Mobile, Wifi | featured news

In the skies over Europe, Asia and the Middle East, airline passengers can chat and text on cellphones without getting an angry look from a flight attendant. Thai Airways, with regular flights from Los Angeles to Bangkok, recently announced plans to offer onboard cellphone service, joining about 20 other foreign-based carriers that already offer it.

With three antsy kids in the back, a husband resistant to bathroom breaks, and spotty cellphone coverage along the route, it's easy to think flying would be easier. If it weren't for that pesky TSA, the checked baggage fee, and having to pay for five airplane tickets, flying would be a no-brainer.

The argument that mobile phones are bad for health was maybe due a reprise, so expect at least a round of calls for more research on their impact in the coming days, and possibly for outright bans in some circumstances (like schools). The renewed concern though is not just about mobile phones. WiFi is now in the frame. The panic button was pressed by an influential European committee that has compared the current situation of mobiles and WiFi to previous experiences of tobacco and asbestos.

Line2 takes a big step toward a future when cellphone users won’t need to rely on a cellphone carrier’s service.

Palm on Thursday announced upgraded versions of its Pre and Pixi smartphones that add video recording and the capability to create 3G mobile hotspots for laptops and other mobile devices.

Ustream, one of the best services for those in need of a free video streaming platform, has just launched the Android Viewer, an app that lets you watch any Ustream show on your Android device, provided you're connected to the Internet via either 3G or WiFi.