Wait, there's more! So there I was at 30,000 feet. The captain made an announcement that we were going to be about an hour late getting into Cincinnati, Ohio because of bad weather. How would I get the word to my wife, LaDawn and let her know my predicament?There it was, in the seat flap - yes, this Delta flight was wired for the Internet! I fired up my little Acer netbook, logged on, paid my $6, and I was on-line. My next step was to download Skype - one of my favorite apps - to my recently purchased netbook.
After a few minutes, Skype was installed. I attached my Plantronics "bluetooth" headset, switched it on, logged into my Skype account, and made the VoIP call - TOTALLY LEGAL FROM 30,000 FEET!!! I managed to reach LaDawn - clear as a bell, by the way - and let her know about my flight delay.
Isn't technology wonderful? So what are the possibilities available to us? My head is spinning - it was so good, so clear, and so cool!Anyway folks, that's how I killed about 30 minutes of my flight delay, and how, you too, can make legal VoIP calls from 30,000 feet on your computer;~) I sure hope the TSA doesn't read this. OK, I'm out of here for good this time gang. See ya' tomorrow, -David
Really cool.
ReplyDeleteIs the bluetooth headset really ok? It is a wireless device and they do say to turn off all wireless devices. Maybe a wired headset is a better option for planes.
Just a thought...
How are you liking your netbook? I bought one months ago and I am a huge fan. When I took it with me on vacation I loved the portability and using it to back up photos and post my vacation shots "real time" to Facebook and flickr.
ReplyDeleteI'm going to miss the quiet in the skies. It used to be one place to be away from emails and phone calls to be alone with your thoughts.
ReplyDeleteIt's neat that all that technology worked. But if the conversations you hear immediately upon landing - "We just landed...No taxiing..." are any indication - I can wait for wide spread air phone usage.
My first thought also was that the BT headset would have gotten the attention of the flight attendants... but then if they are going to broadcast wireless through the cabin, maybe the low-power BT signal has been approved too?
ReplyDeleteAnd if they allow Wi-Fi and BT, do they still tell you to turn off electronic devices like iPods and the like that don't broadcast any signal at all?
So Davids how does that technology work? By satellite is my first guess.
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