Are We There Yet?

've always been an avid traveler and often look forward to planning summer trips to faraway destinations. However , whether by train, plane, or automobile , long-distance travel for the majority of us usually comes with some degree of discomfort—long periods of time sitting in a seat with a limited selection of things to do. Fun traveling companions and a good book can help, but faced with a long flight or transcon-tinental road trip, cramped seating, bland scenery, and ambient engine noise make the environment challenging. Electronic entertainment systems have been a considerable boon to helping alleviate the dull side of travel: for a long time, cars have been equipped with radios or cassette players, and commercial airplanes have provided audio programming and a limited selection of movies. Over the past 10 years, pervasive computing technologies have contributed to mobile entertainment's evolving capabilities. Reflecting on this evolution for some of the most popular forms of transportation reveals that although there were initially few improvements , capabilities are now improving at a breakneck pace. PLANES Until the mid 90s, airlines on long routes entertained their passengers with a couple of movies projected onto retractable screens in a few key positions in the cabin. For me, the experience was better than the alternative—no movie— but the enjoyment factor was always hit or miss. It depended on where I was seated, the quality of the light-beam projector's tricolor optics, and my fellow travelers' good will. I can remember a couple of flights in which the movie-viewing experience was particularly difficult because another passenger wanted to keep his or her window shade open. In the mid 90s, the display quality improved with TV monitors and LCD panels mounted more pervasively in the cabins, and in the late 90s many of the wide-body jets on transcontinental flights incorporated personal LCD panels in the seat backs. With these systems , it was possible to lose yourself in a good movie for a couple of hours and not have the critical plot scenes interrupted by the almost predictable silhouette of a stewardess pushing a dinner cart. Portable displays have had a positive impact on mobile entertainment's quality , and the opportunity for personaliza-tion has been an added bonus. On a flight, I now have a choice of what movie or documentary to watch, or I can even switch to the GPS map channel showing my exact position …