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News: Net Access Takes Flight

By the time you read this, a new wireless broadband Internet service for notebook users from German airline Lufthansa should have taken off. (The service is expected to appear on other international carriers next month.) The Internet service will be offered on a Lufthansa Boeing 747-400 that flies daily between Frankfurt and Washington DC's Dulles International Airport. First-class and business-class travelers will be able to plug their notebooks into the plane's onboard LAN with cables and sockets at their seats or use a wireless connection. Economy-class passengers will only be able to connect to the system with wireless LAN equipped notebooks.

During the first quarter of 2003, Lufthansa plans to also begin providing wireless Internet access in more than 50 of its airport lounges. The in-flight and airport lounge services will be free for the first three months, the company says.

For an earlier Mobile Computing feature article on plans for in-flight Internet access, see "Mobile Computing Tips: Web Access on Planes to Take Off."

News: Gateway's Tablet PC

Have you been keeping tabs on who's making tablet PCs? Add Gateway's name to the growing list. The computer maker has joined the ranks of Fujitsu, Hewlett-Packard, and others by offering a slate-style portable computing device.

Gateway's tablet PC is essentially the same as a model designed by Motion Computing. It includes a mobile keyboard, a docking station with ports for peripherals, and integrated 802.11b wireless Internet networking. The tablet is less than 1 inch thick, weighs 3 pounds, and has a 12.1-inch screen for note taking and display. Gateway's machine features bundled software that differs from what Motion Computing offers, according to Gateway. A $2799 base configuration includes a 866-MHz Ultra Low Voltage Pentium III-M processor, 256MB of synchronous dynamic RAM, a 40GB hard drive, and an external DVD-ROM/CD-RW combination drive.

Review: A Prop for Your Laptop

PC Tables' Table Tote ($50) is a handy portable workstation for notebooks, says PCWorld.com's Aoife McEvoy. The portable notebook stand provides an adjustable tabletop and document holder that positions your computer at a comfortable angle and gets that hot machine off your knees. The stand folds into a compact, laptop-shape box that measures about 13.5 inches by 10.75 inches and is just over an inch thick. The stand weighs about 3 pounds.