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Tags: Frivolous Lawsuits / Southwest / Lawsuits / Cell Phones / → All Tags

Text-Crazy Woman Files Suit Against Southwest

We’ve all been there. The flight attendant kindly asks everyone to turn off their electronic devices, but one person is just to cool for school and continues to text and tweet away. One woman did exactly this, but she obviously took it a little too far and wound up going to the big house for a couple hours.

It all started on a Southwest Airlines flight in Nashville last summer. The passenger was returning from Florida and wanted to let her kids know that she was safe and on her way home. Apparently a flight attendant asked her to turn off the phone, but then returned several times to reinforce his message, including two visits as the plane headed toward the runway. Maybe if it was the rapping flight attendant, she would have paid attention.

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Tags: In-Flight Cell Phones / Cell Phones / WiFi / In-Flight WiFi / → All Tags

What Would You Do To Check Voicemail In-Flight?

We try our very best to let you know how you’ll be able to access the web on your next flight, but we haven’t stumbled across a solution for your pesky cell phone—until now.

SpinVox has that solution somewhat figured out. The company has developed some fancy software to get your voicemail messages delivered right to your inbox. They take that extended two-minute message from your grandma boss, convert it to text, and shoot it right to your email.

Sounds pretty slick, right? Well, we’re thinking that it’s not the must-have application of the year. Not only will you have to download the program and pony up a usage fee, but currently it’s only available to users of Alltel, Bell, and Vonage--so your iPhone ain’t going to cut it. Additionally, if you’re traveling about and need to get in touch with people, won’t they just email you directly anyway?

Regardless, we’re happy to hear about anything that can harness the mighty power of in-flight WiFi. If you were able to score a long-haul flight with WiFi, this service could definitely come in handy. So what do you think? Is this worth it, do you really need to check your voicemail in flight? Let us know in the comments.

Related Stories:
·SpinVox [Official Site]
·Alaska Air Starts WiFi Trials, Gives It Away For Free [Jaunted]
·WiFi coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: nechbi]

Tags: Travel Gear / Travel Tech / Cell Phones / → All Tags

Cell Phones To Get Universal Chargers, Travel To Become Moderately Less Annoying

We aren't sure where exactly "managing multiple bulky chargers" goes on the Things That Make Vacations Suck list. But it has be fairly high, right? That goes double and triple if you're traveling with a partner or a family, where every person needs to carry and plug in a different phone charger.

Eventually there will be ubiquitous wireless charging mats in every hotel room, and the world will be at peace. In the meantime this should make things a little easier:

With every new mobile phone purchased, another old, incompatible phone charger gets tossed out. On Tuesday, the GSM Association, which represents the mobile communications industry, promised to make that wasteful practice a thing of the past. The group said 17 mobile phone operators and device makers had agreed to standardize chargers by 2012 for most mobile phones. That means no matter what brand of phone you buy, the chargers should be interchangeable, making it possible to charge a phone from any available charger even if you leave yours at home. And you could use the same charger even when you get a new phone.

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Tags: Cell Phones / Airport News / Travel News / Continental / Delta / American Airlines / Travel Tech / → All Tags

Checking In With QR Codes Puts the 'Tech' in 'Texas'

We never thought we'd see the day when all you physically needed to board a flight is your ID and your cell phone, especially since making calls on flights is still very much a no-no. But according to the Austin American-Statesman, US airlines like Delta, Continental and American are experimenting with checking in passengers via QR code, or those curious black-and-white nouveau barcodes.

Popular overseas but lagging in the States, the QR, or "Quick Reponse" code, is a digital mark which, once captured by a cell phone's camera, will redirect to a specific website. Reinterpreted for airline check-in, passengers will display the QR code on their cell phones, which will be scanned at security. No more paper, hallelujah!

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Tags: Inauguration Travel / Cell Phones / Barack Obama / Twitter / → All Tags

Cell Phone Reception On the Fritz in DC; Twitter Updates in Danger

The only thing more frustrating than trying to meet up with friends in a sea of a half-million people is trying to meet up with friends in a sea of a half-million people...without cell phone service.

