter, well, perhaps cell phones are best left turned off or stored in the overhead bin.

But the
whole issue may be moot. A new study shows that, contrary
to what we’ve read recently, cell phones can cause problems on flights. The study, by CMU’s Department of Engineering
and Public Policy, discovered that cell phone use and other portable electronic devices might actually interfere with
the normal operation of critical airline components more so than previously believed.

If you’re
really interested in the details, you can read the study in the March issue of IEEE Spectrum, a monthly magazine for technology
professionals. In the meantime, let’s keep those cell phones in the upright and locked position…um,
wait…oh, you know what I mean.