American Airlines says customers will be able to test in-flight Internet access on two flights beginning Wednesday, with broader service expected to begin in the following couple of weeks.
Facing record high fuel prices, airlines are looking at entertainment and information services as ways to make a few more bucks per passenger.
American plans to charge $9.95 to $12.95 for Internet service, depending on flight length.
The test with technology partner Aircell LLC will begin on one flight from New York's Kennedy Airport to Los Angeles and one return flight, said Doug Backelin, American's manager of in-flight technology. The test service will be free, he said.
The airline would not say on which flights it would conduct the test.
American is among several companies preparing to offer in-air Internet service.
Aircell is also working with Virgin America, and JetBlue Airways Corp. started testing free e-mail, instant-messaging and some Amazon.com services aboard one of its planes in December.
The airline will begin charging for Internet service soon on its Boeing 767-200 jets that fly from New York to Los Angeles, San Francisco and Miami.
Passengers will be able to use e-mail and instant messaging and to download video and connect to secure networks on notebook computers or other wireless devices such as smart phones through three wireless access points on the plane, said Dave Bijur, an Aircell executive.
Bijur said Aircell's networks can handle a planeload of Web surfers.
Besides the paid service, passengers will be able to connect free to American's Web site, Frommer's travel guides and limited news headlines, Backelin said.
American won't filter any Internet content. Backelin said attempts to block pornography, for instance, could disrupt legitimate Web sites.
"We already have policies and procedures to deal with inappropriate material that people bring on board, including magazines and DVDs," he said, adding it will be up to flight attendants to enforce online protocol.
========================
http://edition.cnn.com/2008/TECH/biztech/06/25/airborneinternet.ap/index.html
Sunday, June 29, 2008
Thursday, June 26, 2008
I hope I hide into deep mountains with these games and playing them for a month without any hindrance hahaha. But pls remember, you must plan to go 'real' vacation to avoid your wives' scolding as they will not be satisfied with 'virtual' vacation. Whichever you choose, don't forget your wives' assistances during the semester at any rate. :)
See Hawaii
Some 1000 miles of Hawaiian roads await you in Test Drive Unlimited. The game makers went to a whole lot of trouble to capture the vibe of everything from Waikiki to the North Shore. True story: One rainy day I turned on the game and drove my Maserati to a secluded spot by a beach. I just sat there and read a book as I heard the waves roll in and the occasional car speed by. Want to go on a trip with some friends? Buy a couple extra copies and meet up online. Best part is that this game is about a year old, so you can find it pretty cheap online. Test Drive Unlimited (PC, PS3, Xbox 360). Travel Costs (besides hardware / home theater): About $20
Go South of the Border
South America is beautiful this time of year, so get down to some exotic locales. Over 250,000 lush acres are simulated in this huge, open environment. When you aren't shooting down drug dealers, you have a lot of ways to get around and see the sights: paragliding, sky diving, jetskiing and base-jumping to name a few. How much will this spicy getaway run you? Not a whole lot. Like Test Drive Unlimited, the Just Cause game is a little older, so a quick online search should find a copy for cheap.Just Cause (PC, PS2, Xbox 360). Travel Costs (besides hardware / home theater): About $15
New Yawk, New Yawk
Ah, "The City." Day or night, there is always someplace to go and something to do. Walking through the park during the day and hitting clubs at night is the least of your choices. Play darts in a dingy club. Shoot pool, go bowling, do some shopping in midtown--what, you thought Grand Theft Auto IV was just about sex, drugs, and carjacking? GTA's Liberty City is a dark reflection of New York, and the attention to detail is just scary. I can insert a disc and drive to the corner in "Manhattan" where my apartment should exist. Grand Theft Auto IV (PS3, Xbox 360). Travel Costs (besides hardware / home theater): $60
European Tour
As much as I want to cruise the Italian countryside or blast past traffic on the autobahn, it just ain't happening this summer. At least not in "meatspace." PS3 owners can not only get a taste of foreign lands, but a sampling of what Gran Turismo 5 will be like when it drives to stores in 2009 with Gran Turismo 5: Prologue. Of the six race tracks in the game, a couple camp you in beautifully recreated city streets. While beautiful and a blast to drive, this is a pricey teaser for the final game. Is it worth the trip? Well, considering the exchange rate, it's a whole lot cheaper.Gran Turismo 5: Prologue (PS3). Travel Costs (besides hardware / home theater): $40
Game Breaker
But the most important thing to do, finally, is to take a vacation from playing games as well as from work this summer. Forget Azeroth for five minutes. Ditch downtown demon-busting-land one afternoon. Slather on some SPF 800 and discover your neighborhood. You know, that place you blast past on the way to work. Enjoy life and spend some quality time living it. I will...eventually.