That was the logistical nightmare that those attending yesterday's free inaugural kick-off concert for Barack Obama faced. And since spectator numbers are expected to quadruple for tomorrow's swearing-in, it's likely the situation will only get worse.

Wireless networks say that they have spent millions trying to increase capacity for the event, but you should still make your plans without factoring your cellphone into the equation.

Establish concrete meetup points for before and after the swearing-in as well as a gameplan for where to rendezvous in case of an emergency. The Cellular Telecommunications Industry Association is also encouraging people to forego sending videos, pictures, and making calls, and to instead use text messages.

Of course, the pressing issue on our minds right now is will there be enough cell reception for the American public to send their SMS updates to Twitter? And will the networks be able to handle it? We know Twitter won't.

Tags: Disney / Theme Parks / Cell Phones / Amusement Parks / → All Tags

Disney To (Kinda) Offer Big-Brother Tracking Device

Although profits in its theme parks have been down, Disney is still working hard on new tricks and technologies for your next visit. Now, the company has buddied up with Verizon Wireless to offer a new service to make visits to the park easier--and to squeeze out a few more dollars from your pockets.

Upon entering the park, you’ll be able to use your phone to figure out how long the lines are at major attractions or where you can snag a picture with Mickey Mouse. After a quick download, your phone will be set up with a program to map your way through the park.

But the new service will also allow Disney to track where you are and what you’re doing. Luckily, the cell phone app is optional. So far Disney promises to only use the service for good, but there’s an awful lot of temptation to sell people stuff when they’re near a gift shop!

Related Stories:
· Disney, Verizon To Turn The Cellphone Into A Theme-Park Visitor's Tool [LAT]
· Theme Parks coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo of a long line at Epcot: Joe Shlabotnik]

Tags: Train Travel / Cell Phones / TGV / Toilets / Bathrooms / → All Tags

Trapped in the Water Closet

Firefighters in France cut a passenger out of a train bathroom after his arm got stuck in the toilet. Yes, really.

The traumatized traveler was apparently fiddling with his cell phone when it fell into the toilet bowl. When he tried to fish it out, his arm got sucked into the plumbing, causing a two-hour delay for the TGV making its way to La Rochelle from Paris. Said a witness:

He came out on a stretcher, with his hand still jammed in the toilet bowl, which they had to saw clean off.

A spokesman for SNCF, which operates the TGV, called it "an unlikely accident," though unlikely makes it sound like it's happened before. Considering the state of most train bathrooms we've seen over the years, we'd gladly sacrifice a phone before sticking our arm in the plumbing.

Related Stories:
· Frenchman Delays Train After Getting Arm Stuck [Telegraph]
· Man's Arm Trapped in Toilet [BBC]

[Photo: FaceMePLS]

Tags: Subways / Cell Phones / Public Transportation / 2012 Olympics / → All Tags

Subway Travel: London's Oyster Coming to Cell Phones

London's subway system got a bit more convenient to use (although no cheaper) when it started using stored-value Oyster cards to pay for your tickets. New trials with specially equipped cell phones could make our London Underground experience even easier.

Nokia and O2 joined forces to test out using cell phones that could be "read" by the same machines that people tap their Oyster card across. The 500 guinea pigs who tested the system were impressed: 89 percent would want such a system on their phones.

With the 2012 Olympics in London not all that far away (!), IOC officials are keen to make the technology widespread as part of their "cashless Olympics" campaign. Of course, the other way to make the Olympics cashless is to make transport (and everything else) free. Any officials listening?

