CHICAGO (Reuters) - AMR Corp's American Airlines said on Monday it would expand its in-flight Wi-Fi Internet service to 300 more aircraft to help lure passengers with popular revenue-generating perks. American said it would install the service over the next two years on its domestic MD-80 and Boeing Co 737-800 aircraft fleets, beginning with 150 MD-80 aircraft this year.
The carrier began offering Internet service last year to passengers on 15 Boeing 767-200 aircraft on certain routes.
Airlines have been racing to get reliable Internet access on their flights in hopes of gaining a competitive edge in the troubled airline industry. Delta Air Lines Inc said last week it would install Wi-Fi on Delta-branded U.S. aircraft by late this year.
Experts have said they expect in-flight Internet to become common in the industry.
American's mobile broadband service, which is called Gogo, is provided by AirCell. Passengers will pay $12.95 for Internet service on transcontinental flights over 1,150 miles and $9.95 for service on shorter flights.
American will charge $7.95 for passengers using handheld devices only.
(Reporting by Kyle Peterson; Editing by Andre Grenon)
Rabu, 01 April 2009
American to Expand In-Flight Wi-Fi
Selasa, 03 Maret 2009
Sprint XOHM (Mobile WiMAX)
When it's good, Sprint's XOHM WiMAX network is very, very good—as speedy as a fast cable Internet connection. When it's bad, it's still pretty good. XOHM is supposed to usher in a new era of high-speed, Internet-connected everything. Based on the WiMAX 802.16e standard, which is heavily backed by Intel, XOHM should be compatible with WiMAX laptops, handheld devices, and even digital cameras and home security systems, somewhere down the road.
For now, Sprint is simply aiming at existing ISPs. The carrier is pushing XOHM as an alternative to cellular Internet for laptops, and as a possible substitute for cable or DSL broadband for home users. This technology has the potential to shake up the ISP market. For more info, check out Sprint's XOHM: What You Need to Know.
XOHM currently exists only in Baltimore, Maryland, though I also detected the network in Philadelphia. Sprint says that coverage in Chicago, Washington D.C., Providence, Boston, and Dallas is in the works, with more cities to follow.
XOHM is debuting with an ExpressCard for Windows (not Mac OS) laptops, the $59.99 Samsung SWC-E100, and a $79.99 home modem from ZyXel (which works with both Windows and Macs). Near-future product options will include the Nokia N810 WiMAX Edition Internet tablet, which we tested; a USB modem from ZTE; and various Windows (not Mac) laptops from a range of mainstream manufacturers. The network works with any WiMAX device—Sprint doesn't have to approve it—but there just aren't many WiMAX devices yet. We'll head down to Baltimore again next week with more gadgetry to try out.
You can attach one of four service plans to your XOHM devices: The "home" plan works with the home modem, for $35 a month (its on sale through December 31st for $25), the "On the go" plan is for the ExpressCard, at $45 a month ($30 until 12/31), and "Pick 2" lets you get two devices (a modem and a card, for instance) for $65 a month ($50 until 12/31). Finally, you can buy a $10 day pass to try out any XOHM device. None of these plans require contracts or credit checks, making it a good choice for students and those with less-than-stellar credit. But I wish Sprint would offer combo plans for existing Sprint customers, or for users who want to roam with EVDO beyond XOHM's very limited range.
The installation process is run-of-the-mill. You sign up for service on the Web, entering an ID (the MAC address) found on your WiMAX device. You must use XOHM's own connection manager software to connect to the Internet. It worked fine on my Apple MacBook Pro running Windows Vista Enterprise, though I sometimes had to restart the PC after waking it from sleep mode to get it to recognize my ExpressCard.
I tested XOHM over a one-day period in six scattered locations across Baltimore: Downtown, Harborplace, Penn Station, Owings Mills, and two spots in Mount Washington.
Right now, coverage is pretty spotty, but that's to be expected from a new wireless network in its first week. It was true of EVDO, it was true of HSDPA, and it's true of WiMAX: Networks start out patchy and then fill in. Still, I was concerned that Sprint's coverage map doesn't tell the whole story. Sprint's mapped dead spots, such as around the Old Court metro station, seem to be accurate. But I found other dead spots that Sprint claims have coverage, such as at the intersection of Falls Road and Northern Parkway.
WiMAX has a tendency to get considerably slower when you're further from a tower, and the relatively short range of 2.5-GHz towers also may explain why I saw my signal vary block by block. At a shopping mall in Mount Washington, for instance, I had a significantly stronger signal on the south side of the mall than on the north side. You don't see these differences so much any more with the mature EVDO cellular networks.