The Great Indoors
Staycation (stay-kay-shun, noun). "A vacation that is spent at one's home enjoying all that home and one's home environs have to offer." --Urban Dictionary
That's the nice way of saying you're stuck--no Tahiti trip this year. Yep, even a check of my favorite deal-scouring travel site, TravelZoo, resulted in few viable destination deals. Hell, I'd be lucky to afford a road trip to Carhenge (apparently, ancient Nebraskan druids stacked up classic American cars to commune with nature). Don't worry, you still have ways to see the world without leaving your living room.
For example, try taking a peek at the strangest sights in Google Earth or get a beachside view of Oahu via Webcams (see bottom of page at this link for different camera locations).
Then, of course, there are video games--and I'm not talking about traipsing through Second Life on some cornball tour of digital never-neverland. I want to try and simulate the real deal--without dropping a fortune.
First stop, the airport. Well, Microsoft Flight Simulator, at least. Don't forget to take off your shoes and have any bags searched before sitting down at the computer. The game lets you control the whole flight in real time. Going cross-country in-game can take the same number of hours it would in real life. Hit autopilot and read a book. Maybe catch a movie. But where should I "fly?"
Staycation (stay-kay-shun, noun). "A vacation that is spent at one's home enjoying all that home and one's home environs have to offer." --Urban Dictionary
That's the nice way of saying you're stuck--no Tahiti trip this year. Yep, even a check of my favorite deal-scouring travel site, TravelZoo, resulted in few viable destination deals. Hell, I'd be lucky to afford a road trip to Carhenge (apparently, ancient Nebraskan druids stacked up classic American cars to commune with nature). Don't worry, you still have ways to see the world without leaving your living room.
For example, try taking a peek at the strangest sights in Google Earth or get a beachside view of Oahu via Webcams (see bottom of page at this link for different camera locations).
Then, of course, there are video games--and I'm not talking about traipsing through Second Life on some cornball tour of digital never-neverland. I want to try and simulate the real deal--without dropping a fortune.
First stop, the airport. Well, Microsoft Flight Simulator, at least. Don't forget to take off your shoes and have any bags searched before sitting down at the computer. The game lets you control the whole flight in real time. Going cross-country in-game can take the same number of hours it would in real life. Hit autopilot and read a book. Maybe catch a movie. But where should I "fly?"
See Hawaii
Some 1000 miles of Hawaiian roads await you in Test Drive Unlimited. The game makers went to a whole lot of trouble to capture the vibe of everything from Waikiki to the North Shore. True story: One rainy day I turned on the game and drove my Maserati to a secluded spot by a beach. I just sat there and read a book as I heard the waves roll in and the occasional car speed by. Want to go on a trip with some friends? Buy a couple extra copies and meet up online. Best part is that this game is about a year old, so you can find it pretty cheap online. Test Drive Unlimited (PC, PS3, Xbox 360). Travel Costs (besides hardware / home theater): About $20 Go South of the Border
South America is beautiful this time of year, so get down to some exotic locales. Over 250,000 lush acres are simulated in this huge, open environment. When you aren't shooting down drug dealers, you have a lot of ways to get around and see the sights: paragliding, sky diving, jetskiing and base-jumping to name a few. How much will this spicy getaway run you? Not a whole lot. Like Test Drive Unlimited, the Just Cause game is a little older, so a quick online search should find a copy for cheap.Just Cause (PC, PS2, Xbox 360). Travel Costs (besides hardware / home theater): About $15
New Yawk, New Yawk
Ah, "The City." Day or night, there is always someplace to go and something to do. Walking through the park during the day and hitting clubs at night is the least of your choices. Play darts in a dingy club. Shoot pool, go bowling, do some shopping in midtown--what, you thought Grand Theft Auto IV was just about sex, drugs, and carjacking? GTA's Liberty City is a dark reflection of New York, and the attention to detail is just scary. I can insert a disc and drive to the corner in "Manhattan" where my apartment should exist. Grand Theft Auto IV (PS3, Xbox 360). Travel Costs (besides hardware / home theater): $60
European Tour
As much as I want to cruise the Italian countryside or blast past traffic on the autobahn, it just ain't happening this summer. At least not in "meatspace." PS3 owners can not only get a taste of foreign lands, but a sampling of what Gran Turismo 5 will be like when it drives to stores in 2009 with Gran Turismo 5: Prologue. Of the six race tracks in the game, a couple camp you in beautifully recreated city streets. While beautiful and a blast to drive, this is a pricey teaser for the final game. Is it worth the trip? Well, considering the exchange rate, it's a whole lot cheaper.Gran Turismo 5: Prologue (PS3). Travel Costs (besides hardware / home theater): $40
Game Breaker
But the most important thing to do, finally, is to take a vacation from playing games as well as from work this summer. Forget Azeroth for five minutes. Ditch downtown demon-busting-land one afternoon. Slather on some SPF 800 and discover your neighborhood. You know, that place you blast past on the way to work. Enjoy life and spend some quality time living it. I will...eventually.
