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iPhone Rules The Skies

baryon said:
How the hell would they allow you to use a phone on a plane? With WiFi enabled?
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Check your iPhone. When you turn on "Flight Mode", Wi-Fi switches off but can be switched back on without exiting Flight Mode. Your phone is supposed to be completely off during take-off and landing, but once in the air, you can turn it back on and use Wi-Fi, as long as you had put it into Flight Mode before you turned it off (the cell functions have to remain off at all times).

They wouldn't offer in-flight Wi-Fi if it was a problem. One assumes they know what they're doing.

The different pricing seems like a scam though. Charging more for the same service because your screen is bigger. Larger devices are generally able to consume data quicker, but unless the service is some form of "unlimited data", this sounds like a rort.
 
From a frequent flier

I fly 2-3 times a week (work as a consultant) with my iPhone, iPad, and MacBook Air. Because of where I live, I almost always fly on Alaska or Delta - both of which are 100% wifi equipped now by the same company (Gogo). They have an unlimited $39.95/ month plan for people like me and it is good on any device big or small (one at a time). It averages to a very low cost if you fly a lot. I get a ton of work done now on longer flights - bad thing is I never get to watch a movie or TV show on my iPad like I used to. Yesterday I flew Miami to Seattle and the flight attendant announced that over half of the people on board were using the wi-fi. I see lots of computers and iPads (no other tablets ever) in use on the plane, way more than smartphones. The planes are starting to look like an internet cafe. I'm a people watcher and enjoy checking out other folks' gear. Yesterday the couple across the aisle from me had matching MacBook Pros connected with an Ethernet cable. I inquired and they said they were sharing one wifi internet connection on the two computers via the cable. Will try that next time I fly with my hubby.
 
Not So Lucky

Here in the UK, only a handful of airlines will allow the use of wifi in flight. I'm not sure if this is security paranoia or simply fears about the aircrafts systems.

Virgin Atlantic will, last I heard BA won't, it's hit and miss really. I don't fly any longer due to a severe DVT suffered a couplenof years back, but am always the one booking flights for family etc.

I guess you can live without it for the duration of the flight......I would just play the odd game or watch a film on my iPad anyway.
 
MacRumors said:
gogo.jpg


BlackBerries account for 6 percent while Windows Mobile and other mobiles aren't used enough to count.

Article Link: iPhone Rules The Skies
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ROFL!!!

jeman said:
Roger that.
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Gimme a Vector, Victor!
 
batchtaster said:
They wouldn't offer in-flight Wi-Fi if it was a problem. One assumes they know what they're doing.
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The reason why in-flight WiFi (and cell) service can be allowed, is because it's set to super low power (there's no need to transmit very far).

Hopefully, most user devices work well and also transmit back at lower power.

Each type of airplane setup still must be tested for interference. For example:

Just a few months ago, Boeing engineers discovered that strong WiFi signals on 737NGs equipped with a certain Honeywell cockpit display module, could cause the pilot displays to go blank. Ouch! So they're having Honeywell redo the display shielding before allowing in-flight WiFi service to be added to those planes.
 
baryon said:
How the hell would they allow you to use a phone on a plane? With WiFi enabled?
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Correct, with WiFi.

The GoGo service does not provide a cellular signal and the airlines all prohibit cellular use during flight.

Keep the cellular radios off, then turn on WiFi. Fire up a browser then register for the service (you typically have to pay with a credit card; maybe they pass out vouchers in first class).

I find the service rather pricey although there's usually a lower price tier for handheld devices. For me, the price might be acceptable for a transcontinental flight with my iPad. Not worth it for something like SFO-LAX.
 
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I was on a Southwest flight last week, and they were offering $5 for the entire flight of Wifi. If my flight were longer than an hour, I definitely would have done it.
 
How expensive is it? Is it flat rate? I've never seen wifi aboard airplanes in Europe or Asia why are we so far behind when it comes to this...

Also "If plane tickets were free you'd see Android ruling the skies." made my day
 
Meanie said:
How expensive is it? Is it flat rate?
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Here are the rates for the company that provides WiFi for Delta and Alaska Airlines. By "flat rate" if you mean you don't pay by the minute or by the megabyte, yes - it is a flat rate per flight or an unlimited monthly pass, no download limits. I flew one leg on American last week (DEN-->MIA) and they had no WiFi. Apparently they only have it on some of their fleet thus far. Also American Airlines seems to use a different company for their wifi so that a Gogo unlimited pass (Delta and Alaska) would not work on American. One more note, for technical reasons it only works over land, so you can forget about surfing the web during that 6-hour flight from LA to Hawaii. Also an occasional gap when flying over the Rockies. I guess they use land-based relay stations rather than satellite.
 
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Tommy Wasabi said:
So it isn't that iPhone usage is higher than Android - it's just that people that buy wifi on flights - tend to be iPhone users.
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Kudos for repeating the "Apple is favored by dim-witted hipsters" myth.

