Delta Adds Calendar Web Feature

I was looking for a better seat on my next Delta flight (no luck there) when I happened on a smart new feature on the airline’s Web site  – a link to add flight details to my electronic calendar with one click.

The feature works for Outlook, the Mac’s iCal and the Yahoo! and Gmail calendars.

I have to hand it to Delta, which has always been a leader in integrating its reservations system and its Web site.  A sweet little feature like that may not be enough to win my business on its own, but every little bit helps.

Starbucks Wi-Fi Goes Free

Starbucks made wireless Internet access free at 6,700 company-owned stores as of yesterday.

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Kindle For Email

Necessity being the mother of invention, I have discovered that it’s possible to send and receive email on my Kindle.

The latest generation of Kindles has a rudimentary Web browser, as well as a thumb-style keyboard. The downloads over Kindle’s wireless signal can be excruciatingly slow, but with patience it can work in a pinch.

I used my Kindle for email during a camping trip this week. My cell phone battery refused to charge and I was a long way from any Wi-Fi, but I managed to stay in touch with the Kindle.

Oh, and you can read books with it.

A Lame Experience With In-Flight Wi-Fi

I had work to catch up on yesterday, so it seemed sensible to sign up for a day pass on Delta’s Gogo in-flight Wi-Fi.

The connection would cost $9.95 just for the flight to Atlanta, but the day pass was only $12.95 and I could also use it on the longer second leg to San Diego. Woo-hoo!

The connection was reasonably fast on the MD-88 that took us to Atlanta, and I was looking forward to getting more work done on the San Diego flight. Except the 757-200 we boarded for that flight had no Wi-Fi. 

Thank you Delta and Gogo, for making me feel like a chump. I could have spend that $12.95 on bad wine and an overpriced snack.

Google Maps Testing Hotel Rate Displays

Google is testing a feature that lists the rates of hotels next to their listings in Google Maps, according to the TechCrunch blog. Reviews are already linked into listings, so this adds another layor of information. I imagine we’ll see the same technology on GPS units in a few years.

McDonald’s To Offer Free Wi-Fi

I don’t spend a lot of time at McDonald’s, but I’ll be a lot more likely to drop in when the free Wi-Fi kicks in.

McDonald’s offers wireless Internet at 11,000 of its 14,000 U.S. restaurants, and has been charging $2.95 for two hours of access. In mid-January it will drop the fee, according to the Associated Press.

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Cell Phones On Planes? Hell, No!

A lobbying group has formed to fight for the right to use cell phones on commercial flights, USA Today reports.

Most consumers “want the choice of being able to use this technology,” says leader Carl Biersack, head of the Inflight Passenger Communication Coalition that’s trying to rally passengers.

True enough.  I certainly want the choice. I just don’t want anybody else to have the choice. I know from long experience that their cell phone conversations will annoy the living hell out of me.

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Free Wi-Fi For The Holidays

Google, Yahoo, eBay and Microsoft are providing free Wi-Fi access for travelers during the holiday season, the Associated Press reports.

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Google Sponsors Free Wi-Fi On Virgin America

Passengers on Virgin America flights between Nov. 10 and Jan. 15 will get free Gogo Inflight Internet access, courtesy of Google, the airline announced today.

Airlines are rolling out Wi-Fi as quickly as they can, but passengers have proved fairly resistant to the fees. Maybe this holiday special will break the ice. Or maybe it will overload the service and slow it to a crawl — especially when you consider that Virgin America has electrical outlets at every seat, so nobody will run out of battery power.

Anyway, I’d use it. I’ve never found any broadband that was too free for me.

Why I Have An Unlocked Quad-Band GSM Cell Phone

I just switched cell phone carriers and I didn’t have to sign a contract.

All I had to do was take the T-Mobile chip out of my phone, put the AT&T chip in and pay an activation fee. I could do this because I own an unlocked GSM phone, which is also handy for travel abroad for reasons I’ll get to.
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