Ideas for a Smarter, Faster World

As I write this blog post, I’m sitting in coach on an American Airlines flight from Dallas/Fort Worth to Pittsburgh. There’s nothing remarkable in that, really - I’ve written many things while flying. What is remarkable is that I also found the image that I used in the post online, did a little research on the subject matter via Google and then published it while in the air.

Though in-flight wifi has been around for at least a year-and-a-half at this point, this in my first time using it. And if you’ve browsed the web, checked email or transferred files while cruising through the sky, then maybe this doesn’t seem all that remarkable to you. But this is my first time using in-flight wifi, and I’m absolutely amazed by the fact that I’m surfing the web while simultaneously streaming Jay-Z over Grooveshark.com and checking email.

What’s so amazing about it for me, a heavy (and might I add quite savvy) user of technology? Two things. First, it works amazingly well. I connected in about 60 seconds from the point that I opened by my laptop, and that includes the time that it took to register with the GoGo service and enter my billing info. Granted, I am on a Macbook, but I’ve had a heck of a lot more troubles connecting to public networks while my feet have been on the ground. And it’s fast - really fast.  I did an image search and it reacted as quickly as it would in my office. And I’m still streaming music over Grooveshark (Interpol now) and it has yet to pause to buffer. It’s MUCH faster than the wifi that I’ve used in the hotel that I’ve been staying at over the past few days. Or at the one Hyatt in Austin where I stayed last week. Or, well, any hotel wifi that I’ve experienced in recent memory.

But beyond the speed and ease-of-use, what I think is coolest about having access to the web while flying is the possibilities that it opens. Time in-flight used to be time spent somewhat in limbo. You had no contact with people on the ground, and if you had business that you needed to attend to it would just have to wait - you were out of touch for the duration. But with in-flight wifi, you can stay connected to what’s happening at work (if you want to). Traveling for fun? Check on updated weather conditions at your destination, or do some last minute research on things to do or how to get from the airport to your hotel. And forget about hitting the news stand to stock up on magazines before taking to the sky. Who needs magazines when you have the entire web at your fingertips to keep you informed and entertained as you while away the hours above the clouds? Or maybe buy yourself a new book for the Kindle Reader on your iPhone.

In-flight wifi is pretty cool, and it’s going to open up a lot of opportunities for travelers to connect with the world during a time and in a place when they are usually out of touch. One of the last remaining barriers to always-on, always connected mobile culture is being torn down. And once 3G service is available in the sky and we don’t need to pay $10 a flight for wifi you’ll see a lot more people taking advantage of the possibilities of internet access in the sky.

But as of right now, I’m still pretty impressed that I can do it today, Grooveshark is still streaming as I cruise along somewhere over the Midwest.