Aircell increases In-flight Wi-Fi Speed

In-flight Wi-Fi provider Aircell has unveiled plans for its second generation of wireless links from aircraft to the Internet, promising higher capacity and the capability to offer its service outside the U.S.

Aircell equips airliners and business jets with in-cabin Wi-Fi systems and operates a network of special cellular base stations around the U.S. to send data from the Internet to the planes and back. Its Gogo service is offered by United Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Virgin America and other commercial carriers, and the company also sells Gogo Biz for business jets.

On planes where the airlines choose to upgrade the radio equipment, users should get about four times the speed with the new technology, according to Aircell. The main upgrade option, using a faster cellular technology, is scheduled to become available in the first half of 2012, the company said.

Aircell's plan for a new generation of technology is the latest signal that in-flight Wi-Fi is here to stay. Aircell's services began to appear in 2008 after an earlier, satellite-based attempt to put passengers online, Connexion by Boeing, had failed to capture a strong following. But Wi-Fi is now available on many domestic flights in the U.S. Aircell, the biggest provider of these services, charges between US$4.95 and $12.95 depending on the length of the flight and the passenger's device. Facebook, airlines and other companies have sometimes offered special deals that make the service free.

Business travelers are already demanding in-flight Wi-Fi, and more consumers will, especially the growing number of passengers with smartphones, said analyst Avi Greengart of Current Analysis.

"Connectivity is something that consumers are beginning to take for granted in other aspects of their lives," Greengart said.

And, on flights just as in hotels and coffee shops, people are willing to pay for it, Tolaga Research analyst Phil Marshall said.

Aircell will upgrade its cellular infrastructure from Revision A to Revision B of EV-DO (Evolution-Data Optimized), the 3G data technology for CDMA (Code-Division Multiple Access) networks. In Aircell's implementation, Revision B can increase EVDO's downstream speed from about 3.1M bps (bits per second) to 9.8M bps, according to Anand Chari, vice president of engineering. For airlines that want even more capacity, Aircell will also install satellite equipment on planes to link up with Ka-band satellites. The Ka-band system will be available in the continental U.S. in 2013 and around the world in 2015, according to Aircell.

Satellite uplinks will also allow Aircell to offer services outside the continental U.S., on carriers based both in the U.S. and elsewhere. Airlines that want to provide Internet access on international flights before the Ka-band satellites become available will be able to use an existing network on the so-called Ku band, Chari said. The Ka band will be more economical, he said.

Individual passengers should see better performance on their phones and laptops once the faster links are installed. Because not everyone is typically using the shared link at a given time, users are likely to get 5M bps or more, Chari said. However, there will still be limits to what they can do online on a typical flight, he added. For one thing, Aircell uses traffic engineering to make sure everyone sharing the network gets the best possible experience.

"If you want to sit on a plane and watch a Netflix movie, it's not going to work very well for you, because we did not build the network where everybody can watch a Netflix movie," Chari said.

Aircell said in 2008 that it hoped to deploy LTE beginning in 2011 and achieve a 300M bps link from the ground to the air. However, the company doesn't yet have enough radio spectrum to use LTE, though it is working on acquiring more, Chari said. EV-DO Revision B will be a hardware and software upgrade to Aircell's existing EV-DO network, which is supplied by Chinese telecommunications vendor ZTE.

EV-DO Revision B has been available for several years but was upstaged by LTE (Long-Term Evolution), which can offer even higher speeds. Only three mobile operators in the world have deployed Revision B, according to Qualcomm, the pioneer of EV-DO. However, Aircell is better able to take advantage of the technology, Chari said. For one thing, Revision B requires a clean signal, which is harder to achieve when it has to go through walls and other obstacles, he said.

"We have a very unique situation: There is nothing between the aircraft and our towers," Chari said.

Internet Explorer 9 launching on March 14

The final version of Internet Explorer 9 is launching on March 14. Microsoft announced the launch date on its Windows Team Blog. IE9 will be available for download at 9 p.m. Pacific, so for east coasters the launch date is technically March 15 at midnight.