Related Stories:
· Oyster Phones a Step Nearer [Business Traveller]
· London Traffic [Jaunted]
· The Oh-So-Confusing London Subway [Jaunted]

[Photo: amandabhslater]

Tags: Laptops / iPods / Cell Phones / Travel Tech / Travel Gear / → All Tags

Travel Accessories: One Plug Is Never Enough

It's hard to believe that something like this hasn't come along before. The Belkin Mini Surge Protector with USB Charger is one of the most ideal travel accessories we've seen for people who travel with gizmos. If only it had a catchier name!

The charger is simple enough, turning one plug into three while protecting your devices with a built-in surge protector. (So while you're charging at the airport during that heavy lightning delay, there's no reason to worry!) It also offers two USB ports so you can charge your cell phone, iPod or anything else that uses a USB connection.

Best of all, the charger starts at only $25 and is available directly through the company's website.

Related Stories:
· Mini Surge Protector with USB Charger [Official Site]
· Travel Tech coverage [Jaunted]

Tags: Cell Phones / In-Flight Cell Phones / Emirates / → All Tags

In-Flight Cell Phones: Vibrate Only on Emirates, Please

While carriers in the United States are still working to get in-flight WiFi installed, in the Middle East it's all about cell phones. Emirates is leading the way with plans to add in-flight service on its entire fleet of more than 100 planes.

Does that mean someone will be yakking all the way from London to Dubai on your next flight? Not necessarily, a spokesman says, citing trial flights earlier this year:

A certain on-board etiquette has developed, where passengers try to stay quiet to avoid being seen as intrusive. A pre-flight video is shown on aircraft that use the technology, urging passengers to keep their phones on silent or vibrate mode.

Per minute charges of about $4 will also help keep calls short. But not all passengers are buying the idea that cell phone users will be the most polite people on the plane. Says one internet commenter:

Perhaps they need an area for these people who need to be contacted even though they can't do anything in mid-air. Could I suggest on the wing?

Related Stories:
· Emirates Presses Ahead with In-Flight Mobiles [Telegraph]
· Ryanair to Begin Tests of In-Flight Mobiles [Telegraph]
· In-Flight Cell Phones: Not Great for So Many Reasons [Jaunted]

[Photo: pouwerkerk]

Tags: National Parks / Cell Phones / Outdoor Travel / → All Tags

Wild Travel: Hikers Found Alive in Denali National Park

Two hikers missing in Alaska since Thursday were found thanks to a still-kicking cell phone battery: Abby Flantz and Erica Nelson were helicoptered out of the tundra after air and ground searches failed to find the twentysomething hikers in Denali National Park.

Though rescuers couldn't find them, Nelson was able to pick up a cell phone signal to contact her mother.

The women, who are working for the summer at the nearby Denali Princess Wilderness Lodge, were scheduled to take a quick overnight hike near Mount Healy but failed to show up for work on Saturday. The pair had a wilderness permit for Denali, but were actually discovered outside park boundaries.

Related Stories
· Missing Women Found at Alaska's Denali Park [AP, via Yahoo]
· Review of the Denali Princess Wilderness Lodge [HC]
· National Parks coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: kmesh]

Tags: WiFi / Free WiFi / Airport WiFi / Boingo / Deals / Cell Phones / → All Tags

Airport WiFi: Boingo Giving You 15 Minutes Free

Big-time WiFi contractor Boingo, which handles net access at heaps of airports around the world, is now offering iPhone and iPod Touch users 15 minutes of free access at 28 of its US, Canadian and UK airports. The promo is currently only for Apple users, but the company plans to expand the free 15 minutes to Nokia, Sony Ericsson and Windows Mobile users soon.

What's the catch? Not much of one: You'll just see a 15-second ad before you're free to surf. Boingo is ramping up its mobile offerings, and the promo gives the company a chance to do a little market research. In our view, it's win-win.

In the UK, you can jump online at London Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted as well as at Edinburgh Airport and a couple others. In North America, there are a couple dozen airports in on the promo, with BWI, HOU, IAH, JFK, LGA, ORD and YYZ among them.

Related Stories:
· Airport WiFi Map [Jaunted]
· WiFi coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: pouwerkerk]