Vertical Technology Blog

On Tuesday, JetBlue will be the first airline to offer free Internet while on board the flights.  This will allow passengers to use Email and Instant Messaging on their handhelds while during flight.  JetBlue announces this move during a competitive season, it should make a few people consider changing flights for the holidays.

Unfortunately the service is limited (you knew that was coming, right?) to Yahoo! Mail, Messenger and Wi-Fi enabled BlackBerrys for BB mail and messenger services.  Just makes you wonder if you should change services just to take advantage of this.

Typically while in flight, it gives you a great reason NOT to work, until you land.  Will this have others upset instead of excited about such a great step?

JetBlue was already known for providing free wireless in the airports, unlike some carriers that charge for the use.  Good thing for JetBlue is that they can sell this service to other carriers, since they own the operations rights.

If you don’t want to spend uber-dollars on a laptop this season, but you have an IM-er in the house, you might want to take a look at other options for them.  Zipit’s Wireless Instant Messaging system is a neat idea for people in that category.

With audio playback and photo viewing available, you can enjoy a host of fun features this baby has to offer.  The Zipit has a few pre-requisites, you must have existing IM accounts (those are free with MSN, Yahoo and AOL/AIM) and a wireless connection either at home or a hotspot abroad.  This makes IMing free, with no monthly fee or pay per use bills coming in the mail.

The photo sharing requires a miniSD card for storing, but many digital cameras need those so this would pair up well with one of those.  The audio offers Internet Radio or again, the miniSD card for storing your favorite songs.  You use the Zipit Wireless site for themes and extras, to help you personalize the screen, and you’re ready to chat!