I haven`t seen this article yet, but maybe I missed things. Our next gen player absolutely needs internet to keep up. Put internet on these things and somehow keep it from the laptops and these would sell out everytime.

http://www.aviationnow.com/avnow/news/channel_awst_story.jsp?id=news/09274air.xml

IMS began talking with airlines about PEAs this fall, and Business Development Director Michael Childers predicts, ``There will be PEAs in the sky this fall.``

The concept is simple, but IMS` vision is anything but. Besides offering 12-20 movies, interactive games, 40-100 CD music choices and electronic or audio books, Childers says the PEA can be used for in-air shopping--and not just from an airline`s duty-free selections. He envisions airlines earning fees from well-known catalogue merchants eager to gain access to a captive audience. Passengers will swipe credit cards to buy services. The units will store the credit card and any purchase information for downloading after the flight.

THE SELLING POINT for airlines is a less-than-$2,000-per-screen price tag.

PEA is following in the footsteps of APS` digEplayer 5500. Introduced at last year`s WAEA conference, the portable entertainment centers are already in use by six airlines, and APS last week announced that Ryanair will become its first European low-fare customer. DigEplayer offers up to 64 movie choices.

APS shows how quickly ideas can bubble up from the ground in IFE. Its founder, Bill Boyer, works--he still does--on an Alaskan Airlines ramp. Alaska launched the digEPlayer on its long-haul flights.

This portable audio-visual on-demand (AVOD) entertainment concept is especially suited for the single-aisle market, which rarely has IFE systems, except for limited applications, such as JetBlue`s attention-grabbing inflight television services.

Virgin Atlantic has begun experimenting with General Dynamics Advanced Information Systems` Your Entertainment Station Solo (YES Solo) on a 747-400. YES Solo`s AVOD approach can be either portable or a seatback installation and use WiFi access. Connexion has been demonstrating it as a seatback installation for the past year.

The WiFi application allows it to receive news feeds through Rockwell Collins` Airshow 4200 system. Like the other portable AVOD suppliers, General Dynamics is applying a commercial-off-the-shelf approach to its hardware. It has turned to Hewlett-Packard for the devices.