Following up on a previous TTDaily post about in-flight wi-fi (which mainly is available in the US and on flights over land), Lufthansa has announced it will bring back in-flight broadband service in the first half of 2010, thanks to Panasonic of Japan’s satellite-based service. The airline said it will outfit half its long-haul jet fleet for the service (which allows for inflight access via a wi-fi enabled laptop or a GSM/GPRS powered phone) by mid-2011. Fees are TBD but will be billed via either credit card or via mobile subscriber billing. This announcement bodes well for international travelers, as Lufthansa, Singapore Air and others had to cancel their in-flight service when Boeing’s Connexion service shut down in 2006. Hopefully the Panasonic system, called exConnect will catch on with other international carriers and will bring trans-oceanic broadband access back in the next year or two. More from the NY Times @ Lufthansa Will Offer Internet on Most Long Flights – NYTimes.com.
Even though laptop battery life is improving, and most laptops now offer 4-5 hours of continuous use, there are plenty of situations where that just isn’t enough. Rather than getting the blues because you’re not able to finish that report, or watch the end of the movie, an external battery can extend your work- or play-time no matter where you are – in planes, at conferences, while outdoors or transiting busy airports. 
Whether you’re in Singapore, Stockholm or Seattle, people expect to be able to reach you, virtually 24/7. The only escape (and one I cherished) was on a flight – especially a long one like the 17 ½ hour nonstop from Singapore to Newark. I loved not having access to my phone or Wi-Fi – for the first few hours, that is.
I’m a recent convert to the iPhone, and am very glad I finally made the switch. I’ve been playing in the App store for the past few weeks, and there are a slew of great applications for frequent travelers. Here is a short and sweet list of my 10 favorite iPhone apps for travel — in alphabetical order for objectivity.
Want to feel a bit like James Bond when traveling with important information? Or do you actually carry important client, business or personal data on the go? The 
One of the biggest hassles when traveling is trying to find outlets to either plug in and use or charge up your multiple electronic gadgets and devices. How many hotel rooms have you been in where, despite having a nice workspace, there is only a single available outlet to power your phone, blackberry, PC, iPod and, say, your Bluetooth headset. Gadget hounds would have to either swap the plugs out and spend four times longer to charge/use everything, or lug a bulky power strip around.
If you’re traveling internationally across multiple countries, be very prepared for some serious sticker shock when you get home and open your mobile phone bill. It’s not just the high rates for the actual calls — there are roaming charges, data charges and even charges to receive calls. They come from your carrier, plus the carriers you are using on-the-ground. And once you’ve made the calls, there’s not debate. You’re on the hook for all the costs, whether you think they’re extortion or not. My bills are regularly three to five times higher for months when I travel.
