boeing

Too busy to keep up with the tech news? Here are some of the more interesting stories from CNET News for Monday, September 26.

• Obama visited Silicon Valley to try to woo technology leaders to discuss the economy and ways to move the country forward.

• So logging out of Facebook isn't enough? Facebook engineer says Facebook does track logged-out users. Just to put this rumor to rest, Facebook is still free. And, good thing Facebook fixed the unfriending bug so users can no longer see who unfriends them in the new Timeline.

• T-Mobile unveils high-end smartphones, including Samsung Electronics' … Read more

EVERETT, Wash.--At long last, Boeing has handed off what may be the most important commercial airplane in its history, the 787 Dreamliner.

Heralded for years as the biggest technological leap forward in aviation in decades, the Dreamliner has represented both Boeing's greatest promise--an all-new energy-efficient plane made from composite materials--and the biggest thorn in its side.

Despite being beset by myriad delays, the Dreamliner has engendered passionate excitement and interest, and this morning, Boeing finally reached a milestone it, and the world, has been awaiting for at least three years: the delivery of the first 787 to its … Read more

EVERETT, Washington--If you know anything about airplanes, you're no doubt aware of the long travails of one of the most anticipated airplanes of all time, Boeing's 787 Dreamliner.

First unveiled before thousands of employees, press, and fans on July 8, 2007 (07/08/07), the plane was supposed to begin carrying paying passengers by 2008. But after years of delays of all kinds, the Dreamliner has yet to achieve that milestone.

But on Monday, Boeing is expected to finally reach the top of the hill with the plane, and will host a large crowd eager to see the … Read more

The iPad might be winning the tablet battle on the ground, but Android is on its way to owning the air. Boeing has chosen the Android platform for in-flight entertainment for its new 787 Dreamliner airplane. Once integrated, passengers will be able to play games, listen to music, watch video, and more from the comfort of their seat.

Mark Larson, the technical manager at Boeing's Dreamliner Gallery, told the Australian Businss Traveler that all current 787s will see touch displays built into seats, giving the airliner's passengers something to do on those long flights. Economy seats will see … Read more

And all the engineers breathed out.

The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration last week gave Boeing certification for its 787 Dreamliner, saying that the company's years-in-the-making aircraft is finally safe for passengers. The announcement came after the aircraft completed its final flight tests on August 17.

The green-lighting will allow Boeing to make its first delivery to Japan's All Nippon Airways on September 28, at Tokyo's Haneda airport.

The Dreamliner is in many ways the aircraft on which the aerospace giant has staked its future. Constructed with composite materials, the 787 is supposed to be more fuel … Read more

Just two days after it completed flight testing for the 787 Dreamliner, Boeing has received flight certification from the Federal Aviation Administration and the European Aviation Safety Agency for its new 747-8 Freighter aircraft. The announcement, which came today, means Boeing can deliver the first airplane to launch-customer Cargolux early next month for revenue flights.

Also called the 747-8F, the aircraft is the latest generation of Boeing's iconic 747 family, which has been in production under various forms since 1969. Powered by General Electric GEnx-2B engines, the 747-8F is 16 percent longer than its most immediate predecessor, the 747-400, … Read more

Boeing announced today that it has completed flight certification for its 787 Dreamliner aircraft powered by Rolls-Royce engines. The final flight concluded on Sunday when ZA102, the ninth 787 to be built, landed at Paine Field in Everett, Wash., following a 90-minute flight from Billings, Mont.

The company will now submit the necessary certification materials to the Federal Aviation Administration so the 787 can carry revenue passengers. The first aircraft is set for delivery to launch-customer All Nippon Airways next month (Jon Ostrower of FlightBlogger toured ANA's first 787 earlier this month).

The flight testing and pilot training started … Read more

Boeing will use United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rockets for initial test flights of the company's proposed CST-100 manned spacecraft, a seven-seat capsule being developed for commercial missions to and from government and private-sector space stations in low-Earth orbit, company officials announced today.

John Elbon, vice president and program manager of Boeing commercial crew transportation systems, said four test flights of the CST-100 spacecraft are envisioned, assuming continued NASA funding, including an on-the-launch-pad abort test in 2014 that will not require a booster.

The other three flights will use a version of the Atlas 5 that includes one solid-fuel … Read more

Boeing is formally joining an effort to give directed-energy capabilities to U.S. Navy machine guns through a BAE Systems effort to develop the Mk 38 Mod 2 Tactical Laser System.

The technology will unite a solid-state, high-energy laser weapon module with BAE's Mk 38 Mod 2 gun system. It will add adjustable levels of laser energy to counter threats such as small boats and UAVs.

"This is revolutionary--to combine kinetic and directed energy weapons capability into one system," says Boeing spokesperson Elizabeth Merida. "Adding the laser system provides extremely precise targeting ability."

The tie-up … Read more