O3D is a “shader-based, low-level graphics API for creating interactive 3D applications in a web browser”. According to sources, it’s an interpreted language and thus provides immediate feedback to the developer (just like coding HTML – hit refresh to see the result).

You can learn more about O3D here!

If HUH? just popped into your head, then have a look at this:

RCTiger.com is a German website that lets you control minature remote-controlled tanks in a simulated battlefield, complete with light and sound effects!

Till a while back, the service was pay-per-play and used to end at 10:00pm Munich time, each day. But since a few weeks, they’ve made it 24/7 and are giving away free playtime slots (in a bid to attract a larger audience, I presume).

The idea of in-flight Internet access has been around since a number of years. Initial implementations of the feature simply involved having a web-server with a very very large cache of web pages – a simulated Internet experience, if you will.

But this is LIVE Internet – the real deal! And you get to access it wirelessly, from the comfort of your laptop.

So, is it time to add the clickety-clackety of keyboards to the already present melange of in-flight sounds?

Perhaps not.

While struggling airlines might view the service as a way to gain an edge in attracting passengers (and also as a new source of revenue) in-flight Internet may take some time to get its wheels off the ground.

This is what Daryl Schoolar, from In-Stat (a technology research firm in Scottsdale, Ariz) has to say:

“Wi-Fi in the air is not going to be like what you get in your house. It’s going to be slower than what you’re used to and movies may appear shaky.”

His research shows that people will pay for WiFi when they have no other way to log onto the Internet.

“Airplanes have very captive audiences. Some people think it’s OK to pay $7 for a Budweiser on the airplane when they can get the same beer for a dollar at a convenience store. They are willing to adjust their expectations.”

There are two main technologies being used – satellite-based and ground-based.

While the satellite-based variant one is a no-brainer, the ground-based variant is interesting – Two antennas (under the plane) capture signals from cell towers on the ground, making the plane a moving Wi-Fi hot-spot!

A number of American airlines are currently in the race to implement in-flight Internet: Southwest Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Virgin America, American Airlines and United Airlines.

Standard rates: $7.95 (hand-held), $9.95 (laptop, 3 hour or lesser short haul flight) and $12.95 (laptop, long haul flight).