Filed under: Handhelds, Portable Audio, Portable Video

It’s Thursday evening — do you know what that means? Besides being the unofficial start of the weekend (party people, what’s up?), it’s time for another round of Ask Engadget. This week we’ve got a college freshman who’s scared to death about 8-hour flights between his hometown and his new school… without gadgets.

“I’m about to start college all the way across the country from my hometown. What this means for me, other than unprecedented freedom, adulthood, etc. [and a dose of this thing called the “real world,” might we add] is lots of long flights back and forth. I’m looking for a device to entertain me during these trips. Is there anything out there that the readers can find that can play DVDs (ideally from any region, but that’s not a deal-breaker) along with my AVI files and maybe some audio formats, too? The biggest issue here is battery life. I’m willing to spend $300 - $400 if I have to. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Cheers!”

We’re not so sure there’s a portable DVD player / PMP hybrid out there that’s extra longevous, but you can always get those discs onto a vanilla PMP with a little work. So, jet-setters — what’s the best solution here? Video playback really takes a toll on handheld battery life, but are there any hidden gems that just keep going and going? Hook a brother up, and then send in a question of your own to ask at engadget dawt com.

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Filed under: Misc. Gadgets, Transportation

Finely riding that razored edge between tragedy and comedy, the New York Times reports that not only did the SpaceX Falcon 1 rocket lose its three satellites and fail to reach orbit during a recent launch, but it also destroyed the remains of actor James Doohan, best known as the original Star Trek’s Chief Engineer “Scotty.” The actor’s ashes — as well as those of over 200 others — were being carried into orbit by the rocket when complications with the ship’s stage separation led to the (assumed) destruction of the craft. This recent mishap puts a sad period on the end of the sentence that already included an earlier loss and eventual recovery of the remains.

[Via Slashdot]

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Filed under: Laptops, Peripherals

We can definitely see where this is headed, but shortly after Skooba came clean with actual images of its TSA-approved laptop case, along comes Mobile Edge with a trio of alternatives. The new ScanFast lineup features that oh-so-coveted TSA stamp of approval, meaning that you won’t have to remove your precious lappie from any of these cases when passing through airport security here in the US. The entire collection is set to land later this summer for undisclosed amounts, though we’d plan on paying a steep premium for the integrated convenience.

[Via Gadling]

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Filed under: Robots

Wondering just how we mere mortals were going to even give a robot enough smarts to completely overtake our societies? Oddly enough, some of that artificial brain power could come from studying the way fruit flys, um, fly. A completely bizarre flight simulator at Caltech actually plays “scenes” that flys react to, and considering that the fly is constantly held, researchers can closely examine how the insect attempts to navigate away from lines, blobs and all manners of incoming obstacles. Those working with the installation suggest that these studies could one day help autonomous robots function better, potentially taking some of the load off of our human workforce. We know, you’ve got three bold letters and a question mark running through your noggin right now — just hit the read link to see what it’s all about.

[Thanks, Dave]

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Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless

Not even a week after hearing that Air France was forging ahead with an in-flight calling trial, the European Commission has now voiced its approval of using mobiles on planes in European airspace. After six months of deliberating, the decision was finally made to give airlines the choice of offering up services in order for guests to dial loved ones at 3,000-meters or more. The EU telecoms commissioner, Viviane Reding, went on to warn operators to “keep the cost of calls made on planes at a reasonable level,” and of course, not all is clear just yet. For starters, the European Aviation Safety Agency still needs to green-light the whole ordeal by approving any hardware that would be used, and we won’t be seeing any 3G action up high just yet. Still, at least one less hurdle stands in the way of you phoning home from over Europe (and simultaneously making enemies out of all your neighbors trying to get a few decent minutes of shuteye).

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Filed under: Cellphones, Transportation

Not even half a year after Air France enabled passengers on its single OnAir-equipped Airbus A318 to send / receive messages and e-mail, the airline has went live with the second phase of the in-flight experiment. As of this week, guests who find themselves aboard the aforesaid aircraft can make / receive calls on their mobile at 30,000 feet. Reportedly, a dozen simultaneous calls are possible “per picocell network, as well as unlimited text messages and e-mails,” and while pricing details weren’t disclosed, you can rest assured it won’t be a bargain. Nevertheless, the voice aspect of the trial is scheduled to carry on for three months, and we’re assuming the results (read: whether annoyed passengers start assaulting chronic yappers) will determine if it gets rolled out to more of the fleet or quietly buried.

[Via WiFi Net News]

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Filed under: Laptops

The TSA has been known to take issue with products designed in Cupertino before, but for one particular traveler, it was Apple’s thinnest laptop ever that caused the latest holdup. Upon tossing his ultra-sleek slab of aluminum underneath the scanner, security managed to find enough peculiarities to remove it from the flow, pull it aside and wrangle up the owner for some questions. Apparently, the TSA employee manning the line was flabbergasted by the “lack of a drive” and the complete absence of “ports on the back,” and while hordes of co-workers swarmed to investigate, the user’s flight took off on schedule. Thankfully, said owner was finally allowed to pass through after some more in-the-know colleagues explained in painfully simple terms what an SSD was, but the poor jet-setter most definitely paid the price for trying to slip some of the latest and greatest under the sharp eyes of the TSA (and cutting it close on time, of course).

[Image courtesy of ABC]

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Filed under: Gaming, Transportation, Wireless

We may not mind having to do without our precious Nintendo DS and wireless cans for awhile if there’s in-flight WiFi to keep us occupied, but until then, this new measure is sure to annoy. Reportedly, “passengers on commercial planes [in Japan] are no longer allowed to play games using wireless connections with handheld consoles,” which of course would include the DS and Sony’s PSP. Moreover, it was said that folks were also not allowed to use personal headphones and mice that were cordless, further cramping our ability to slip into a personal electronic heaven while cruising the friendly skies. Ah well, here’s to hoping that the attendants aren’t exactly strict with the new rules, eh?

[Via Joystiq]

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