|
TRAVEL TECHNOLOGY NEWS
Criminal cyber networks have begun creating viruses
to hack into mobile phones in order
Criminal cyber networks have begun creating viruses
to hack into mobile phones in order to steal
sensitive information off devices which are
increasingly becoming mini-computers in our
pockets. After years of developing software to
infiltrate computers, experts say overseas-based
hacking networks have begun targeting mobile phones
because tech-savvy consumers are now using them for
so much more than calls. Until recently there has
been little incentive for hackers to develop
dubious software known as malwaree for mobiles
because there was only a limited number of ways to
scam people. Most previous scams centered around
getting people to text or call premium rate
numbers, or by tricking people into giving away
their bank details with fake calls. For Kristy
Spears, it was even the same seat - 8A - she
occupied on Jan. 15, but it was a far different
outcome. Thursday's New York-Charlotte flight did
not capture the world's imagination like "Miracle
on the Hudson," but rather turned into a festive
journey welcoming hero pilot Chesley "Sully"
Sullenberger back into the skies. Spears, a Bank of
America executive, was one of four Charlotte-area
passengers who survived the ditching of US Airways
Flight 1549 and rode with Sullenberger on Thursday
as he returned to the cockpit. "I wish it had gone
as smoothly the first time," said Spears of Tega
Cay, after the Airbus 319 touched down at 2:27
p.m., nearly a half hour ahead of schedule, in
Charlotte.
EU launches free satellite
system to fine-tune GPS
The European Union launched a free satellite
navigation network on Thursday that could help
pilots, drivers and blind people by fine-tuning the
accuracy of the U.S. global positioning system
(GPS) to around 2 metres. The EGNOS system will use
three satellites and 34 ground stations to narrow
the horizontal accuracy of GPS from around 7 metres
previously and improve its vertical accuracy to
help pilots during landings. The "Safety-of-Life"
service for aircraft navigation could be in place
next year, the EU executive said in a statement.
Farmers could also benefit from improved precision
for spraying fertilisers, and new applications
could emerge on roads, such as automatic tolling
and pay-per-use car insurance. "It will make all
personal navigation applications much more precise,
giving birth to new possibilities like guiding aids
for blind people," the Commission said. The system
was pioneered by the Commission, the European Space
Agency and aviation safety authority Eurocontrol.
It paves the way for the better known Galileo
project, a European satellite system which will
rival GPS and could be up and running in 2014. The
4 billion euro ($5.8 billion) Galileo project,
Europe's biggest single space programme, has been
plagued by delays and squabbling over funding that
ended only when the EU agreed to fund it from the
public purse.
Say Goodbye to Your
Wireless Carrier and Come to Us, Croons Sprint, in
New Online Music Videos
Can't get no satisfaction from high wireless bills
and restrictive calling circles? On Sunday, Sept.
27, Sprint launched a unique form of video
entertainment designed to encourage wireless users
to belt it out, sing a goodbye song to their
current wireless carrier, and choose Sprint
instead. In a sign that the times they are a
changin', Sprint is offering Any Mobile, AnytimeSM
a new feature of Sprint Everything Data plans that
offers customers unlimited mobile-to-mobile calling
from the Sprint Network to ANY wireless phone on
any U.S. wireless carrier network at any time.
Sprint's call to action behind the new spots is
simple: go to www.mobilegoodbye.com, choose a
preferred tune (based on your current wireless
carrier), then watch as a hip crooner bursts into a
breakup song aimed at the restrictive calling
circles of T-Mobile, AT&T or Verizon Wireless.
People are encouraged to share the short video with
friends, family and colleagues to illustrate that
wireless phone subscribers can, indeed, beat it
with Sprint's Any Mobile, Anytime offering. These
playful songs creatively intone that people no
longer need to be suffocated by small calling
circles provided by most wireless carriers in order
to enjoy unlimited minutes.
Lyrics, based on jukebox favorites and old-time
classics, inform viewers that they can switch to
Sprint to get the freedom to call any of the 250
million plus mobile phones in the country from the
Sprint network without using a single minute on
their plan. "Like a Virgin" "Broken Wing" and "Oh!
Susanna" are featured in the spots.