Internet Explorer 9 is Microsoft's biggest Web browser redesign yet. The redesign takes on a minimalist look, which gives the user more browsing room by squashing menu space. It accomplishes this by using a single bar for URLs and searches - Google Chrome-style - and by placing browser tabs in a single strip alongside the omnibar.

IE9 also fuses with Windows, allowing you to pin Website shortcuts to the Windows taskbar and create lists of links from within those pinned sites. There's also a download manager. As for performance, IE9 supports hardware acceleration for HTML5 video.

Since launching the IE9 beta in September, Microsoft has added even more features based on user feedback, including ActiveX filtering and tracking protection.

The vast majority of IE9's features were set in stone with last month's Release Candidate, but Microsoft says it still has "a few surprises left." The company is planning a party for the release of IE9 at the South by Southwest conference in Austin, Texas.

HTC prepares Flyer, Stylus-based iPad 2 rival

With the launch of Apple's new iPad 2 imminent, companies like Samsung are rethinking about their tablet strategy, while deep discounts are expected for Motorola's Xoom tablet. But HTC, the company responsible for the Evo 4G and Droid Incredible smartphones, has already lined up a million orders for its new Flyer tablet from retailers and carriers.

That number may not be the best comparison point. Samsung moved 2 million of its tablets to retailers, while Apple sold that many iPads in just 60 days. But the HTC Flyer has some interesting features to recommend it, perhaps even over the iPad 2.

The Stylus is the draw..
Windows-based tablets of old, like Palm Pilots, needed a pen-shaped stylus to interact with their pressure-sensitive touchscreens. You could use your fingers, but it wasn't as precise and you needed to apply more pressure. Capacitive touchscreens like the iPad's, meanwhile, are sensitive to body heat, making them easy to use with your fingers but hard to draw or write on.

The HTC Flyer features the best of both worlds: It has a capacitive, multitouch screen like the iPad 2's, but it also comes with a working stylus accessory for drawing and taking notes. An app syncs your drawings with the online Evernote service, and the built-in e-reader app lets you highlight and annotate books. And despite the Flyer's 7-inch screen size - making it about the same size as a Kindle, or half the size of the iPad 2 - it recognizes when you've got your hand on the screen while drawing.

Content and apps..
Since it's powered by Google's "organic," open-source Android operating system and meets Google's hardware requirements, the HTC Flyer will let you buy apps from the Android Market, which has over 150,000 at last count. It will have its own "HTC Watch" movie store, for access to video content; and apps for Pandora Internet radio, Amazon's MP3 store, and Jamendo's free Creative Commons music are all available in the market.

The downside, of course, is that it doesn't have access to iTunes or the iTunes App Store. There are already 65,000 apps designed just for the iPad, whereas very few Android apps have been designed with tablets in mind. Now that Android has seen its 3.0 "Honeycomb" release, though, which was made for tablets, more tablet apps are on the way and while the HTC Flyer isn't shipping with Honeycomb, HTC has tweeted that an upgrade to Honeycomb will be available soon.

Live video gaming..
Perhaps the Flyer's most interesting feature, besides its stylus interface, is its integration with the OnLive gaming service. OnLive lets you stream games to your PC or television using a controller and a high-speed Internet connection, and it will be built into the Flyer at launch. No word yet on how well it performs, though.

As another possible downside, the pen input feature didn't seem quite mature when the Flyer was introduced last month, plus there's no silo to store the pen in. Worse, it requires its own batteries. The feature of having one, though, may be compelling on its own if HTC works the bugs out; and my personal experience with HTC products has been that they're extremely well-made.

Coming soon..
No release date for the HTC Flyer has been given. But, Sprint is rumored to be debuting an Evo-branded tablet at the CTIA Wireless conference this month.

Intel launches Core vPro processors

Intel has officially launched the second generation of its Core vPro processor family, which packs the technology and performance improvements of its Sandy Bridge architecture with security and identity protection technologies primarily aimed at businesses, but which may benefit consumers too. Among the new vPro’s capabilities is a new “poison pill” function that can disable a processor via a SMS message sent over a 3G cellular network in the event a machine is stolen.

“Businesses face numerous challenges today, but also opportunities in the wealth of new technologies that are helping workers be more productive, businesses to be more creative, and IT to be more innovative,” said Intel architecture group VP and general manager Rick Echevarria. “The new Core vPro processor family has the capacity to offload tasks or even better share them to get the most from companion devices. With such performance, the PC could be a service provider, coordinating encryption, virus scanning, near transparent syncs and remote control.”

