Android chosen to entertain on all 821 Boeing 787 aircraft

From the Australian Business Traveller comes word that Boeing has chosen Android for its in-flight entertainment system. Well, at least for its 787 Dreamliner aircraft that's in production.

Mark Lawson, Boeing's technical manager at their Dreamliner Gallery, said that all the aircraft currently being built will be fitted with Android tablets (non-removable ones). That means whether you're sitting in economy class or first class, you'll have customized airline apps to watch videos, listen to music, and play games.  And, if there's in-flight Wi-Fi, you’ll have access to the web as well.

What's interesting and yet to be revealed is whether passengers will be able to use the Android sign-in feature to access all of their custom content on the device for the duration of the flight.  If so, it would instantly provide email, photos, and content subscriptions to each flier.  Though, if that were to be implemented, there would have to be a Chrome OS-like way to secure the data upon log off.

There are currently 821 confirmed orders for Boeing's 787 Dreamliner, including Australia's Quantas ordering 50, Air Canada ordering 37, and Japan's two major airlines ordering 90.  With the first order shipping out for its first official flight this October, the skies will soon be filled with flying Android users. Oddly enough, this could be a boon to Android's tablet sales. If passengers are shown Android and become familiar with the OS, perhaps the next round of tablets become a bit more palatable for potential customers and more interesting for developers.

[SOURCE]