Well this is spiffy: American Airlines announced it will outfit some premium cabins with its own branded version of the new Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1, the first U.S. airline to do so.
The sleek gadgets operate on an Android platform, and come with all the accoutrements you’d expect: A shiny touch screen, USB plug-ins (for keyboards and joysticks), and apps for watching movies and catching up on YouTube videos.
As with most snazzy in-flight gizmos, the tablets will only be plugged into premium class seats on select long-haul flights: JFK to Los Angeles and San Francisco, Miami to Los Angeles (767-200 and 767-300 aircrafts); Boston to Los Angeles (757 planes); and international flights to and from Europe and South America (767-300 planes). American and Samsung haven’t set the official launch date, but expect to see these tools in the front of the plane before the end of the year.
If you want to use the tablet to tweet from 10,000 feet, know that so far American has equipped all of its 767-200 planes with Wi-Fi (only for flights within the continental U.S.) – or, just use this nifty widget to figure out if you’ll get to stay plugged in en route.
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