Is it really too much to ask for to be able to enjoy a little Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter while travelling via plane? Just imagine how much more engaging (and productive) a long overseas flight could be with WiFi web access. No more in flight movie on those tiny screens, but instead time spent on social network, and I don’t know, even blogs!
Apparently a lot of the European airlines already feature in flight WiFi, and it looks like our domestic airlines are about to head in that direction, as well. Alaska Airlines is leading the pack, and is set to test out its new WiFi system on flights between San Jose and Seattle. If it takes off well (and I can’t imagine it wouldn’t), we could start to see WiFi on more and more Alaska Airlines flights. No doubt five to ten years in the future it will be on all large commercial aircraft carriers. It just seems to be a matter of time…
When I think of mobile phones, I think of Nokia. And when I think of Nokia, I think of mobile phones. Seriously, it feels as though I’ve been using Nokia as my mobile phone of choice for centuries. That’s why, I was most surprised today to read that Nokia is considering dabbling in a new market for them — the laptop market.
When I started to think more about it, it sort of makes sense. I mean, it seems like every big tech company is trying to come out with a cell phone these days (Apple, Google, Dell), which takes more and more away from Nokia’s market share. So why wouldn’t they try to even the score?
Right now the potential Nokia laptop offering is just a frequently repeated rumour, but it will be interesting to see what, if anything, they do develop for the laptop market.
For many of the college kids I know, the most important aspect of going back to school is not what you might think. It’s not the friends, the parties, or the chance to get a great education – I mean those are all givens. The exciting part for many kids is picking out a brand new student laptop! Okay, well at least that was the case for me, and seems to be for some of the people I know. So, I got to think, what is it that a student really needs in a laptop, and which laptop choices are the most convenient for students?
Of course, while some students (like those enrolled in graphic design, etc) will need ultra capable machines with tons of memory, most students will do well with a more modest laptop. I mean, unless the student is looking to do design work or some serious gaming outside of class, an entry level model will probably fare just fine. One thing such students may want to splurge on is paying extra to get a lightweight laptop, as packing a heavy machine around from class to class can be a little trying. Otherwise though, as long as the laptop (or netbook even) has a suitable amount of RAM and can run basic internet and office programs, it really should suit the average student just fine.