These telecommunications torch-songs include such
lines as: "Sprint is sweet, and it beat, T-Mobile,
you had me sad and blue, So here's the deal, Yea,
T-Mobile here's the deal. It's goodbye to you.
Because there are more than 50 ways to leave your
wireless company, people who are unhappy with
restrictive calling circles can switch to Sprint
and experience the freedom of unlimited
mobile-to-any-mobile calling by signing up for one
of the Everything Data or Everything Data Family
plans. By offering unlimited calling to the people
customers call most often other wireless users
cutting the cord becomes a viable choice for more
people. And it will open the door to wireless data
and messaging for some people who have been
concerned about the cost of these capabilities.
Furthermore, wireless-centric families will find
Everything Data Family plans with Any Mobile,
Anytime especially beneficial. For example, at
$42.50* per person, a family of four can get
unlimited wireless for each family member. So, if
those boots are made for walking, a move to Sprint
translates into nationwide unlimited messaging and
data, and now unlimited calling, to any of the more
than 250 million wireless customers in the United
States at any time, for each member of the
family.
Aerorepublica, Air France
The Thru Check-In service will allow users of the
two airlines to make light of its luggage from the
city of origin in Colombia or in any place of the
world to its final destination without transporting
the luggage from one airline to another.
Amtrak
A new website is now available for Virginia's rail
travelers, www.AmtrakVirginia.com, with information
on all Amtrak service in Virginia including the new
Northeast Regional service that provides expanded
transportation choices for travelers. Beginning
this fall, new roundtrip Northeast Regional service
will be offered from Lynchburg and Richmond to
major destinations in the Northeast Corridor,
including Philadelphia, New York, Boston and more.
The Lynchburg service starts on Oct. 1 and the
Richmond service begins in December. Tickets are
now available for the Lynchburg service and may be
booked at www.Amtrak.com. Passengers who book now
through Dec. 16 may take advantage of a fare
promotion which offers up to 25 percent off the
lowest published coach fare on Northeast Regional
service between Lynchburg, Washington, D.C., New
York and Boston. Sample one-way fares include USD
66 between Lynchburg and New York and USD 71
between Lynchburg and Boston. In celebration of the
new Lynchburg service, a whistle stop tour is
scheduled for Sept. 30. For more information, visit
www.amtrakvirginia.com/hotdeals.aspx. Reservations
are required for travel and must be made at least
14 days in advance of travel. Some restrictions
apply. For more information, call 800-USA-RAIL or
visit www.amtrak.com.
British Airways, Airbus
British Airways launches its all-business-class
service between London City and New York JFK today.
The service, which will be offered twice-daily by
mid-October, will be operated on specially
configured A318s with 32 lie-flat business class
seats. The launch flights bear numbers formerly
used for Concorde services, BA001 to BA004. "For
the first time, New York has a tailor-made premium
service to the London Canary Wharf area on its
doorstep," said BA Executive VP-Americas Simon
Talling-Smith. The flights will feature OnAir
inflight connectivity enabling passengers to use
their mobile and smart phones to send and receive
text messages and e-mails and for Internet access.
Passengers departing LCY will be able to check in
for a flight as late as 15 min. before departure.
Westbound flights will stop for refueling at
Shannon, where passengers will be able to clear
customs and immigration before reaching New
York.
Expedia.com
Expedia.com released the fall issue of the Expedia
Travel Trendwatch. This issue of the Trendwatch
shows that the significant travel values consumers
enjoyed over the summer will remain in place
through the fall travel season. Additionally, an
overall decline in business travel since 2008
continues to create opportunities for leisure
travelers in major destinations that traditionally
have depended on "road warriors" for fall revenue.
The report also highlights the affordability of
major domestic destinations this fall, as well as
the best value European destinations and a
sneak-peek at holiday travel trends. Business
travelers still hitting the road are finding that
lower prices are allowing them to extend business
trips into leisure trips.
more
Travel Tech news.....
To
Subscribe to Our
Newsletters
or
AirGuide Airline & Travel - Global News
AirGuide Air Safety & Security News
AirGuide Destination News
AirGuide Hotel & Resort News
AirGuide Travel Tech News
NEWS CONTACTS
Editorial
Contacts
Please send comments and
news tips to:
news@airguideonline.com
Press & Media
Inquiries
Please contact our New York office.
news@airguideonline.com
|
