In-flight mobile calls to start next year - Network IT Week

In-flight mobile calls to start next year - Network IT Week

Phones on flights? Airlines have been against this for years, well actually they haven't, the mobile phone companies have.

Mobile phone networks are designed such that hand-offs between cells work at speeds of less than around 70mph (normal maximum driving speeds). When in a plane, especially coming in to land, a mobile phone may be "visible" to hundreds of cell sites, and the signal will hand off to non-adjacent cells. Normally while driving a phone will nicely travel between sites in a nice orderly manner so the network doesn't have to do a large ammount of processiing to switch traffic around.

When planes land they are in close proximity to cell sites (many airports have sites on the grounds itself), these pump out signals of much higher power than any phone and don't interfere with aircraft systems.

Carphone Warehouse expected to put an offer in for One.tel

Carphone Warehouse (owners of the TalkTalk service and Opal Telecom) are expected to put in an offer for One.tel (the telecoms arm of Centrica).

Carphone Warehouse already have a large consumer customer base and One.tel could strengthen this as well as giving them a better footing in the business arena.

This is just more consilidation in the telecoms space which will continue for a while in a very competetive market.

BBC NEWS | UK | Demon founder escapes jail term

BBC NEWS | UK | Demon founder escapes jail term
Well it's not quite as simple as it makes out.

Cliff Stanford changed his plea due to the Judges interpretation of a section of the RIP Act. If he pleased innocent then the case would have lasted quite a few weeks and cost a lot more than GBP 7500 court costs (and the judge is likely to have imposed a heavier sentance), there were two days of pre-hearing involving the interpretation of the RIP Act.

Mr Stanford will appeal the interpretation, and if he wins that, the sentance is over-turned ...

Digit Online news - Microsoft unveils Xbox 360 TGS lineup

Digit Online news - Microsoft unveils Xbox 360 TGS lineup:
The list isn't definative, but games that will be ready for launch: -

"Bomberman - Act Zero (Hudson Soft)
Call of Duty 2 (Activision)
CHROMEHOUNDS (Sega)
Dead Rising (Capcom)
Dynasty Warriors 5 Special (Koei)
Everyparty (Microsoft Game Studios)
Far East of Eden - Ziria (Hudson Soft)
FINAL FANTASY XI (Square Enix)
Frame City Killer (Namco)
Gears of War (Microsoft Game Studios)
Kameo: Elements of Power (Microsoft Game Studios)
Mobile Suit Gundam (tentative title) (Bandai)
Need for Speed Most Wanted (Electronic Arts)
NINETY-NINE NIGHTS (Microsoft Game Studios)
The Outfit (THQ)
Project Gotham Racing 3 (Microsoft Game Studios)
Resident Evil 5 (Capcom)
Ridge Racer 6 (Namco)
Rumble Roses XX (tentative title) (Konami)
Shutoku Battle (tentative title) (Genki)
Sonic the Hedgehog (Sega)
Saint's Row (THQ)
Test Drive Unlimited (Atari)
Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter (Ubisoft Entertainment)
World Air Force (tentative title) (Taito)
Wrestle Kingdom (Yuke's) "

Announced launch date is Dec 2nd.