WiFi on Planes

from Greg
Internet on the airplane is starting. Delta announces it will offer $2 passes to use WiFi inflight. Who thought Delta would lead the charge.

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from Delta
Read the full press release HERE

Take off and txt away.  With an in-flight Wi-Fi Mobile Pass available starting as low as $1.95, you can keep up with your friends and loved ones from above 10,000 feet.  Send and receive mobile messages using most Wi-Fi enabled smartphones via iMessage, Blackberry Messenger, or other messaging apps like WhatsApp, Google Hangout, and Facebook Messenger.  Or you can email and browse the web, all from your smartphone.

So no more “BRB” when you get on a flight. Instead, feel free to “ROTFL” (only when the fasten seat-belt sign is turned off).

With the most Wi-Fi equipped planes in the air, no other airline keeps you more connected.

GOGO HAS THE U.S. COVERED
Delta Connect and Gogo are available on Gogo equipped flights within the continental U.S. and portions of Alaska*.

With Delta and Gogo, you can surf the sky knowing that we have you covered on Gogo equipped flights within the entire continental U.S. & Alaska.
*Service is not available outside the continental USA and Alaska as shown. Some parts of Alaska may experience interruptions.

Check My Trips to see if Wi-Fi is available on your flight.

HOW TO CONNECT
Wi-Fi. You've got it on the ground — now look for it in the air.
To see if the Internet is available, look for the "Wi-Fi Onboard" icon overhead or next to your row number.

To connect, turn on your Wi-Fi device, connect to the "gogoinflight" signal and launch your browser.

Tech Tip: You can connect with any Wi-Fi enabled device, including laptops, tablets and smartphones (set to airplane mode, of course).

Related articles

• Delta Introduces $2 In-Flight Wi-Fi Passes for Smartphones
• 5 Things to Do With Your Computer When Wi-Fi Is Down
• Will WiFi calling ever be enough?
• Sony realizes Xperia Z Ultra was a tablet all along, launches Wi-Fi-only variant

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TP-Link 300Mbps Universal WiFi Range Extender

from Mike
A few months ago my family and I moved into a bigger house to accomodate combining households with my in-laws. My son quickly claimed the converted garage as his own little man pit and gawked at how much real estate he could call his own.

Buy it HERE on Amazon.com

All was well until he tried to watch videos in bed on his iPhone. The head of his bed was just on the edge of the household's WiFi router, so it was dropping the signal and reconnecting in a loop. While he figured out that if he slept with his head at the foot of the bed his signal stability improved, this was not a long-term solution.

As a recent Amazon Prime member, I started searching around for an extender that was both cheap and included in the free two-day shipping benefit. I found one by TP-Link (model TL-WA850RE) for $30. This is on the low end of the price range for WiFi extenders and offers an adequate 300Mbps signal.

The unit plugs into a standard two-prong outlet and has an ethernet port so you can plug a laptop directly into it to set it up (which worked the first time). You can also set it up wirelessly, but I found that a little difficult to accomplish. Once it is plugged in and set up, you can move the extender to any plug within the WiFi range and it will automatically log into your wireless network and begin repeating the signal.

Suddenly, my son could stand in the farthest corner of his young man pit and still access WiFi. And all was well in the world.

The unit has a blue LED ring to indicate the status of the device and the sleek white case is unobtrusive and even a little attractive. TP-Link offers a two year warranty and 24/7 unlimited tech support. All in all, well worth the $30.

Is driving with Google Glasses legal? Read more HERE

from Developer
Extend Your Range
TP-LINK's TL-WA850RE is designed to conveniently extend the coverage and improve the signal strength of an existing wireless network to eliminate “dead zones”. With 300Mbps wireless N speeds, Range Extender button, miniature size and wall mounting design, extending a wireless network has never been easier. What's more, its Ethernet port allows the TL-WA850RE to act as a wireless adapter to turn a wired device into a wireless one.

300Mbps Range Extender
TL-WA850RE can vastly expand the coverage of the existing wireless network. With 300Mbps wireless 802.11n speeds, it is ideal for smooth HD video, music streaming, and online gaming.

Setup with Your Fingertip
To set up the device, users can simply push the WPS button on their router and within two minutes push the RE button on the TL-WA850RE or vice versa. If your router does not have a WPS button, you can access the quick setup mode through the web browser-based user interface. Login credentials are retained internally after setup, allowing you to relocate as needed to generate ideal coverage.

WiFi Your Wired Gadgets
After the range extender is set up, users can connect wired devices such as Blu-ray players, gaming consoles, DVRs, and Internet TVs to the extender via the ethernet port. As a result, those devices are added to the whole wireless network and can access the internet.

Smart Signal Indicator Light
Five signal lights represent the current signal strength that TL-WA850RE receives from the existing router. They can help to find the right location to place the range extender and to achieve the best possible coverage and performance.

