SINGAPORE--Travelers without laptop PCs, or who don't wish to fire up their computers, can still work on their documents while onboard selected Singapore Airlines (SIA) flights, thanks to a new tie-up with Sun Microsystems.
Passengers can now edit spreadsheets and text documents using StarOffice 8, which is part of the enhanced KrisWorld entertainment system installed on SIA's new Boeing 777-300ER aircraft. Users only need to save the files onto USB flash drives, which can be directly plugged into the KrisWorld console.
Wong Heng Chew, Singapore managing director at Sun Microsystems, said in a statement Wednesday: "With heightened security, access to laptops during flights can sometimes be restricted. The availability of StarOffice software as part of KrisWorld, offers Singapore Airlines' customers the opportunity to work on and access their information in an open, secure and freely available fashion independent of any vendor or file formats during their flights."
He added: "With StarOffice software supporting an increasing number of productivity file formats like OpenDocument Format (ODF) and Microsoft Office, travelers can access such files through a single application with a USB storage device and even export documents in PDF format."
Although StarOffice 8 touts improved compatibility with documents created with Microsoft Office, converting complex documents between the two suites' formats will, in some cases, require some tweaking to preserve a document's appearance.
Singapore Airlines currently deploys the 777-300ER aircraft to destinations such as Paris, Zurich, Seoul, San Francisco, Milan, Barcelona and Hong Kong.
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Best news all week. At last, news I can use.
Posted by Sam on Friday, June 01 2007 06:57 PM