Like the Sandy Bridge Intel Core processors that Intel has already shipped for consumer PCs, the new Intel Core vPro line features enhanced Turbo Boost 2.0 technology, along with new Intel Advanced Vector Extensions that the company says can speed business applications by as much as 60 percent and multitasking by up to 100 percent, at least comparing a new Intel Core VPro Core i5 to its previous Intel Core 2 Duo processor. Intel says encryption can also be handled up to 300 percent faster.

Intel has also introduced its Anti-Theft Technology 3.0, which will work not only on the new Intel Core vPro processors but also the consumer-oriented second-generation Intel Core systems. The new version of the anti-theft technology enables “authorized IT or service personnel” to send a special SMS message via 3G cellular networks that can shut down a machine in the event it’s lost or stolen, disabling the system and preventing access to encrypted data. With the new version, the system can now be unlocked in the event the machine is recovered. Systems can also be set up to require an encryption login when woken up from a standby state.

The Core vPro and second-generation Intel Core chips also support Intel’s new Identity Protection Technology by generating a new six-digit numerical password every 30 seconds when connected to supporting online banking, commerce, and other secure sites: even if someone phishes the connection or executes a man-in-the-middle attack, the connection will become re-encrypted after 30 seconds. Symantec and Vasco are already rolling out support for the technology.

Intel says OEMs like Dell, Lenovo, Fujitsu, and HP are already gearing up a spate of notebooks, convertible tablets, and desktop systems built around the Intel vPro line. And we bet the company is hoping it won’t have to do a recall on these.

Microsoft losing the Mobile World War

One would expect a company of Microsoft's caliber to make a better showing in the mobile OS market, considering its resources and experience. Nevertheless, Microsoft held 8 percent OS market share as of January, down 1.7 percent from October 2010. In comparison, Android gained 7.7 percent, while iOS gained only 0.1 percent, losing its second-place lead in October. RIM and HP/Palm lost for the second report in a row; RIM fell 3.5 percent in October and 5.4 percent in January, while HP/Palm's WebOS fell 1 percent in October and 0.7 in January.

Microsoft's mobile market record is poor, but not because the platform is bad; Microsoft is legendary in the IT world and has more OS experience than any other company does. Nevertheless, it is still smarting from the abject failure of the KIN cell phones, the Windows Mobile 6.5 disaster and the now-failing Windows Phone 7 OS.

Hoping to come back and expand its reach, Microsoft and Nokia announced their partnership, an impossible road for Microsoft since Nokia has almost zero U.S. market share and does even appear on ComScore reports. Even if Microsoft were to dominate Nokia sales, it could only hope to gain in a few areas where Symbian dominates.

No matter how one looks at it, the story is the same: Microsoft is losing the mobile battle. Windows Phone 7 is failing to attract the sales Microsoft originally predicted; in fact Microsoft lied about these predictions to make them sound better. While it's a decent system, it is nowhere near good enough to challenge Android.

Microsoft has one of the most innovative research centers in the world. Microsoft developed a good smartphone OS with Windows Mobile 2003. With so much time and experience on its side, it's hard to justify Microsoft's mistakes, lack of urgency and failed recognition by management of just how important the mobile market place was then.

Microsoft is facing the growing trend of users shifting from desktops to smartphones and tablets for Internet access, but not making the switch to Microsoft devices. The year has yet to play out and things may change, but it is difficult to imagine Microsoft gaining enough to overcome consistent Android gains.

Sprint Nextel in talks to merge with T-Mobile

The No. 3 U.S. wireless carrier is talking with Deutsche Telekom over a merger with its U.S. T-Mobile unit, the nation's No. 4 mobile phone carrier, according to published reports.

Sprint Nextel reportedly wants a majority stake, but Deutsche Telekom hasn't agreed. Sprint-controlled Clearwire, also could be part of a deal.

RIM PlayBook gets 7digital music store

Blackberry-maker Research In Motion will release its long-awaited PlayBook tablet computer with Britain's 7digital music store.