With a strong signal, I saw download speeds averaging 3.6Mbps, with my fastest test at a blazing 7.1Mbps. That's faster than my home cable connection! "Good" upload speeds varied from 416Kbps on up to a really impressive 2.1Mbps.
But speeds dropped sharply with a weak signal. Downloads crawled as slowly as 620Kbps and uploads fell as low as 122Kbps. I still got several download results over 1Mbps, even with a very weak signal.
Interested in the overall averages? That would be 2.3Mbps down and 915Kbps up, which jives with Sprint's advertised range of 2-Mbps to 4Mbps down and 500Kbps to -1,500Kbps up.
The time for a request to travel across the network, a.k.a. latency, has a major effect on how responsive a network feels. I measured latency by pinging a basket of five Web sites. XOHM's average latency, at 133ms, was much lower than that of cellular networks, which usually average around 200-ms to -250ms. I got figures as low as 71ms on one test.
But XOHM's latency is still several times that of Wi-Fi. Testing against a public Wi-Fi hotspot with a Covad DSL backhaul, the Wi-Fi hotspot gave me a latency result of 24 ms. So Wi-Fi feels much faster, because pages start loading more quickly.
When XOHM worked well, I could do things I'd never before dreamed of doing over a cellular connection. A 480p version of "Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog" streamed beautifully from Hulu.com. A new version of Quicktime downloaded at 666Kbps, with the 26.7MB file arriving in under a minute. A 720p movie trailer streamed along for more than a minute before needing to buffer again. In essence, it was a big, fat pipe heading into my laptop.
XOHM mopped the floor with existing cellular networks. I tested the XOHM card side by side with the Editors' Choice Sierra Wireless AC595U on Verizon Wireless's EVDO Rev A network in Baltimore. I achieved decent speeds for EVDO with the AC595U, with most downloads in the range of 700- to 900 Kbps and a peak of 1.9 Mbps. XOHM was in a different class. Of course, EVDO is nationwide. XOHM is only in Baltimore.
A better comparison is with Wi-Fi hotspots, or home cable or DSL connections. And here's where things get tricky. Cable and DSL options can be faster or slower than XOHM. But they're typically more consistent.. If you have 5-Mbps cable, you usually get 5 MBps. Sometimes there will be a ton of traffic in your neighborhood and you'll get less, but it's typically steady. XOHM seemed inconsistent—7 Mbps in one place, 2 Mbps in another. And XOHM's upload speeds are slower than those offered by high-end wired solutions.
Linksys Ultra RangePlus Wireless-N Router (WRT160N)
You'd be hard-pressed to find a true draft-n router for less than you can buy the Linksys Ultra RangePlus Wireless-N Router (WRT160N). Linksys's own RangePlus Wireless Router (WRT110) may be $20 cheaper on the mean streets of Techtown, but it's not a true draft-n machine (it employs Linksys's RangePlus "n" emulation technology). Nor does it take advantage of Linksys's free LELA 3.0 network management software. The WRT160N does. Those differences aside, however, the WRT160N is fairly similar to its less-expensive sibling in features and, unfortunately, throughput.
Externally, the RangePlus and Ultra RangePlus are exactly the same. Five Ethernet ports adorn the rear of the router: one WAN/Internet and four wired Ethernet ports, although none are Gigabit Ethernet (GigE) capable. There's also no USB port for Linksys Storage Link technology or printer sharing. You will, however, like the new Linksys case design—the sleek, black and gray case with no external antennas visible has real Dark Knight flair.
I found setup to be a muddled affair, and starkly different from the easy process I sped through with our vintage 2007 Editors' Choice–winning Linksys WRT600N. First, there's the dual-LELA (Linksys EasyLink Advisor) software issue. LELA has been the name of the company's installation wizard for several product generations. Now Linksys has released LELA version 3.0, which acts as a home network management system. Although only a version number distinguishes the two applications, they're very different products. Straight LELA is the wizard that kicks off when you click on Install Router after the installation CD starts during Autorun. LELA 3.0 is the network management software, and that's a separate install (or download) that shouldn't run until after the wizard completes.
That "after the wizard completes" part was a bit of an issue for me, because it hung both times I configured the WRT160N: once with my Comcast cable modem at home and again with the DSL line here in PC Magazine Labs. The same wizard hiccupped at the same place when I tested the Linksys WRT110, but it did eventually complete. With the WRT160N, however, it never recovered. The setup process runs fine until it asks you to connect the DSL line to the router and power everything up. But after I did that, the installation utility failed to find the router. The router, however, sees the broadband Internet connection, gets an external address, and hands out an internal address to the machine running the installation CD—so you can actually surf the Internet while the installation wizard is still looking for the router.
