The big news this week is the Thales deal to purchase LiveTV and you can read it here. We found another blog reporter who had some interesting things to say about the deal. (Editors Note: In the past the folks at LiveTV have focused on the US, given their JetBlue customer. However, their plan for global reach has been one of Ku-band IPTV. They do have Ka-band capability in the HTS region that has a Ku overlay. With Thales, they now have the Inmarsat option that might change the order of things. Either way, they will be getting a new super-salesman, Mike Moeller… and we sure hope they keep those award winning trade show booths coming!)

2014 Crystal Cabin Award finalists announced

The finalists for the 2014 Crystal Cabin Awards have been announced, following deliberations by the 24-strong international judging panel, which includes representatives from airlines and all the major aircraft manufacturers, as they examined each of the 55 shortlisted entries from 12 countries. (Apologies to AIX/Reed for reformatting their release!)

• Passenger Comfort Systems category include

The acWAP from Lufthansa Technik, is a high-speed router that makes data-intensive applications such as online games possible.

Armstrong Aerospace’s PowerBox, a mobile power point module that can be installed under a seat was announced.

Zodiac Aerospace’s ISIS Aft Complex, which puts the toilet and galley modules side-by-side on the rear wall, to add 3ft to the cabin length.

• Industrial Design & Visionary Concepts

US finalist B/E Aerospace took a similar approach to win a place with its Advanced Lavatory, a slimline toilet module which makes it possible to integrate up to six additional seats in an aircraft.

Zodiac’s Halo First Class design study, which is a lounge-like suite.

Also included was French seat maker Expliseat’s lightweight titanium seat.

• Greener Cabin, Health, Safety & Environment

German finalist Diehl Aerospace has developed DACAPO, a power saving, self-sufficient cabin system using rechargeable and replaceable battery trolleys.

Vision Systems has reached the final round with the Energia aircraft window in which a transparent photovoltaic film inserted into the pane simultaneously “harvests” solar energy and makes it possible to dim the window at the press of a button.

Zodiac enters the fray with another product in the ISIS range: the Modular Lavatory, which facilitates resource-friendly customization and substitution of individual bathroom and lavatory modules.

• Passenger Comfort Hardware

The hygienic toilet developed by Diehl Comfort System is operated using movement sensors, requiring no contact.

The other finalists in the category are Recaro’s ergonomic, lightweight CL3710 economy seat with extra knee room.

ZIM Flugsitz’s EC-00 economy seat for short and medium-haul flights, including a new table and backrest concept was included.

• The Premium Class & VIP

Thales’ Immersive Business Class Seat was included.

Hong Kong-based Paperclip Design’s Convertible Long Haul Seat Concept, which can be quickly converted from premium economy to a full-flat business seat.

Zodiac Aerospac’s Premium Cabin, which not only creates more space for every passenger but also even allows room for an on-board bar.

• Material & Components

Zodiac Galleys impressed the judging panel with an airbag system for front-row passengers.

Specialist Aviation’s Satto solution for minor repairs to cabin components.

Schott’s lightweight glass structure for windows, which is not only more resistant than conventional window plastic but also making significantly larger panes possible.

• University

Two entrants from Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands have reached the final, with Sense the Transitions, an innovative geotainment concept; and the ARC Seat Concept, an aircraft seat that can withstand stresses up to 16g.

Monash University in Australia is showing a concept for wheelchair boarding.

The finalists’ products and concepts will be presented in the Crystal Cabin Award Gallery at Aircraft Interiors Expo in Hamburg, Germany next month (Hall B1, Booth A41), and on the second day of the exhibition (9 April, 11am), the winners will present their concepts to the public.

OMG!

The IFExpress team has purposely avoided any updates of MH370 until we saw this article on Sunday that mentioned IFE – you have to read it… we were dumbstruck!

