ATA Airlines Has Man Arrested over Safe iPhone Use

A man named Casey wrote Consumerist and told his awkward story which involves ATA Airlines, an iPhone and a rather bad Jennifer Love Hewitt movie, I Know What You Did Last Summer (1997). Apparently, this Casey guy was flying on an ATA Airlines flight to Hawaii and was listening to music on his iPhone, which was set in the special “airplane mode” that most new phones have.At some point, about half through the 5-hour flight, Casey got bored of the music and started the above-mentioned movie, “I know what you did last summer.” The movie runs about 100 minutes, and about 3/4 through a flight attendant warned him that cell phones are prohibited in airplanes. The passenger explained that the cell phone part of the iPhone is actually safely switched off but the attendant again said “you have to stop using it” and walked on.

Casey decided to ignore the “command” and went back at watching his movie. Eventually, things escalated after the attendant returned and started yelling, refusing to yield to reason and claiming “You have to do anything I say, I am going to have you arrested.” Yet, all along the fight, the plane’s staff failed to provide any reasonable explanation why he couldn’t use the iPhone while everyone else was using their electronic devices (iPods, laptops, etc). Apparently, he was breaking a “FAA rule” which says you can’t talk on a cell phone. The only problem with that is Casey never talked on his iPhone. More—->

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Smackdown: Nokia’s N95 vs. Apple’s iPhone

nokia%20fone.jpg Fortune tries out Nokia’s new unlocked multimedia phone to see how it stacks up against the iPhone.SAN FRANCISCO (Fortune) — When Apple’s iPhone debuted, it seemed to have it all – sleek hardware, a revolutionary user interface, and a cult following. But flash-forward a couple of months, and it’s getting flak for being chained to AT&T’s slowpoke network and for blocking non-Apple software programs.Meanwhile, Nokia has quietly introduced a North American version of its multimedia smartphone, the N95. Already a hit in Europe, the N95 is one of the first “unlocked” mobile phones to be heavily marketed in the United States.

What exactly is an unlocked phone? For starters it’s a device that can work on multiple GSM networks worldwide. It’s also open to any mobile applications, not just those allowed by the phonemaker or the network the device happens to be running on. In fact, Nokia (Charts) is even encouraging customers to experiment with their N95 – its new ad campaign touts the phone as “open to anything.” More —->

Move over iPhone, here comes the Voyager

nokia%20fone.jpg By Sinead CarewNEW YORK (Reuters) – Verizon Wireless unveiled three new cell phones on Wednesday for the holiday season, including a high-end handset named Voyager that will compete with Apple Inc’s (AAPL.O: Quote, Profile , Research) iPhone.

The Voyager, made by LG Electronics (066570.KS: Quote, Profile , Research), trumps the iPhone by offering faster wireless Web access. But in a nod to the Apple device, which is only available to AT&T Inc (T.N: Quote, Profile , Research) subscribers, it has a large touch screen and full Web browser.

Verizon Wireless hopes the new phone will attract customers put off by the iPhone’s lack of a traditional keypad — the Voyager hinges open to reveal a small computer keypad and a second screen.

“We think it’ll be the best phone … this year. It will kill the iPhone,” Verizon Wireless Chief Marketing Officer Mike Lanman said in an interview.

Current Analysis analyst Avi Greengart said the Voyager may attract existing Verizon subscribers who do not want to switch service providers, but he doubted it would hurt iPhone sales. “People who want a high-end media phone and want to stay with Verizon will certainly give that one a hard look. I don’t know that it would pull anybody away from an iPhone,” he said. The battle for cell phone buyers’ hearts this holiday shopping season is shaping up to be even fiercer than usual, as rivals to Apple and AT&T launch new challengers. Continued…

Another iPhone challenger

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All the noise about Apple Inc.’s iPhone has awaken the world’s largest handset maker.

Nokia Corp. on Wednesday fired off its double-barreled answer to iPhone on Wednesday, showing off four new music-centric handsets (including its 8GB N81 model shown here) and a new Internet service that’s centered on music downloads and other entertainment offerings. More —>