The fact that I couldn't get to LELA 3.0 from the wizard didn't bug me very much because I had a press release telling me where to find the network management package. Regular customers, on the other hand, will need to remember to kill the install wizard after it fails, eject the CD, and then reinsert it to kick off Autorun again. That will bring up the CD's menu, from which you can select Install LELA 3.0. Perhaps by the time you read this, Linksys will have fixed the issue.
D-Link Xtreme N Duo Media Router (DIR-855)
The King is dead. Long live the King. On our Labs tests, the brand-spanking-new D-Link Xtreme N Duo Media Router (aka the DIR-855) garnered enough oohs and aahs to be named our new all-around Editors' Choice for home wireless routers. Not only is the DIR-855 feature-rich in all the right places, it's also faster than our previous dual-band king, the Linksys WRT600N. If the whopping $359.95 (list) price isn't a problem for you, this is the router to get.
Everything about this wireless bit blaster stands out, starting with its design. At first glance, except for the large LED screen embedded at an angle on the top, the Xtreme N Duo looks much like any other dual-band router: a rather plain white box with three antennas and the usual collection of small activity and speed LEDs on the front. Read the directions, however, and you'll find information on skinning the Xtreme N Duo. If you're interested, the docs tell you where to find a site hosted by D-Link in partnership with Skinit (a gel-skin maker). There you'll find a library of available stick-on decorations for much of the D-Link line, or you can design your own. There's more info in the slideshow appended that accompanies this review. Some sample skins should arrive here shortly; when they do, I'll post photos of my router/fashion statements on our new @Work blog.
On pure aesthetics of the unadorned box, I'm more inclined to favor the sleek, antenna-less look that the new Linksys routers sport. The three adjustable antennas on the back of the router certainly work fine, but they don't set it apart in the looks department. The top-mounted LED screen, on the other hand, does. It's large enough to display sophisticated menus, which require two control buttons (mounted in front of the screen) to navigate. The screen shows what's intended to be a snapshot of the router's current state and configuration. Links indicating whether the Internet line is up or down, whether wired or wireless is running, and what the status of DHCP and WPS activation is—it's all on the LED. You can access these links or navigate a few short submenus via the two front-mounted control buttons.
Some folks will love the LED. It looks cool from a geek perspective, and if you take the time to get to know the icons, it really does provide the snapshot D-Link is going for. Me? I don't hate it, but I won't be using it much, either. In my house, these routers usually wind up someplace inaccessible (think elevation) so an on-box LED just isn't that useful. I tend to create a desktop shortcut to a router's Web interface, which shows a much more complete dashboard view right after you've logged in to the management console.
Before you get to the day-to-day management utility, however, the setup instructions ask you to run through the CD-based installation wizard, which is easily the weakest facet of this product. The wizard tries to take you through every step of the process, including unboxing the router, verifying contents, plugging in all the wires, and attaching your cable or DSL modem and networked devices. So far, so good. Unfortunately, the software was buggy as all get-out, hanging when it was trying to find the router for the first time after I plugged in the wired PC running the CD.
It hung again when I got as far as attaching the DSL connection. The software refused to recognize the DSL line, but, ironically, the router saw the modem just fine, letting me access the Internet and browse eBay while waiting for the wizard to catch up. It never did. Finally I just got bored and accessed the Web management interface directly. If you're reading this while installing your own Xtreme N Duo and getting just as frustrated, open your browser, go to 192.168.0.1, then enter "Admin" as the user name and leave the password blank (assuming this is the first time you're accessing the router). D-Link needs to work on that Installation Wizard code.
The management console, on the other hand—I smile just thinking about it. Good times. It's based on the same software you may have seen in other D-Link router products. The interface is stable, and it supports some cool features unique to the Xtreme N Duo. The first time you use the management utility, for example, you'll see buttons to some wizards. Most of the world can skip the Launch Internet Connection Setup Wizard. That's because most home broadband providers use DHCP, so the Xtreme N Duo picks up its DHCP address automatically as soon as you connect the DSL line (as it did in my lab). The capability is so slick, even D-Link's wizard programmers were caught unawares, as proved by my ability to surf the Web while the Installation Wizard was stymied.
The Wireless Security Settings Wizard, on the other hand, is one I'd run. This one walks through the complete Wi-Fi setup process and requires just a few steps. You can, of course, perform the same tasks with the standard wireless management screens, but the wizard does make it easier for newbies. And it works. D-Link has configured all the parameters to default to the most common values, so if you don't understand something, you can just leave it as is and you'll probably be okay. For security, though, definitely change the router's SSID (the wireless network's name) and the admin password for the router.