Beacon technology has been hailed as a game-changer in retail. It uses Bluetooth to trigger the display of information on phones and tablets that is relevant to the specific location and context of the user. Connecting and communicating efficiently with passengers throughout their journey is a widely held goal in the air transport industry and SITA Lab’s research has investigated the potential of using beacon technology in today’s airports. The benefits being touted for the technology, such as low cost and wide range, have a strong appeal for anyone wanting to connect directly with customers. But SITA Lab investigated if the technology works as advertized in the real world. Trials with a leading international airline and airport have produced results that are both promising and cautionary. SITA ’s CTO, Jim Peters noted; “SITA Lab is currently building an industry registry for all beacons. The goal is that any airline will have a single point of contact to go to use any beacon deployed by airports around the world. We are already working with some early adopters but are looking for other airports, airlines and app developers who are interested in leveraging the potential of beacons in the air transport industry to join the project.”

Editors Note: To get a bit more background on this exploding technology, here is a blurb from the Radius Network website about their Apple-based solution: “iBeacons are transmit only. They do not receive or collect any signals from mobile devices. iBeacons don’t detect the presence of your mobile device and therefore have no ability to know you are near or track your location. The bottom line, iBeacons are inherently privacy friendly. You can see them, but they can’t see you. With iBeacon technology, your mobile device is actually what detects the iBeacons. More specifically, an app installed on the mobile device can ask to be notified when the device sees a specific iBeacon. This works very similar to how geofences work when a mobile device crosses into a specific geographic location. Keep in mind that in order for a mobile device to detect and react to an iBeacon, an app MUST reside on the device and have requested the specific iBeacon identifiers it is interested in. The benefit of this approach is that it gives the user ultimate control. If a user does not want to interact with iBeacons, he or she can opt-out by not allowing the app to use location services (iOS), turning Bluetooth off, or uninstalling the app on their phone.” Think GPS when using iBeacons, and we also note, that there are already some 100 apps for iBeacons in the Apple iTunes store today. Android developers are spooling up as well. The underlying technology is Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) based and the rechargeable transmitter units are about the size of a mint tin that can run for days without a charge. If you want to build your own iBeacon application, check out the Travel Radar App in the iTunes App Store, put an iBeacon in your bag, and find your luggage before someone else does!

ALERTS!

• We just heard that Aircraft Cabin Systems recently was granted and registered a patent for their new retractable monitor that features a charged capacitor retract solution!
• Watch for Telefonix get more into Connectivity with the addition of Jim Costello to their staff!
• If you are looking for an Electrical or Electro-Mechanical engineering job opportunity in the greater Seattle area (Kirkland/Redmond WA), we will send you contact information by email. Send a note to plwiseman@gmail.com and mark your email “Jobs” in the subject heading, the rest is up to you

Waukegan, Illinois | March 17, 2014– Telefonix, Inc., a design and manufacturing company that supplies hardware solutions to the inflight entertainment and connectivity markets, is pleased to welcome Jim Costello to its Executive team as the company’s Chief Technology Officer. Jim has more than 25 years’ experience in the wireless communications industry and brings with him a wealth of knowledge in the area of system architecture and product design for the aviation industry. In his new role at Telefonix, Jim will work both with the Telefonix team in development of new product designs as well as work closely with the company’s partner company, Product Development Technologies (PDT), in the development of new technological innovations for shared Telefonix and PDT customers.

Mike Kuehn, Telefonix’s President, says, “The addition of Jim to the Telefonix team is exciting on so many levels. Over the last several years, Telefonix has made huge strides in its capabilities and product offerings in the area of inflight connectivity. To now have Jim on board means that the sky is truly the limit of where we can go next. On a personal note, I am looking forward to working with Jim again as I truly enjoyed our collaborations during our days at Verizon Airfone.”
Jim will be attending the Aircraft Interiors Show in Hamburg, Germany, April 8th – 10th with the Telefonix team. He is planning to relocate back to the Chicagoland area in the near future and will be based out of Telefonix’s Waukegan, Illinois headquarters where he will be poised to work closely with current and future customers on new product development efforts.

Telefonix, Solving anything you put our minds to.