The music store of 7digital, half-owned by HMV, which has some 13 million tracks, will be pre-installed on the tablet at its launch in the United States and Canada, with further international roll out in 2011.

The PlayBook, set for launch in March, was first announced in September last year, and will now join a booming market dominated by Apple's iPad and compete for attention with tablets from the likes of Samsung, Motorola Mobility and Hewlett-Packard.

Google releases new version of Chrome browser

Google has released a finished version of its speedy new Chrome Web browsing software for desktop or laptop computers.

The latest version of Chrome promised quick and responsive handling of software running in the Web browser.

"We realize that speed isn't just about pure brawn in the browser," Google engineer Tim Steele wrote in a blog post announcing the latest Chrome release. "It's also about saving time with simple interfaces."

Google improved settings for bookmarks, passwords, searches and home pages as well as enhanced protection from websites booby-trapped by hackers with malicious code.

The latest Chrome browser software is available free online at www.google.com/chrome. Earlier versions of the Web browser already being used in computers will be automatically updated.

Microsoft's Internet Explorer is the most widely used Web browser in the United States followed by Firefox, Chrome and Apple's Safari.

Lenovo announces ThinkPad X220 Ultraportable Laptop

Lenovo has announced the ThinkPad X220 laptop, which is one of the early ultraportable laptops running on new processors based on Intel's Sandy Bridge microarchitecture.

The X220 comes with a 12.5-inch display and will be powered by Intel's Core i3, i5 or i7 processors running at clock speeds between 2.1GHz and 2.7GHz, Lenovo said in a statement. The laptop weighs less than 3 pounds (1.3 kilograms) with a four-cell battery.

The laptop can provide up to 15 hours of battery life with a nine-cell battery, according to Lenovo. The laptop's run time can stretch up to 24 hours with an external battery.

The company also announced a convertible variant of the X220 - the X220 Tablet - which will include a swivel touchscreen. The screen will accept multitouch input for users to manipulate photos, control applications or scroll down documents. The screen is based on Gorilla Glass technology for protection from scratches and cracks.

The X220 Tablet weighs 3.88 pounds with a four-cell battery.

The X220 and the X220 Tablet will both have hard-drive storage of up to 320GB or solid-state drive storage of up to 160GB. They will have up to 8GB of memory and select models will include USB 3.0 ports.

They also include a DisplayPort and VGA ports to attach monitors. The specification sheets for them do not list the availability of HDMI (high-definition multimedia interface) ports, which are commonly used to connect laptops to high-definition TV sets.

The X220 laptop will become available in April starting at US$899. Pricing for the X220 Tablet was not immediately available.

PC makers have just started announcing ultraportable laptops with Sandy Bridge chips. Dell said it would announce a lightweight laptop with Sandy Bridge microprocessors in the next few weeks.

Samsung not to re-model Galaxy Tab 10.1

Shortly after the iPad 2 was unveiled, it was reported that Samsung would be overhauling its Galaxy Tab 10.1 to more ably compete with Apple’s new tablet.

The company’s executive VP of mobile Lee Don-Joo had said “We will have to improve that parts that are inadequate. Apple made it very thin,” and “The 10-inch was to be priced higher than the 7-inch, but we will have to think the over.”

But Samsung is now denying the whole thing. Now, the 10-inch Galaxy Tab will launch “as scheduled.” Were a remodel in order, the device would obviously be delayed, and Don-Joo says “We will continue to make every effort to provide the most powerful, well-designed and productive model device to customers.”

While the tablet itself might not be getting any work done, a change in price can’t be ruled out. The iPad 2’s low pricing is going to make it fairly difficult for competitors, who will want to undercut Apple and sway on-the-fence buyers. That means a couple of things: One, it’s obviously good for consumers, who will be able to choose from a wider selection of more affordable tablets. Two, it means Samsung might be hard-pressed to actually profit off its Galaxy Tab lineup.

On a comforting note, it appears the wheels are in motion over at Samsung. The 8.9-inch Galaxy Tab reportedly in the works.

Google Android tops smart-phone software platform

According to a ComScore survey, Google's Android software platform has captured the No. 1 rank among smart-phone platforms in the U.S. for the first time.

