flights

USA Today releases...an iPhone travel app?

The App Store is already replete with travel apps, so what's the big deal about USA Today AutoPilot?

For one thing, it's free--despite offering such advanced features as TripIt integration, real-time flight status, and quick access to travel blogs.

Then there's the branding: Last I checked, USA Today was a newspaper (with its own news app). So what's with the travel software?

"USA TODAY is synonymous with travel. Travelers love us and we love being everywhere they need us with innovative new products," said Matt Jones, vice president of mobile strategy and operations for … Read more

Samsung launches Mythic, Flight

CTIA isn't starting for two days, but Samsung joined Pantech on Monday morning with new phone announcements for AT&T. The Samsung Flight and the Mythic take different approaches to design, but they both offer the new AT&T Mobile Browser, which promises a full HTML browsing experience similar to a computer.

The Mythic has a 3.3.-inch touch-screen and a thin profile and it has a full feature set, including a speakerphone, 3G, Samsung's TouchWiz interface, AT&T Navigator, a memory card slot, a music player, messaging and e-mail, a personal organizer, and … Read more

Wi-Fi takes off with travelers

Wi-Fi Internet access could help airlines win over customers who are looking to stay connected while en route, a recent survey concludes.

According to a study published this week by Wakefield Research for the Wi-Fi Alliance, about 75 percent of frequent business travelers surveyed said they'd choose an airline based on whether the flight has Wi-Fi or not. Half of respondents said they'd even consider moving their reservation by a day to get on a flight that offered Wi-Fi. And more than 70 percent of those surveyed said they'd rather have Wi-Fi access on board a flight … Read more

Turbine-electric hybrid VTOL attack drone flies again

The Excalibur, a new turbine-electric hybrid propelled VTOL (vertical takeoff and landing) unmanned attack drone, has successfully completed another test flight after taking on two new onboard computers last week.

Developed by Aurora Flight Sciences Corp. for the U.S. Army Aviation Applied Technology Directorate and the Office of Naval Research, the Excalibur is another radical robo-craft concept vying to fill the military's burgeoning demand for specialized UAVs.

The demonstrator model, weighing in at 700 pounds, can hit 520 mph, making it one of the fastest drones around, according to the Aurora. The nearly autonomous flight control system allows … Read more

Inside the world's largest wind tunnel

Dig for treasure and manage a busy harbor: iPhone apps of the week

I just wrote about Baseball Slugger 3D earlier this week because it went on sale, but seriously, if you like baseball at all, this home-run derby game is worthy of the regular price of $2.99. I started playing last night using the online matchup system and didn't stop playing for over an hour. Not only is hitting home runs really satisfying, but when you play and lose against someone, you can always go for a rematch, which leads to another rematch...and so on. Then, if you really think a particular opponent is a good competitive match, you … Read more

British Airways won't retrofit for mobile communications

British Airways will not extend in-flight mobile communication to any of its aircraft already in service, CEO Willie Walsh says.

The airline is planning to launch a mobile e-mail, Web browsing, and texting service from OnAir on two new Airbus A318 aircrafts in September.

However, it would cost the airline too much to fit similar systems to its current aircraft, Walsh said Wednesday at the Sita Air Transport IT Summit 2009 conference in Cannes, France.

"We are not planning to retrofit the equipment to existing aircraft because we believe it will be too expensive," he said.

He added … Read more

Five must-have iPhone apps for your next trip

I'm winging my way to San Francisco in a couple weeks, so I've been rounding up apps that'll make my trip easier and more enjoyable.

Obviously I'll stock up on e-books and movies for the flight (Wondershare's DVD Ripper Platinum is proving a great choice for copying my DVDs to my iPhone), and I've already got old standbys like Urbanspoon and Yelp for finding local grub and businesses.

But there's more to a trip than just food and in-flight movies. Here's a list of the iPhone apps I've decided to pack:

HazelMail Postcards Sure, you can always e-mail photos of your trip, but doesn't grandma deserve a good old-fashioned postcard? HazelMail turns any iPhone snapshot into the real deal, then mails it (along with your custom wish-you-were-here message) to any address. First one's free; after that, each card costs $1.50 (or get 12 for $12). TravelTracker Pro A bit more robust than competitors SplashTravel and Travel Assistant, TravelTracker Pro helps you keep tabs on every aspect of your trip: flights, car/hotel reservations, weather, and even currency exchange rates. Plus, it integrates with the excellent TripIt service to automatically import/update your travel plans, and provides live flight tracking via FlightStats. Only gripe: It's a little pricey at $12.99. GadgetTrak A stolen iPhone could put a major damper on your trip. Free app GadgetTrak aims to help you get it back, and while it's not quite as effective as MobileMe, it can't hurt to install it before leaving.… Read more

Digital postcards and an online flight sim: iPhone apps of the week

Of all the great enhancements, fixes, and goodies in iPhone OS 3.0 (video overview here), I quickly realized there was one glaring omission. With the useful addition of a Voice Memos app, an old problem reared its ugly head. The update put the Voice Memos app icon on the home page, pushing whatever lone app icon that sat in the lower right of the homepage onto its own screen on the next page. This meant that in order to maximize my use of page space (I have a lot of apps!), I now had to rearrange my apps on … Read more