While casting about the AIX show floor for free java, we came across the SkyBuy booth with chairs & tables, booth babes, and free espresso. What’s not to like? Feigning IFE interest, we sat down, got a cup of joe, and struck up a conversation with Brian Mooney, who was there as Sales Manager for the ARINC SkyBuy product. While complaining about the lack if free Wi-Fi in the Press Room and on the show floor, Brian suggested we log on while we were sitting at there. “Did the booth have Wi-Fi”, we asked? Nope, but he did. Now we had our story and you can guess from the picture that the blue box in the photo is what this Hot Topic is all about.

While Brian told us about the handheld, Wi-Fi-based, point-of-purchase, SkyBuy unit being touted by ARINC, we could not take our eyes off the battery powered, cell phone enabled, portable Wi-Fi access point, called the ARINC MCG. We hope to tell you more about the ARINC SkyBuy handheld in another Hot Topic, but the blue box (now yellow) that enabled demonstrations of the handheld device is a product whose time has come, albeit for other applications. Sure, there are powered Wi-Fi access point units available but this one has a battery and we see value in airline applications, and apparently so does ARINC. 

The unit is really quite simple: a rechargeable Li-ion battery, a cell phone card, and a transmitter/receiver being driver by an IEEE 802.11 engine. The unit is WEP and WAP security capable we understand and if it acts like most web devices, 5 or so users at one time can run applications like email and web... all surfing over an area covering a couple of rooms we guess. Battery power is a function of use but presently Brian said the device will run 10 hours, or so, on one charge. We did not catch a price but we understand it was in the hundreds of dollars, not thousands.  

Applications we see - and I’ll bet you see others - are portable Wi-Fi for line or hangar maintenance work on aircraft, EFG updates, IFE news update, remote temporary base work with no or limited Internet, power outage backup, and lastly, a reasonably priced access point for overpriced Internet connectivity at trade shows! Get the latest info from Brian at bmooney@arinc.com or call for questions at 410-318-9685. 

• SkyBuy: http://www.arinc.com/products/voice_data_comm/skybuy.html 
• MCG: http://www.arinc.com/products/voice_data_comm/mobile_communications.html