But how does this square with the "Android is preferred by power-users whose 24/7 connectivity is vital to our continued survival" story?

Maybe all those busy Android passengers are being productive by poking through their file systems and rearranging the widgets and wallpapers on their phones.
 
Most travelers use iPhones, because they can be used as world phones. Most androids are on Sprint and Verizon, which means they arent usually world phones. only CDMA, so they'd have to rent a phone when they leave the country.
 
itsalexaye said:
Most travelers use iPhones, because they can be used as world phones. Most androids are on Sprint and Verizon, which means they arent usually world phones. only CDMA, so they'd have to rent a phone when they leave the country.
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Besides the simple fact that a person doesn't have to leave their country to travel, and that you seem to be ignoring the Android users outside the USA since you only talked about Sprint and Verizon....

Unfortunately, ATT does not unlock locked iPhones, and therefore they're not the best choice for Americans traveling overseas. In fact, many ATT iPhone users also buy cheap GSM phones to use when traveling for long periods.

USA travelers are ironically better off with a so-called World Phone from Verizon (I have one, the Incredible 2) because Verizon will give you the unlock code so you can use local SIMs if you wish while traveling outside the country in GSM-only areas.
 
I used this service when I flew from Anchorage to Memphis about a month ago. It works pretty well, the only problem I had was using it in coach with my 15" MBP. If the person in front of you reclines, you're pretty much stuck with using the computer up against your chest.

Maybe I should use a Macbook Air... in the air!
 
itsalexaye said:
Most travelers use iPhones, because they can be used as world phones. Most androids are on Sprint and Verizon, which means they arent usually world phones. only CDMA, so they'd have to rent a phone when they leave the country.
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What? How about checking out AT&T and T-Mobile's web sites and see how many Android phones they offer? And stop smoking whatever you're smoking!

BTW, I've spent four weeks so far this year in Europe and Asia and the only mobile phone I had with me was an Android phone from T-Mobile, which I used extensively to call, text, and go online. So all you Apple fanboys can put to rest the notion that Android phone users don't travel much (overseas) and don't go online with their phones.
 
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*LTD* said:
If plane tickets were free you'd see Android ruling the skies.
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I had to pay $200 and sign a 2 year contract for my Android phone. Don't assume every Android phone is cheapskate and comes free of charge.
 
NebulaClash said:
Oh no you didn't! :)

Heh, it's so funny how we get story after story about Android's dominance when it comes to activation or total sales or sheer number of devices. But when it comes to usage, it's iOS that rules the world. What is it with these millions of Android users who don't use their devices to go online? Are they just asking for a "smart" phone, handed an Android, and thereafter only use the phone function with, maybe, the address book app?
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Maybe Android phone owners actually have a life, and they like interacting with people sitting next to them on an airplane?

And this is just talking about usage mid-flight. Why are you implying that Android users don't use their phones to get online everywhere else?

Before you start calling me an Apple-hater, you should know that I own a MacBook Pro, Mac Mini, and an iPad. I am just smart enough to pick and choose different brands based on my needs instead of blindly going all-Apple, all-Google, or all-Microsoft for all my gadgets like some people. Not saying that you're like that, but we know there are people like that out there.
 
ratzzo said:
Would be nice if you also included prices as I wasn't aware they actually offered WiFi and suspect their prices are out of this world. I went on a cruise some time ago, and they charged 13 eur the hour for satellite wifi (30kb/s and huge latency).

I wish more flight companies offered this service though, after a quick look with Google it turns out only a selected handful do. And nearly none in the southwestern Europe region outside business/first class.
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Cruise lines charge you so much because it's a huge cash cow for them, and they can get away with it because you're a captive audience for a longer period of time.
 
neech7 said:
Maybe Android phone owners actually have a life, and they like interacting with people sitting next to them on an airplane?

And this is just talking about usage mid-flight. Why are you implying that Android users don't use their phones to get online everywhere else?
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Heh, yeah, that's the usual line used when stats go against a group: hey, at least we have a life! :)

I get this sense from studies of online usage. iOS dominates. So while there are tons of stories about how Android sales are blowing iPhone sales away, I'm not seeing a similar pattern of usage when you can actually measure it.
 
Hey, I'm finally seeing television ads for the Galaxy Tab, and predictably it's on sports programming. I say predictably because it seems at least in America the advertising for Android devices has been heavily skewed toward young men. Classic mistake and old-century thinking. These tech companies are used to young men being the early buyers of tech toys, and they certainly are that.

But what Apple is doing is showing that the Post-PC era is about expanding the market to everyone, even people who used to be intimidated by technology. Samsung will eventually figure this out, but for now we get 20th-century thinking from their ads while Apple is using 21st-century thinking. The market is responding appropriately.
 
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