Top Stories
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Choice Hotels’ big three priorities on tech: cloud, mobile, big data
DigitalChoice Hotels‘ tech team has identified three tech trends it hopes to capitalize on in the next few years: cloud-based technology, mobile and big data. Having Choice’s property management system housed in the cloud–which [it] says is the first of its kind–means owners and managers can access a property’s performance data from anywhere at any [...]
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Airlines await yet another revenue stream pending faster Wi-Fi
Transport…despite the rapid expansion of Wi-Fi on airplanes, no one has found a profitable way to cover installation costs with the scant revenue generated by the limited number of passengers who have been willing to pay for Internet service at 35,000 feet. The great advances in airplane Internet connections are being driven far more by [...]
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The new Google Maps products are the killer travel apps
DigitalThe most popular travel app on smartphones has always been Google Maps, but today’s announcements at the Google I/O developers conference makes life even more difficult for what few mapping, planning, and local information competitors the search giant has left. Google’s updated Maps products for smartphones, tablets, and desktop improve on what’s already the best [...]
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Airline groups split on in-flight mobile use, not enough data on interference
TransportThe regional airliner was climbing past 9,000 feet when its compasses went haywire, leading pilots several miles off course until a flight attendant persuaded a passenger in row 9 to switch off an Apple Inc. iPhone. “The timing of the cellphone being turned off coincided with the moment where our heading problem was solved,” the [...]
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Trend alert: Airlines offer flyers access to thousands of digital publications
TransportAirlines around the world are responding to the large number of passengers carrying smartphones, notebooks, tablets and e-readers by equipping seats with power ports and introducing onboard Wi-Fi and/or wireless inflight entertainment portals. In an effort to offer passengers a much wider variety of news, instead of the rather obligatory bunch of newspapers and magazines [...]
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Lawsuit against Delta’s mobile app privacy violations dismissed
TransportDelta Air Lines Inc. won dismissal of a case claiming it violated California’s online privacy law because its mobile-phone application didn’t notify users that personal information, such as their locations, was collected. The lawsuit was the first brought by California Attorney General Kamala D. Harris under the state’s Online Privacy Protection Act since she announced [...]
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Gogo wins FCC license and could launch satellite Wi-Fi for Delta
DigitalGogo is one step closer to bringing Ku-band satellite-supported inflight Wi-Fi to Delta Air Lines and other customers after receiving a license from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to operate Ku-band terminals on domestic and international flights, the APEX editor’s blog can reveal. The Chicago-headquartered company, which has been gearing up to launch Ku-band connectivity [...]
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The FCC just set off a high-stakes battle between in-flight Wi-Fi providers
TransportSatellite-based Wi-Fi services such as Row44 and Panasonic Avionics, which power on-board wireless networks for Southwest and United, respectively, have a clear competitive advantage over air-to-ground networks because the satellite systems offer much greater capacity for travelers trying to stream video or access bulky emails. But the Federal Communication Commission’s decision last week to begin [...]
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Facebook Android app can play photographer without your confirmation
DigitalCNBC’s Eli Langer put together a Storify collecting tweets and posts that suggest the Facebook app on Android might be a security risk. Yep. That says that the app has permission to “record audio at any time” and “use the camera at any time” without your confirmation. [View the story "Android Apps Accessing Your Microphone [...]
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Great for global travelers: Mobile messaging apps overtaking text messages
DigitalWhatsAp is one of Silicon Valley’s most buzzed-about companies, yet it actively avoids the spotlight, operating out of a small office in Mountain View, Calif., with no sign on the building entrance or on the office door. Unlike most start-ups eager for media attention, WhatsApp Inc. says it doesn’t want or need it. Its popular mobile [...]