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
Greenpeace says e-waste from US stopped in Hong Kong
http://www.itworld.com/green-it/53125/greenpeace-says-e-waste-us-stopped-hong-kong
Environmental group Greenpeace said it identified three containers of electronic waste as they were about to be unloaded in Hong Kong Port over the weekend.
The group said the three containers were on the "Yang Ming Success" that had sailed to Hong Kong from the U.S. port of Oakland and were destined for the Sanshui district in neighboring Guangdong province. That meant the shipment was illegal under Chinese law, Greenpeace said.
In a video distributed by the group to news organizations, Greenpeace supporters that had boarded the ship can be seen unfurling a banner along the side of containers that read in English and Chinese, "Toxic waste not welcomed here."
In response Hong Kong's Environmental Protection Department has ordered the containers be held on the pier until the owner opens them for inspection, said Lo Sze Ping, a campaign director for Greenpeace. The Hong Kong authorities could not be immediately reached for comment.
Greenpeace said that Hong Kong is a major transit point for electronic waste because of several loopholes in the territory's environmental protection regulations. Among them, importers can easily claim the waste is for recycling or reuse to escape the controls, the group said. It also charged the Environmental Protection Department, which issues the import and export permits, with concentrating on waste like old batteries and paying little attention to printed-circuit boards.
The issue of e-waste is one that the Amsterdam-based group is fighting. Between 20 million and 50 million tons of electronic waste is produced each year but 75 percent of it disappears. That's a problem for the environment because if it is not properly disposed, the toxins found inside, including lead, beryllium, PVC, phthalates and brominated fire retardants can poison the environment and damage human health.
Of particular concern in the region is the Chinese city of Guiyu, which is also in Guangdong province. The city is one of the biggest electronic waste recycling centers on earth but the informal industry is centered around primitive, small-scale factories where products are dismantled by hand. The work is often done with little regard for health of the workers or the environment.
Environmental group Greenpeace said it identified three containers of electronic waste as they were about to be unloaded in Hong Kong Port over the weekend.
The group said the three containers were on the "Yang Ming Success" that had sailed to Hong Kong from the U.S. port of Oakland and were destined for the Sanshui district in neighboring Guangdong province. That meant the shipment was illegal under Chinese law, Greenpeace said.
In a video distributed by the group to news organizations, Greenpeace supporters that had boarded the ship can be seen unfurling a banner along the side of containers that read in English and Chinese, "Toxic waste not welcomed here."
In response Hong Kong's Environmental Protection Department has ordered the containers be held on the pier until the owner opens them for inspection, said Lo Sze Ping, a campaign director for Greenpeace. The Hong Kong authorities could not be immediately reached for comment.
Greenpeace said that Hong Kong is a major transit point for electronic waste because of several loopholes in the territory's environmental protection regulations. Among them, importers can easily claim the waste is for recycling or reuse to escape the controls, the group said. It also charged the Environmental Protection Department, which issues the import and export permits, with concentrating on waste like old batteries and paying little attention to printed-circuit boards.
The issue of e-waste is one that the Amsterdam-based group is fighting. Between 20 million and 50 million tons of electronic waste is produced each year but 75 percent of it disappears. That's a problem for the environment because if it is not properly disposed, the toxins found inside, including lead, beryllium, PVC, phthalates and brominated fire retardants can poison the environment and damage human health.
Of particular concern in the region is the Chinese city of Guiyu, which is also in Guangdong province. The city is one of the biggest electronic waste recycling centers on earth but the informal industry is centered around primitive, small-scale factories where products are dismantled by hand. The work is often done with little regard for health of the workers or the environment.
Dell adds storage, disaster management services to portfolio
http://www.itworld.com/news/53307/dell-adds-storage-disaster-management-services-portfolio
Dell on Wednesday announced it was adding customizable storage and disaster management services to build out its services portfolio, which it began revamping last year.
