Blogging from 25,000 feet
Update at 7:35 p.m. PST: Photos from the flight and a few extra observations have been added.
Virgin America kicks off in-flight Wi-Fi on Saturday.
Click on image for more photos.
So when sassy airline Virgin America offered CNET the chance to test its new Gogo in-flight Wi-Fi service, I jumped at the chance. And yes, I'm writing this 25,000 feet or so (we're still climbing) above the Northern California coast. We're cruising on an hour-long demonstration flight out of the San Francisco International Airport. Check out the slideshow for more shots.
After passing 10,000 feet, I was able to find the sky-high Wi-Fi signal and create an account within minutes. The service works faster than I expected--not as quick as my cable Internet service at home but zippy nonetheless. Yahoo and CNET loaded relatively quickly, and CNET's Kara Tsuboi was able to stream videos. I went straight to blogging, so I didn't take much of an online tour, but it looks promising.
So far the service is available on one of Virgin America's uber-hip Airbus A320 aircraft. That plane (registration N638VA, "My other ride is a spaceship") will begin flying scheduled service on Thanksgiving Day. The service will be rolled out to the airline's entire A320 fleet by the second quarter of 2009.
Of course, the Wi-Fi service will cost you. You'll pay $9.95 for flights of three hours or less and $12.95 for flights more than three hours. I think that's a pretty fair price (particularly if you're on a company expense account) for the privilege of browsing, chatting, and e-mailing while aloft. And don't worry about your laptop battery dying. Virgin America has USB and electrical power connections in every row, both in first class and economy.
The service is available through Aircell, which powers the in-flight Wi-Fi technology. Radio towers through the continental United States transmit EV-DO Rev A signals to the planes. Three antennas on the outside of the aircraft pick up the signal, which is then transmitted throughout the cabin. Aircell is also working with Delta and American to provide Wi-Fi service.
Thankfully, cell phone service in the air is still an no-no due to FAA regulations. VoIP services also will be banned, but you will be able to text if you have a Wi-Fi-enabled cell phone. What's more, Virgin America says it will not filter Web sites.
In this photo--transmitted Saturday from a Virgin America Airbus A320 about 35,000 feet above San Francisco, passengers hold up their wireless devices at the launch of in-flight Wi-Fi.
(Credit: Virgin America)
Kent German is a senior editor for cell phone reviews at CNET. When he's not testing the newest handsets on the market, he's blogging about cell phone news for Crave. In his On Call column, he answers reader questions and gives his take on the rapidly changing mobile industry. E-mail Kent. 
I wonder how long it will be until there will be people posting on forums or chatting on IM's when something horrific happens to a flight. Will it be broadcast over live webcam? Will it help offer clues towards some crashes or assist authorities in dealing with hijackings?
I can't imagine how useful first hand accounts would be to the NTSB.
Anyone else have thoughts such as these cross your mind?
Imagine how horrific it would be webcamming with your loved one and suddenly seeing the airplane in chaos, and finally watching them plummet to the ground and die.
Also interesting to read that the "uplink" is via EV-DO. I didn't think EV-DO was able to hand off signal from tower to tower that quickly - to be able track a plane moving at ~500mph. I think most other services of this kind have used Satellite?
Now, back to my sammich.
Only if they have the correct scenery, (or whatever MS calls them in Flight Simulator, now), files for their route and airports along the route
Gees guys - it you are stupid enough to watch porn in a public place you might just be smart enough to bring it with you.
This is really old news. American Airlines has had this same service up and running for many months now. Delta Airlines is installing GoGo as well.
Airlines are just mass transit in the sky these days anyway. Nothing they do is all that exciting. Besides...airplanes are for sleeping!
Go easy? No, that's not right. It's people with attitudes like yours that have significantly contributed to the dumbing-down of human society. If you're going to attempt to communicate, at least do it properly. As a retired high school teacher I can assure you we need to be doing all we can to promote the correct use of language ... any language. Albeit a rather coarse treatment, OblivionSundae is correct in his basic message; I'd have done it differently.
So let's hear from all those who believe I'm wrong and who believe personal freedom should always be respected no matter how silly, stupid, or dangerous it might be. But you keep up the good work buddy, people like you make it so much more fun for people like me. You see, the best jobs with the best salary with the best benefits with the best working condition with the best and most respect will always go to those who present themselves well. I like that. You're stuck.
Until of course, the access point gets arp poisoned and then all that juicy business data gets stolen by the guy 2 feet from you.
It won't take long for someone to figure out how to get on it for free.
This is the worst idea since public access points at Stabucks and the local mall.
- by kcochrane December 5, 2008 1:24 PM PST
- This is awesome! Imagine not having to interrupt your work flow just because you have a cross country flight. HUGE productivity booster!
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