For the 3-month period ending in Jan., Android had a 31.2% market share, up from 23.5% the prior quarter. Apple's iPhone share was flat at 24.7%, while Research In Motion's BlackBerry, the longtime leader, skidded to 30.4% from 35.8%. Microsoft garnered an 8% share.

Ownership of smart phones climbed 8% from the prior quarter to 65.8 mil, ComScore said.

Apple iPad 2 Competitors at a glance

The Apple iPad 2, announced March 2, is hitting shelves March 11 with the updated iOS 4.3, a year after the April 2010 original iPad was released. Both the iPad 2 hardware and software updates promise users a better overall user experience.

New iPad 2 Features, Old iPad Pricing
The iPad 2 offers HDMI mirroring, FaceTime Chat, advanced browsing, and iTunes Home Sharing, one front facing and one rear facing camera-finally-but still no flash. iPad 2 also has an in-the-box "extra," a USB Dock Connector; the original iPad did not offer these features. iPad 2 comes with the improved Apple A5 processor, and its battery will still last about 10 hours. However, the iPad 2 uses the same 9.7-inch screen and 1024-pixel by 768-pixel resolution as the original, so the iPhone's retina display technology is not included.

The iPad 2 sells at original iPad prices, from $499 to $699 for Wi-Fi, but the Wi-Fi + 3G versions cost $130 more per unit, and storage has not changed. The Wi-Fi + 3G CDMA version will sell in the U.S. at Verizon only; otherwise, all versions will be available at AT&T and Verizon. Here is a sneak peak at the competitors.

Motorola ZOOM Tablet PC:
The Motorola XOOM runs the newest Android OS, Honeycomb 3.0, features a 10.1-inch screen, 1200-pixel by 800-pixel resolution, true multitasking, and a 16:9 widescreen HD display. In comparison, the iPad 2 only allows some multitasking in the background and its resolution equates to a ratio of 4:3. The XOOM is one of the only tablets of this size that has a battery lasting as long as the iPad 2 at 10 hours.

Xoom also offers two cameras, and LED flash; a Micro USB port and an HDMI out connector are standard, while a Tegra 2 Dual Core CPU powers the device. The Motorola XOOM debuted at the 2011 CES, where it took home the "Best of Show" award for its intriguing design and features, making it a great iPad 2 competitor. The XOOM is available from Verizon for $800 or $600 with a two-year contract; not much different from the iPad 2 models offering half the features.

T-Mobile LG G-Slate:
This LG G-Slate, announced at the 2011 CES, is another Android Honeycomb 3.0 tablet, this time from T-Mobile. Even though the G-Slate only offers an 8.9-inch touchscreen display, it makes up for it by offering a 3D experience. The G-Slate features not two, but three cameras; two cameras are rear facing, one for use with video, and the other for stills and LED flash for both, and one front facing camera for chat. The tablet also allows HDMI out for 1080p compatible video natively; something the iPad 2 is still has not gotten right just yet. A Dual core Tegra 2 processor powers the tablet, while it is available in either a 32 GB or 64 GB version, all of which include Google Mobile apps such as Google Maps, Talk, and Video. It will be available from T-Mobile, but prices are not yet public.

ASUS Eee Slate EP121 Tablet PC:
The ASUS Eee Slate Tablet PC offers more features than iPad 2 does. It runs the desktop Microsoft Windows 7 version, powered by an Intel Core i5 CPU and Intel-based HD graphics system. The Eee Slate has a huge 12.1-inch, 1280-pixel by 800-pixel resolution display, a full 2.3-inches larger than the iPad 2. Eee Slate has dual card reader compatible with SD and MMC, two built-in USB ports, a mini HDMI out port, a Bluetooth Keyboard, and a Pen Stylus. While a tad expensive, the extra features are worth the $999.

Worth watching for Apple
Even though iPad 2 is may become as popular as the original, Apple should worry about competitors, since iPad 2 is still missing features included on other tablet PC models that debuted at the 2011 CES in Jan. 2011. With Android in second place ahead of Apple in platform market share, iOS 4.3 also needs more than "faster browsing," if it hopes to compete. The standard features of these tablets are nowhere to be seen on an iPad 2, and prices are comparable.