The services, which include disaster recovery and data backup services, will offer tools and consulting for customers to meet exploding data storage requirements across multiple networking and hardware environments, the company said.
Dell has done occasional storage and disaster recovery consulting, but this is the first time these services are being pulled together as an offering to customers worldwide, said Paul Kaeley, global practice leader at Dell.
Two levels of disaster recovery will be offered to customers. The first level, for mid-size consumers, will protect data around key applications and provide tools to restore IT operations in case of a disaster. A higher service level targeted at larger customers will include the design and implementation of IT disaster recovery plans through tools and aligning more people to ensure the plan is effectively implemented.
Dell is also offering managed backup services with reporting and monitoring services to stabilize data backup. If a backup system goes astray, Dell is offering a managed backup through remote management. The services will span all storage offerings, including EMC storage resold by Dell.
The tiered storage service will categorize high and low-priority data to different storage levels to help a company cut costs.
The price and size of the services will be proportional to the size and complexity of the environment, Kaeley said.
Part of Dell's effort to "simplify IT," the service upgrades reflect Dell's push to reduce IT maintenance costs via customized hardware, software and services. Dell has acquired companies like MessageOne and Everdream to boost its remote management portfolio.
Dell has also been under increased pressure to improve its service offerings in the wake of Hewlett-Packard's acquisition of services company Electronic Data Systems in May. Analysts have said that EDS gives HP a leg up over Dell in the global services market.
Through its services, Dell does not want to send consultants to sit on a client's site for months only to create a 600-page report, Kaeley said. Dell intends to customize services and solve problems quickly through speedy data collection and reporting, Kaeley said.
The days of services and support being a simple break-fix maintenance are over; as computing systems get sophisticated, the need for remote diagnostic check and triage has increased. Dell has been at the forefront of the effort through its acquisitions and increase service focus, with companies like HP and IBM headed in that direction, said Ron Silliman, principal analyst at Gartner.
The new services may not affect Dell's relationship with channel partners that want to have Dell's brand name attached to product delivery. However, some partners may feel ambivalent as Dell's sudden jump into the space could undercut their support business, Silliman said.
Dell is tying up with companies like GlassHouse Technologies to provide the new services to customers.
"Dell is somewhat like Wal-Mart -- its the best thing and the worst thing -- you get a whole volume of business, but Dell expects a whole level of performance and more cost control."
Dell on Wednesday announced it was adding customizable storage and disaster management services to build out its services portfolio, which it began revamping last year.
The services, which include disaster recovery and data backup services, will offer tools and consulting for customers to meet exploding data storage requirements across multiple networking and hardware environments, the company said.
Dell has done occasional storage and disaster recovery consulting, but this is the first time these services are being pulled together as an offering to customers worldwide, said Paul Kaeley, global practice leader at Dell.
Two levels of disaster recovery will be offered to customers. The first level, for mid-size consumers, will protect data around key applications and provide tools to restore IT operations in case of a disaster. A higher service level targeted at larger customers will include the design and implementation of IT disaster recovery plans through tools and aligning more people to ensure the plan is effectively implemented.
Dell is also offering managed backup services with reporting and monitoring services to stabilize data backup. If a backup system goes astray, Dell is offering a managed backup through remote management. The services will span all storage offerings, including EMC storage resold by Dell.
The tiered storage service will categorize high and low-priority data to different storage levels to help a company cut costs.
The price and size of the services will be proportional to the size and complexity of the environment, Kaeley said.
Part of Dell's effort to "simplify IT," the service upgrades reflect Dell's push to reduce IT maintenance costs via customized hardware, software and services. Dell has acquired companies like MessageOne and Everdream to boost its remote management portfolio.
Dell has also been under increased pressure to improve its service offerings in the wake of Hewlett-Packard's acquisition of services company Electronic Data Systems in May. Analysts have said that EDS gives HP a leg up over Dell in the global services market.
Through its services, Dell does not want to send consultants to sit on a client's site for months only to create a 600-page report, Kaeley said. Dell intends to customize services and solve problems quickly through speedy data collection and reporting, Kaeley said.
The days of services and support being a simple break-fix maintenance are over; as computing systems get sophisticated, the need for remote diagnostic check and triage has increased. Dell has been at the forefront of the effort through its acquisitions and increase service focus, with companies like HP and IBM headed in that direction, said Ron Silliman, principal analyst at Gartner.
