FOcUS On inflight entertainment
Sally Gethin of Gethin’s Inflight News rounds up the latest product developments and orders in the fast-changing world of the inflight entertainment industry
American flies the galaxy
American Airlines’ surprise announcement this summer that it has ordered 6,000 tablet devices for its premium passengers makes it the first North American airline to offer a branded tablet inflight
BEGINNING later this year, the Samsung Galaxy 10.1 tablets will replace American’s current personal entertainment device in premium cabins on the airline's key domestic and international routes. American Airlines comments: "We are
modernising our fleet and investing wisely in new products to make the customer experience more contemporary. Working with Samsung to provision our premium cabins with the innovative Galaxy tablets will give our customers a cutting-edge inflight entertainment experience." American Airlines has plumped for a pure
tablet, taken straight out of the consumer market, or more generically known as a Consumer Off The Shelf device (COTS). Why should this cause a stir in the inflight entertainment industry? Simply because it is a departure from the conventional wisdom that airlines need IFE equipment from dedicated IFE vendors. American Airlines states: "The portable
IFE market is rapidly changing toward the adaptation of consumer products rather than purpose-built devices." The last 10 years have seen consistent growth
in the portable/handheld IFE sector, dominated by digEcor in the US, The IMS company (also in the US) and others such as e.Digital, AIRVOD and Bluebox. Some have tried to emulate the graphical user interface and navigation menus of the latest tablets and consumer devices. Bluebox has even launched Bluebox Ai,
an iPad device customised for the inflight environment that uses operating software from Apple. This device is already on order by Australian low-cost carrier Jetstar, but is yet to enter service. One of the issues relating to COTS devices is
the underlying operating software. Previously, IFE vendors used their own operating software.
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The Samsung Galaxy Tab
But going to the open market has both pros and cons. The Samsung Galaxy Tab uses the Android platform, which is open source, whereas Apple devices operate on iOS. Consultant Michael Childers notes: "One of
the principal issues in re-purposing the iPad for IFE is the proprietary operating system. The Android operating system is open source and uses technologies that are, for the most part, commonly and widely available." He adds, "No COTS device is likely to be
able to be taken from the store to the aircraft without re-purposing. There will always be an IFE vendor involved in such re-purposing." The Android 3.1 (Honeycomb) platform
in the Galaxy tab provides fast applications, intuitive navigation and broader support of USB accessories, external keyboards, joysticks and
"The last 10 years have seen consistent growth in the portable/handheld IFE sector, dominated by digEcor in the US, The IMS company (also in the US) and others such as e.Digital, AIRVOD and Bluebox."
gamepads. Samsung will customise the Galaxy Tab for American’s inflight entertainment needs, adding more memory. Another advantage to the Galaxy Tab 10.1 according to American Airlines and Samsung, is its thinness at just 8.6 millimetres, making it the thinnest large screen tablet on the market. digEcor marketing director Adam Williams
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