Kensington Wireless USB Docking Station
To make business laptops lighter and more compact, manufacturers have to get more and more creative in their designs. When the systems become really small, even basic features like optical drives and multiple USB ports sometimes fall by the wayside. This doesn't mean that average business users are in any less need of these features; it just means they may have to resort to a USB hub to make it work. The Kensington Wireless USB Docking Station ($230 street) is a more creative and elegant solution to this dilemma, providing seamless connectivity with your printer, speakers, external display, and other peripheral devices, so you can get more out of your system. Unfortunately, Wireless USB isn't that widespread on laptops yet. We've mainly seen it on business notebooks like the Lenovo ThinkPad X200 and the Toshiba Portégé R400, or as an option on systems like the Dell Inspiron 1525. The dock's roughly 12-foot range can be inconvenient, depending on what kind of space you're working with, and somewhat limits the benefits of this otherwise useful device.The station itself is fairly unobtrusive: It measures 11.25 by 6.25 by 4 inches (HWD), not counting the 3-inch antenna that must be flipped up when the device is in use. In keeping with its wireless capabilities, the docking station actually looks more like a router than like the laptop docks I'm used to seeing. A power light on the front turns on once you plug in the station. It shines yellow when the station is connected to your laptop, and orange when disconnected. The device has one USB port on the front, with four more on the back, along with DVI and audio outputs. The docking station also comes with a mini-USB cable to allow you to connect it directly to your laptop as well.
I initially had some difficulty connecting my review unit with the Lenovo ThinkPad T61 I used for testing. I tried to associate the device wirelessly multiple times, to no avail. However, once I connected it directly via the cable, the docking station immediately showed up in the computer's Wireless USB Manager, and connection was seamless from that point on. To test the device's range, I moved the laptop to various distances from the docking station. Every time I lost signal—at roughly 13 feet—the station would reconnect immediately if I moved a step closer. (It should be noted that I selected Automatically Reconnect in the Wireless USB Manager's menu. Other options require you to reconnect manually, or to answer a prompt every time the laptop comes within range of the station.)
Throughout my testing, the docking station worked well with the T61. Devices like flash drives, printers, and monitors registered as quickly as they would had I plugged them directly into the laptop. Though Kensington's site promises a range of 15 feet, in reality it was more like 10 to 13 in our RF-crowded lab. The docking station must also be in line of sight of the laptop, with no equipment or walls in the way.
To check out data transfer speeds, I loaded up a flash drive with 1GB of data. When it was plugged directly into the laptop, I was able to transfer all the files in 1 minute 40 seconds. When I tested with the docking station right next to the laptop, the transfer took 3:11. As expected, times increased as I moved the docking station farther away, to 5:12 at a distance of just over 8 feet. I was actually able to establish a connection from roughly 11 feet away, but the file transfer failed about 8 minutes in. It makes sense that wireless transfer speeds would be lower than wired, because UWB just can't approach regular USB data rates. According to Kensington, the docking station should get 20 to 40 megabits per second for file transfers from a meter away. In contrast, wired USB 2.0 has a maximum bandwidth of 480 Mbps.
One of my favorite features on this device is the ability to connect wirelessly to an external monitor. I could see this coming in handy at a meeting or presentation where you want the freedom to present from different parts of a room while displaying information on a screen. One caveat, though: Kensington readily admits that the docking station is not meant for multimedia. It can handle documents or low-quality video (think YouTube), but it's really not meant for streaming anything at a higher resolution. Videos should stream at 60 to 70 Mbps, according to Kensington.
Predictably, the monitor connection dropped off between 10 and 12 feet. I wouldn't recommend trying to manipulate any documents or images on the monitor at too great a distance from the docking station. The farther away you get, the greater the lag time will be between what's happening on your computer screen and what you see on the station display. The docking station offers two viewing modes—Clone and Extended (dual-view), and it's easy enough to switch between them via a silver button on the front of the unit. Clone view shows the same view you see on your laptop, while Extended view allows you to use two monitor screens for a larger working space.
During testing I also connected the docking station to a set of Harman/Kardon SoundSticks II speakers (audio was clear and responsive); plugged in a Canon Selphy ES2 photo printer (though I didn't actually print with it); and used a wireless mouse and keyboard set connected to the docking station. Everything I plugged in was immediately recognized by the laptop; I never had any trouble connecting to a device via the docking station and I never had to wait.
It's unfortunate that Wireless USB still isn't that common on laptops. Without it, you won't be able to connect to the Kensington Wireless USB Docking Station, except via the included cable. There's always the option of purchasing a separate UWB dongle as well. You can find one for less than $100, but the docking station's price is already high without that extra expense. Kensington sells a Bluetooth UWB dongle, but the manufacturer doesn't recommend using it, saying it will drastically lower data transfer rates. But if you're one of the lucky few with a UWB-enabled laptop, and mobility and an expanded feature set are of great importance to you, this docking station is an elegant solution.