The new services may not affect Dell's relationship with channel partners that want to have Dell's brand name attached to product delivery. However, some partners may feel ambivalent as Dell's sudden jump into the space could undercut their support business, Silliman said.
Dell is tying up with companies like GlassHouse Technologies to provide the new services to customers.
"Dell is somewhat like Wal-Mart -- its the best thing and the worst thing -- you get a whole volume of business, but Dell expects a whole level of performance and more cost control."
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Virgin Mobile USA to buy SK Telecom's U.S. unit
Virgin Mobile USA is set to acquire a U.S. mobile arm of South Korea's SK Telecom Co as both sides agreed to combine their struggling businesses, the Financial Times reported on Wednesday.
A deal was agreed in principle and an announcement could be made as early as this week, a person with knowledge of the matter was quoted as saying. SK Telecom declined to comment.
SK Telecom, South Korea's top mobile operator, said in May it was in preliminary talks with Virgin Mobile about strategic opportunities for its Helio U.S. arm.
====================================
http://uk.reuters.com/article/rbssTechMediaTelecomNews/idUKSEO21478820080625?pageNumber=1&virtualBrandChannel=0
A deal was agreed in principle and an announcement could be made as early as this week, a person with knowledge of the matter was quoted as saying. SK Telecom declined to comment.
SK Telecom, South Korea's top mobile operator, said in May it was in preliminary talks with Virgin Mobile about strategic opportunities for its Helio U.S. arm.
====================================
http://uk.reuters.com/article/rbssTechMediaTelecomNews/idUKSEO21478820080625?pageNumber=1&virtualBrandChannel=0
NYSE sells real-time data to Google & CNBC
The New York Stock Exchange on Tuesday launched a new service that provides real-time stock price data to media companies and Web sites.
The NYSE, a unit of NYSE Euronext Inc., said Internet portal Google Inc. and cable television network CNBC are the service's first customers. The Securities and Exchange Commission last week approved NYSE Realtime Stock Prices for a four-month pilot period.
Both Google and CNBC, a unit of General Electric Co., will provide fresh stock quotes to their audiences free of charge. Previously, stock prices provided on their Web sites were on a 15-minute delay.
Earlier this month, rival Nasdaq OMX Group Inc. signed a deal to provide its market data to Google, CNBC, The Wall Street Journal Digital Network and financial data provider Xignite.
In May, Yahoo Inc. began offering real-time quotes on its financial site for NYSE- and Nasdaq-listed companies. Yahoo receives quotes from BATS Trading Inc., not from an exchange operator.
=========================
http://www.cnbc.com/id/25352473/for/cnbc
The NYSE, a unit of NYSE Euronext Inc., said Internet portal Google Inc. and cable television network CNBC are the service's first customers. The Securities and Exchange Commission last week approved NYSE Realtime Stock Prices for a four-month pilot period.
Both Google and CNBC, a unit of General Electric Co., will provide fresh stock quotes to their audiences free of charge. Previously, stock prices provided on their Web sites were on a 15-minute delay.
Earlier this month, rival Nasdaq OMX Group Inc. signed a deal to provide its market data to Google, CNBC, The Wall Street Journal Digital Network and financial data provider Xignite.
In May, Yahoo Inc. began offering real-time quotes on its financial site for NYSE- and Nasdaq-listed companies. Yahoo receives quotes from BATS Trading Inc., not from an exchange operator.
=========================
http://www.cnbc.com/id/25352473/for/cnbc
Monday, June 23, 2008
Facebook heads MySpace in unique visitors
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/302914bc-40a7-11dd-bd48-0000779fd2ac.html
By Kevin Allison in San Francisco
Published: June 22 2008 23:32 Last updated: June 22 2008 23:32
This article tells that for the first time Facebook lead Myspace in terms of unique visitors. People have claimed that it made $150m in sales last year. That figure is expected to grow to $300m-$350m this year as it attempts to broaden its revenue stream. I could know that Facebook's revenue are mostly from online advertizing which is proper for targeted online ad of group of users. They entered into new business by making partnership with cable broadcasting such as comcast.
By Kevin Allison in San Francisco
Published: June 22 2008 23:32 Last updated: June 22 2008 23:32
This article tells that for the first time Facebook lead Myspace in terms of unique visitors. People have claimed that it made $150m in sales last year. That figure is expected to grow to $300m-$350m this year as it attempts to broaden its revenue stream. I could know that Facebook's revenue are mostly from online advertizing which is proper for targeted online ad of group of users. They entered into new business by making partnership with cable broadcasting such as comcast.
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