Here in the UK we have just seen a slight relaxation of the rules banning…well, just about anything from the cabin of an aeroplane. However, as quickly as we have been granted the right to carry eye shadow onto a plane, airlines are banning us from taking a laptop onboard.
Those who have been following the whole ‘overheating laptop battery’ saga will be aware that Virgin Atlantic have banned Dell and Apple laptops from the cabin as a result of the massive recall of Sony batteries recently.
“As a result of the current problems being experienced by the Apple and Dell Corporations with some of the batteries fitted to some of their laptops, as a safety precaution and with immediate effect, customers wanting to use an Apple or Dell laptop on board can only do so if the battery is removed. Any removed or spare batteries must be individually wrapped/protected and placed in your Carry On Baggage. This is limited to two batteries per passenger.”
But before you non Apple or Dell owners start to snigger, here’s another cautionary tale. A Thinkpad user in LA recently had passengers scattering when his PC burst into flames at a departure lounge just before he boarded a flight to London. Lenovo, makers of the Thinkpad range since they were sold by IBM, dispatched a team of investigators to Los Angeles within 12 hours of the incident, and confirmed that the laptop was a ThinkPad T43. At this stage there is no news about whether the battery involved was a Sony, but it is known that Lenovo use both Sony and Sanyo batteries.
So, expect Virgin to add Lenovo to their list of banned latops. In fact expect it to ban ALL laptops before much longer.
September 22nd, 2006
Nokia today announced that it has reached an agreement with Microsoft to integrate Live Search capabilities into its Mobile Search platform, thus enabling consumers access to Live Search directly from their Nokia Nseries multimedia computers and other compatible Nokia S60 devices. Live Search will provide advanced web search results in 14 languages to enable on-the-go access to the information and content consumers want most.
Microsoft will provide advanced search results for web search, as well as quick and easy access to information such as stock quotes, movie times, and common facts via Encarta Instant Answers. The Mobile Search experience from Nokia allows users to find search results more quickly than by using the browser and finding the web page of an internet search provider, since in many cases search will be accessible directly from the menu screen.
“Adding the advanced searching capabilities of Microsoft’s Live Search to our Mobile Search platform provides our customers with unique and powerful new ways to search the internet on their multimedia computers and many other compatible Nokia mobile devices,” commented Ralph Eric Kunz, vice president, Multimedia Experiences. “The Mobile Search platform is dedicated towards creating a user experience that is easy to access and optimally integrated into other functions of the device.”
“We are pleased to provide advanced Live Search services to enhance the search experience on Nokia’s S60 handsets,” said John DeVitis, product unit manager of Live Search for mobile at Microsoft Corp. “Live Search offers consumers unprecedented control and personalization giving them easy access to searching the web plus targeted instant information from their mobile
devices.”
The Mobile Search application is expected to be available in select markets in the standard sales packs of the Nokia N80 Internet Edition,
Nokia N73, Nokia N93, Nokia N70, Nokia N71, Nokia 6630, Nokia 6680, and Nokia 6681, it is also offered as a free download for select Nokia S60 devices from http://www.nokia.com/mobilesearch.
September 22nd, 2006