…Airline Cabins, A Different Animal

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It’s a little different on airliners where interference could come from any of dozens of phones, BlackBerries or laptops in the back. But the technological hurdles are being overcome and it won’t be long before wireless communication can be safely carried out on airliners. Well, at least the avionics will be safe. What about the safety of the cell yellers and their obnoxious ring tones as they discover they can pursue their favorite pastime in the air? It could be that the social implications of allowing cellphone use on airliners might be a tougher nut to crack than the technical ones, according to Beverly Wyse, a spokeswoman for Connexions, a Boeing company that has created a cellphone system for airliners. Wyse said company has come up with at least two strategies to “protect privacy.” One might be to restrict cellphone use to text messaging only. Another would be to segregate those with cells from those who’d rather sleep, watch the movie or maybe even chat with their seatmates. This so-called “night zone” would be acoustically insulated to keep the sonic peace. Weren’t cellphones supposed to simplify our lives?

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