I read this http://www.fudzilla.com/home/item/31347-phone-users-ignore-flight-ban yesterday, and I read this story on TechSpot today. What am I missing here?

 

Hundreds of planes is not just a claim by Gogo. I can tell you that the largest Airbus fleet in North America has already been retrofit with the ATG 4 system. All they have to do is flip the switch.

All it took was replacing the ATG 3 antennas, add 2 side antennas, install a content loader, add the ATG4000 box, and upgrade the C-waps with N-waps.

 

The use of portable electronics is prohibited during ascent and descent only. Although "electronics" are generally OK, consumer devices with radios (I.e. Wi-Fi, cellular etc..) are technically banned at all times. Of course, these days, that's pretty much everything.

In-flight Wi-Fi / Internet is allowed by many airlines on many flights -- in fact, you pay the airline for the service. But their equipment is "certified":

"Over the last couple of years, airlines have responded to travelers? requests for inflight Internet access by installing WiFi systems that passengers can access (for a fee) using their laptop computers, Blackberries and other devices with a WiFi chip.

For each model of aircraft a WiFi system is to be used on, a manufacturer must get FAA certification for the system, and the airline must get FAA operational approval. The approvals include testing to show the equipment performs its intended function and doesn?t interfere with any aircraft systems during all phases of flight."

http://www.faa.gov/news/fact_sheets/news_story.cfm?newsid=6275

 

Something needs done, I purchased a 25 dollar NOgo during a recent flight, after 3 minutes of dealing with slow loading pages, pages that wouldn't load at all I stuffed my IPAD back into my bag. Won't do it again.

 

If I had an iPad I'd also stuff it in it's bag and only take it out again to get rid of it.

 

But what are you going to use to play angry birds >_>

 

My Nokia Lumia 920 duh

 

Personally I've never understood the reason to switch off all wireless devices on a aircraft...I never have and have also never crashed...I've flown a lot...If there was a problem with the devices planes would have already been brought down by this "problem" and they would be physically checking or making you check your devices in before boarding...That leads me to think its NOT a problem and this is just a lingering thought from earlier days of aviation... So why not let people use their normal cellular connections so long as they still function...