Other Features
Works seamlessly with other 802.11 b/g/n wireless devices
Miniature size and wall-mounted design make it easy to deploy and move flexibly
Supports domain name-based login for advanced management

Advanced 64/128/152-bit WEP, WPA-PSK / WPA2-PSK encryptions protect your network from security threats

Related articles

• TP-Link Debuts its 300Mbps Wireless Range Extender Powerline Edition at CES 2014
• PERFECT! TP-LINK TL-WA850RE 300Mbps Universal Wi-Fi Range Extender, Repeater, Wall Plug design, One-button Setup, Smart Signal Indicator
• TP-LINK Adds AC1900 Wireless Dual Band Gigabit Router to Growing Line of Powerful 802.11ac Products
• Updated: Powerline networking: what you need to know

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iPad Air

By Apple

Price - Starts at $499
Buy it from Apple!

Category - Hardware

Greg's Review

Over the weekend my wife and I went on a short trip. When we got home I was unpacking the car and I dropped my iPad 4 on to the concrete garage floor. A spider web crack now snakes across the screen.

My wonderful wife immediately said go get another one and we'll call it an early birthday present. So I went to the store and got a brand spanking new iPad Air.

It is amazingly light and rocket fast. Weighs under a pound and it sports a retina display. The A7 processor is noticeably faster than the A5 in my iPad 4. Game performance is smoother and more responsive than previous models.

Combine that with the world's best operating system and the largest app collection currently available and you have another great tablet from Apple. This devices is as close to a desktop replacement I have found yet.

This tablet gets my highest recommendation.

From Developer

-Dimensions
Height: 9.4 inches (240 mm)
Width: 6.6 inches (169.5 mm)
Depth: 0.29 inch (7.5 mm)
Weight: 1 pound (469 g)

-Chip
A7 chip with 64-bit architecture and M7 motion coprocessor

-Sensors
Three-axis gyro
Accelerometer
Ambient light sensor

-Retina display
9.7-inch (diagonal) LED-backlit Multi-Touch display with IPS technology
2048-by-1536 resolution at 264 pixels per inch (ppi)
Fingerprint-resistant oleophobic coating

-Battery and Power
Built-in 32.4-watt-hour rechargeable lithium-polymer battery
Up to 10 hours of surfing the web on Wi-Fi, watching video, or listening to music
Charging via power adapter or USB to computer system

- Ultra Fast Wifi
iPad Air gives you up to twice the Wi-Fi performance thanks to two antennas and MIMO (multiple-input multiple-output) technology. With dual-band (2.4GHz and 5GHz) 802.11n Wi-Fi and MIMO, download speeds can reach up to 300 Mbps — double the data rate of the previous-generation iPad. So now when you want to download a movie, share photos or documents with AirDrop, or just browse the web, your connection is even faster than before.

-Apps Apps Apps
iPad Air is the perfect everyday companion. Because it comes with apps that help you do the everyday things you love to do, like check your email, talk to Mom over FaceTime, or consult Siri to settle a bet. And now iPhoto, iMovie, GarageBand, Pages, Numbers, and Keynote are free with iPad Air.3 So you can write the next great novel, nail your presentation, and compose a score for your home movie — all from your iPad Air. And all these apps are optimized for 64-bit architecture. So they run smoothly and powerfully, and make iPad Air — and you — more capable than ever. From the moment you turn it on.

Plan a road trip. Study whale migration. Draw blueprints for a building. Or repel a zombie invasion. For anything and everything you do, there’s an iPad app. And new ones are always being added in the App Store. iPad apps are so much easier to use and love because they aren’t just stretched-out phone apps. They feel like they’re made for iPad — because they are made for iPad. They take advantage of every pixel on the Retina display and leverage technologies like the gyroscope, accelerometer, and compass. And with the incredible potential of 64-bit architecture, this is just the beginning for what you’ll be able to do (and explore, and study, and draw, and zap) with iPad Air. 

- Facetime HD camera
Sometimes it’s nice to put a face to the conversation. And with FaceTime video calls on iPad Air, your conversations never looked better. Make a video call over Wi-Fi or cellular and see (or show) every expression on the beautiful display.4 And now the FaceTime HD camera features a next-generationbackside illumination sensor with larger pixels. Which brightens up all your FaceTime chats, selfies, and group Photo Booth shots, even inlow-light situations.

- 5MP iSight camera
We think about what goes into a great shot, so you don’t have to. The 5-megapixel iSight camera on iPad Air was designed to help you capture all of life’s moments at a moment’s notice. Use the Retina display as an easy viewfinder to frame the perfect shot. And quickly swipe between capturing stills or 1080p HD video. Every time you shoot, the image signal processor in the A7 chip works with the camera to make a ton of adjustments and deliver a great picture or video — automatically. You don’t have to think about anything other than who you’re going to share the moment with.

-Dual microphones
iPad Air hears where you’re coming from. That’s because it has two microphones. And they don’t just collect more sound — they work together to capture better sound by suppressing audio from the source you’re not focused on. So the audio on FaceTime calls is improved because there’s less background noise. Your video recordings sound clearer. And Siri is even better at recognizing what you’re saying.

Related articles

• No bible available? NY swears in politician with iPad bible app
• Amazon Kindle Fire HDX review
• iPad Buying Guide
• iPad Mini Buying Guide
• Apple iPad Pro With 4K Display Now In Development By Foxconn: Latest Rumor - Crossmap

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