Wi-Fi Available on 1 in 3 U.S. Planes

Wi-Fi service is offered on more than one-third of the nation's passenger planes, so it's no longer rare to see travelers connecting to the Internet in midflight.

Business travelers might find wireless service on long flights to be so valuable -- for, say, answering e-mails or connecting to a company VPN -- that they're willing to pay Gogo's prices, Gold noted. "Business types with a pressing need will use it, but then they can expense it," he said. For casual users, on the other hand, "I think... the Wi-Fi price is still a bit too high," he said.

Wi-Fi has grown more common on U.S. flights even though the airlines have restricted passengers from using voice over Wi-Fi (or video chat) systems. Some airlines have said they don't believe passengers want to hear their fellow travelers engage in phone conversations during flights, although airlines in some other countries allow video chat.

Aircell has "multiple protocols and practices in place" to prevent the use of voice-over-IP systems, said a company spokeswoman. However, she acknowledged that it's "extremely difficult to stop every instance of VoIP." A recent New York Times article described a Skype call that took place on a Virgin America flight, and this reporter conducted a short video chat on a Virgin flight last December.

Matt Hamblen covers mobile and wireless, smartphones and other handhelds, and wireless networking for Computerworld. Follow Matt on Twitter at Twitter @matthamblen, or subscribe to Hamblen RSSMatt's RSS feed. His e-mail address is mhamblen@computerworld.com.

The Droid X Replace Your Laptop?

Could the Droid X Replace Your Laptop? Motorola's powerful new device points to a future where the laptop-replacing smartphone is a reality for businesses.

Rumor: Petite Macbook to Rival iPad Business professionals on the go should weigh the pros and cons of the iPad against the rumored smaller, lighter Macbook Air to decide which is the best mobile computing platform for their needs.

Social Media Lessons from the Old Spice Man Campaign The Old Spice Man offers an example of creativity for businesses seeking to engage customers with social media.

What Apple Needs to Do to Salvage Its Reputation If Apple wants to retain the credibility it has established with IT admins, it better speak openly and genuinely about the iPhone 4 issues, and commit to delivering solutions.

FCC Initiative Can Spur Broadband Investment and Innovation The FCC took a step toward freeing up satellite spectrum bandwidth to meet growing mobile broadband needs.